Boys who are camping should pack the following:

Clothes:
1. One full set of clothes (wear most of this Friday night): socks, shoes, jeans, short sleeved shirt, long sleeved shirt, sweatshirt, jacket, underwear.

2. Second set of clothes: socks, jeans, shirt, underwear - in a back pack. Don't expect this set to come home used - the boys usually wear the same clothes all weekend. Obviously, pack for the weather, but do not over pack - a Scout is PREPARED. A rain poncho would be in good form.

Meals:
3. Non-perishable meals: Saturday breakfast, lunch, and dinner; Sunday breakfast. Ideas were already discussed, if you have questions, talk to your son or email Julie.  Remember - anything they pack in to camp, they must pack out of camp, please send a garbage bag for any meal stuffs they will need to discard.

4. A quart sized bag of snacks - no bigger. They are only out for two nights, less than 72 hours. Think beef jerky sticks, granola bars, apples, oranges. You would be surprised how many boys LOVE apples and oranges on campouts. Send your son with one or two. But remember he must pack out his own garbage.

5. DO NOT SEND pop, fruit drinks, or other sugary drink mixes. They do not need that type of sugar and it attracts animals and bugs. it is usually windy and the boys can get dehydrated, they need WATER, which we will have, they need their WATER BOTTLE.

Sleeping Gear:
6. A sleeping bag that can be ATTACHED to the outside of the backpack (use a belt or bungee or other strap) as the boys will be packing in their own gear and it is about a mile hike up hill. It will be cold at night, if you do not have a sleeping bag that is rated for below 40 degrees, you can make that work.... 1 layer of fleece liner adds 7-10 degrees of warmth and 1 sheet adds 3-5 degrees of warmth. If you add a fleece and a sheet to a 40 degree sleeping bag, you will now have a sleeping bag that will keep you warm to just below freezing.

7. Ground cover (tarp, plastic sheet) that will separate the sleeping bag from the cold ground: newspaper, yoga mat, egg crate mat, thermarest pad, or other such device. It must also be able to be rolled up and attached to the outside of the backpack.

8. Pillow - do not pack a pillow, it is room and weight they do not need. - they can use their sleeping bag sack to stuff a sweatshirt in and have a pillow.

9. Pajamas are encouraged so they go to bed in something that was not hiking through weeds - but they must wear something - just underwear is not acceptable.

Mess Gear:

10. Eating utensils - I suggest a $5 mess kit from Farm and Fleet or the Scout Shop and the $5 fold up silverware from WalMart camping section. They will use these items the rest of their scouting career.

11. Water Bottle, water bottle, water bottle.

Shelter Gear:
12. He could bring rope to use to make his shelter, or tent stakes to use with the tarp he will be getting.

13. Duct tape is usually a nice addition.

Other Good-to-Have Items:

14. small First aid kit is always encouraged.

15. Your son DOES NOT NEED ELECTRONICS at camp outs. We understand he will want to take pictures, but if he is caught texting and talking on the phone, it will be taken away. This is time to be with nature, each other, and learn some of the back country guidelines. PLEASE DO NOT TEXT YOUR SON during a simple weekend camp out, he needs to learn to be self-sufficient. If you have questions or needs, contact one of the leaders on the camp out, first.

16. Toiletries: deodorant, tooth brush, toothpaste (a scout is clean), a roll of toilet paper.

17. Maybe a small fold up camp shovel - they will learn to dig cat holes and use them for solid waste - there are no bathrooms. Most of the older boys have one of these.

18. Flash light and/or lantern

19. Flint and steel if they have it, certainly a small baggie of tinder to start camp fires is encouraged as they will be working on their fireman's chip (rules for boys scout fires).

20. Pocket knife is encouraged - please make sure it is sharpened, nothing is more dangerous than a dull pocket knife. The boys will be working on their Toten chip as well. this is their license to carry knives, saws, and hatchets on camp outs as well as the rules for an ax yard.

Adults, you are welcome to bring a chair - your stuff can be hauled up in a truck. The kids may bring other items, but ONLY IF THEY CAN PACK IT UP THE HILL THEMSELVES. Adults, please pack in similar fashion to the boys.

This is truly a fun camp out and the first year scouts will be learning from older scouts. They can begin working on their camping merit badge at this camp out among other things.