Camping

Hot Weather Camping            Cold Weather Camping

Camping is Scouting at its best. Learn how to make yourself comfortable outdoorsfor a night or more, and you'll be ready for all kinds of BSA adventures.

The long, warm days of summer are perfect for campouts, but don't put away your tent and camp stove just because cold weather has arrived. Snow can turn familiar countryside into a wintry wilderness just right for overnight trips that might include snowshoeing, skiing, building igloos, and tracking animals.

Master the skills needed for camping and you'll have the knowledge to take care of yourself in the outdoors and to take care of the outdoors, too. Learn the Outdoor Code.

Planning a camping trip

Plan ahead and you will be prepared for anything you might meet along the way. A trip plan prepares you for the challenges of a hike, a campout, or any other outdoor activity. Write down the following five W's of a trip plan:

THE FIVE W's
Where are you going? Decide on your destination and the route you will use to reach it and to return. for backcountry trips, leave a copy of a map with your route marked in pencil.

When will you return? If you are not back reasonably close to the return time tou wrote on your trip plan, Scout leaders and your family can take steps to locate you and, if necessary, provide assistance. Know the length of a camping trip so that you can take along enough food, clothing, fuel, and gear. Based on the their duration, three kinds of Scout camping are short-term, long-term, and high adventure:

• Short-term camping includes one -night outings and weekend trips. Many troops and patrols try to go camping once a month or more, often in local parks or at BSA campgounds.
• Long-term camping allows you to spend at least six days and fice nights with your troop at Scout camp or on expeditions into the back-country, along rivers and lakes, or over the open road. These longer trips often occur in the summer, but you might have opportunities for winter outlings, too.
• High-adventure treks begin at adventure bases operated by the BSA National Council or a BSA local council. Some troops also plan and embark on their own high-afventure treks. On journeys of a week or longer, you can push toward a mountaintop, paddle your canoe across wilderness lakes, or even sail a ship on the open sea.

Who is going with you? List the name of your hiking partners. If you need a ride to or from a trailhead, write down who will be driving.

Why are you going? To fish in a lake? Climb a peak? Explore a new area? Write a sentence or two about the purpose of your journey.

What are you taking? You 'll always want to carry the Scout Outdoor Essentials and you might need additional food, gear, and shelter.

How you will respect the land by using leave-no-trace hiking and camping skills.