Camping

What kind of campouts does the Troop go on and what campout items do I need to purchase for him?  
My backpack is too large for my son, what size should I buy for him?  
Where can I buy such cool equipment?
I want to cook awesome Dutch oven recipes, where do I go?  

All of these questions and more are answered below…

2020-21 Monthly Weekend Campouts: (Chosen by Scouts)

Sept: Hiking – Palo Duro Canyon -Canyon, TX
Oct: Hiking and Bouldering – Enchanted Rock – Fredericksburg, TX
Nov: Longhorn Cavern State Park – Burnet County, TX
Dec: Rockets, Shotgun, Rifle, Bon fire – Stonemont, Caney, OK
Jan: Cooking, Camping, Fishing MB’s – Camp Trevor Rees Jones (TRJ)
Mar: Geology and Ziplining – Camp Preston Hunt, Texarkana
Apr: Canoeing – Big Thicket National Preserve – Lumberton, TX
May: Tubing – Guadalupe River, TX

For past years campouts click here.

Summer Camps 2018-2021:  (Chosen by Scouts)

2018:      Camp Buck Toms with Great Smoky Mountains National Park Pretrip—Rockwood, TN
2019:      Camp Buffalo Bill with Yellowstone National Park/Grand Teton National Park Pretrip—Cody, WY
2020:      Denali High Adventure Camp with Denali National Park Pretrip—Alaska
2021:      Camp Daniel Boone and white water high adventure – Asheville, NC

Contents
1. Troop Campouts2. Troop Gear
3. Cooking
4. Related Information
5. Where to Buy
6. Backpacking Gear
   6.1 Personal Gear
   6.2 Carry How Much?

Troop Gear

Cooking

Related Information

Where to Buy

Where to buy gear (stores are not endorsed by Troop 1776 but have been used by our members):

  • Campmor – low prices, online ordering.
  • REI – local stores in Plano and Dallas.  Membership at REI requires a one-time fee.  You get annual member dividend rebates on purchases and are informed of special sales and activities at the store and online
  • Other online retailers used by our members that carry high quality camping and backpacking gear  – Backcountry.com, Moosejaw.com, SunnySports, SierraTradingPost 
  • The Clymb is an online “private club that offers inside prices on premium outdoor gear and apparel.”  Every week there are usually deals offered on 2 or 3 manufacturers products or multiple manufacturers of a type or group of products.  The deals are only offered for about 2 or 3 days and if it’s really good then they sellout quickly.  Membership in The Clymb is free. 
  • HikerDirect is a site/program created by gear manufacturer Alps Mountaineering to provide Scouting families factory direct pricing on good quality camping and backpacking gear.  You can get the same Alps Mountaineering gear that you might find at various retailers including REI, but they offer it to registered Scouting families for about a 42% discount.  Alps Mountaineering is sometimes offered on The Clymb, but usually the ScoutDirect pricing is better.  Alps Mountaineering backpacking gear is good starter equipment for a good price.  Their gear is durable and a decent weight for the short backpacking campouts the troop takes.  Go to the Hiker Direct website to register.  You will then get emailed a link to the HikerDirect Price List and Order Form or you can select the Order link on their website.  They sometimes also send out Special Sales information on overstocks, closeouts and seconds to registered Scouting families.  Go view the full line of Alps Mountaineering gear online first, then order it by calling a toll-free number for the Alps Mountaineering HikerDirect Customer Service and Sales office.  Their Customer Service is excellent.  They are very helpful in selecting models and sizes of equipment and they promptly send out accessories and replacement parts.

Backpacking Gear

There will be 3 classes of gear:

  • Personal – that which is primarily for his use alone. Each Scout is responsible to have there own personal gear. The list below is an example of typical items and should be adjusted for weather and seasonal conditions.
  • Shared gear – typically this a tent or part of one a ground cloth that the boy is sharing with one other boy (Boy or troop to provide)
  • Patrol gear – this will include the patrol cookstove, fuel, cook gear, water purification, ropes, rain fly, shovel, saw and such. This gear is divided up among the boys in the patrol. Troop to provide this gear in most cases. Patrol food and patrol first aid kit is usually provided by the Scouts in the Patrol.

Keep in mind the Boy Scout Handbook recommended Scout Outdoor Essentials (Ten Essentials) when packing for a campout or wilderness hike:

  1. Pocket knife or Multi-tool
  2. First Aid kit
  3. Extra clothing to match the weather
  4. Rain gear
  5. Flashlight
  6. Trail food
  7. Water
  8. Matches and/or firestarter
  9. Sun protection
  10. Trail maps and compass

Personal Gear

Pack

  • BackPack with padded hip belt (you might borrow one for now , buy or rent ).
  • Select either:
    • External frame, with a capacity of approximately 2,200 – 4,000 cubic inches (35-65 liters), or
    • Internal frame, with a capacity of approximately 3,000 – 4,900 cubic inches (50-80 liters)
  • Pack cover (waterproof nylon, )
  • Six to 12 1-gallon Zip Lock plastic bags to pack clothes
  • A couple of stuff sacks

Sleeping

  • Sleeping bag in stuff sack lined with plastic bag good to 20 – 30 degrees
  • Sleeping clothes to be worn only in sleeping bag (T-shirt and gym shorts)
  • Straps to hold sleeping bag on pack (if needed)
  • Foam sleeping pad (closed-cell or Therm-a-Rest, both in cold weather may be needed)
  • Light Fleece sleeping bag liner may be neeeded to add a few degrees of comfort. A second sleeping bag or blanket may be needed in cold weather.

Clothing – in layers

Layer A (Hiking Clothes)

  • Hiking boots (well broken in)
  • Lightweight sneakers or tennis shoes or crocs (closed toe)
  • 2 pair of heavy socks ( smart wool)
  • 2 pair of lighter inner socks (polypro)
  • 2 changes of underwear (polypro)
  • 1 pair of hiking shorts (scout shorts or the zip off convertible pants)
  • Two short-sleeve wicking shirts (troop shirts)
  • One hat or cap (flexible, with brim)

Layer B (Cool Evening

  • One long-sleeve shirt or (light Fleece)
  • One pair of long pants (fleece or nylon; not heavy jeans)
  • One pair of insulated underwear (polypro)

Layer C (Cold)

  • One sweater or jacket (heavy or polar fleece)
  • One stocking cap (wool or polypro)
  • One pair of glove liners or mittens (or polypro)

If really cold then gloves should be layered with a water resistant outer shell

Layer D (Cold, Wet, Windy)

  • One sturdy rain suit jacket and pants

Eating utensils

  • Deep bowl (small, plastic)
  • Cup (measuring style, plastic or metal)
  • Spoon or spork
  • 2 1-liter water bottles, and a 2 liter or so camelbak for hikes or dry camps

Personal and Miscellaneous

  • Small pocketknife or multi-tool
  • Matches/lighter in waterproof container
  • 2 Flashlights (small with extra batteries ) one should be a headlamp
  • Lip balm (SPF 25+) such as ChapStick Sun Defense
  • Soap (biodegradable) and/or Bio-wipes
  • Toothbrush and toothpaste
  • Small towel
  • Tissues (Kleenex or toilet tissue)
  • Cat hole shovel (depending on location)
  • Sunglasses (inexpensive)
  • Ditty bag(s) (for personal items)
  • Body powder (Gold Bond is the best!)
  • Notepad and pen
  • Sunscreen, insect repellent and other personal medical items
  • Personal sewing kit, very small
  • Personal first aid kit
  • Whistle
  • Compass

Optional

  • Scout Handbook, Field Guide, etc.
  • Camera
  • Watch (inexpensive)
  • Rubber bands/straps (large, for packing)
  • Simple GPS
  • Camp chair

How Much Should You Carry?

You can find backpacks that can fit a range of body sizes.  A person’s torso length (not their height) and waist size are important measurements to know when selecting a backpack.  Gear websites such as REI.com have instructions on the proper way to measure to get the right size backpack. You may be able to get a backpack with a wide torso length range to fit a younger or smaller Scout, yet will still fit as they grow.  If you get a larger backpack to grow into then remember, you do not have to fill your backpack just because it still has room after you have packed all your gear into it.

As a general rule you should try not to carry more than one-quarter to one-third of your body weight, and if possible aim for less – although in the Winter and on longer trips that’s not always feasible. After packing, walk around for a little while as a test, think again about what you’re carrying and strip away everything you absolutely don’t need or if you are comfortable add that one item you can’t live without. Two days into a trip, your body will be thanking you for not carrying more than you really need.

Younger or lighter weight Scouts who will only be doing weekend campouts for a while and Scouts that tend to pack only the minimum amount of gear can probably start with a pack that has a volume of about 2500 to 4000 cubic inches or 40 to 65 liters. Larger Scouts or Scouts that tend to take more gear may want to consider a backpack around the 70 to 75 liter volume.  For week-long treks such as at Philmont Scout Ranch and for larger Scouts and adults, recommended backpack sizes are in the 65 to 98 liter volumes (though generally 75 liters is sufficient).

These volume recommendations are for internal frame backpacks. Scouts planning on Frame packs will find they usually have a smaller interior volume for your main gear, but have many pockets and ways to strap things to the outside, if needed.

Several factors affect your ability to carry. Your personal fitness, any injuries you might have, how well your pack balances the load, and your experience. So when you get your pack, put your gear in, weigh it so you try to stay in the suggested weight described and listed below, and walk around with it to get used to the weight and how it rides. Experiment with the carry straps to find the optimal position to carry your gear.

New, good quality backpacks in the 3000 to 4300 cubic inch range (50 to 70 liters) with brands including REI, Osprey, Kelty, North Face and Gregory can often be found on sale in the $90 to $180 range. Alps Mountaineering backpacks (durable, but usually heavier than other brands) normally cost about $100 through the Hiker Direct program, but can often be purchased on sale (usually in the Fall and Spring) for $50 to $90. Other brands such as High Sierra, Mountainsmith and Jansport have had some good backpacks in the past, but appear to be discontinuing them in favor of daypacks.  Some popular past models that sometimes show up for sale include REI Meteor Pack (Youth 55 liters), High Sierra Long Trail 90L Internal Frame Pack (huge expedition pack), Kelty Coyote 4750 Internal Frame Pack, Mountainsmith Youth Scout External Frame Pack (55 liters).  

Carry weight estimates max:

Your weight LBSMax pack weight range LBS
6015 – 20
8020 – 27
9023 – 30
10025 – 33
15038 – 50
17544 – 58

Again, keep in mind the Boy Scout Handbook recommended Scout Outdoor Essentials (Ten Essentials) when packing for a campout or wilderness hike:

  1. Pocket knife or Multi-tool
  2. First Aid kit
  3. Extra clothing to match the weather
  4. Rain gear
  5. Flashlight
  6. Trail food
  7. Water
  8. Matches and/or firestarter
  9. Sun protection
  10. Trail maps and compass

Pack the rest of your gear, if you can carry it. If you don’t have room or it is too heavy then bring the few other items with you that you really need and your Patrol or the Troop will find a way to get it to camp.  Camping should be fun and an adventure.