When it’s a birthday, or a holiday, lots of grandparents (and parents) wonder what exactly they can get their scout that would be useful. A scout is thrifty, after all, you don’t want to get something that isn’t useful.
Below are some of the recommended gifts for a scout. Where a certification or rank is needed, that is noted below.
Compass
Your scout will always need a good compass. There are many different designs but your most basic compass will have a needle that points north and orienting lines on it.
Backpack
Scouts are carrying their own clothes, tents and stoves out into the woods, so having a camping backpack suited to their size works well. Troop 30 has some to lend, but when you want your own, there are Osprey packs sold by the Scout Store, and a number of other backpacking bags are sold at places like REI and Sierra Trading Post. The most important part of the pack is it needs to have a hip belt that helps the scout distribute the weight in the pack.
How big should a pack be? Most scouts starting out can handle a 50L pack for hikes in to Nobscot Scouting Reservation and other campsites. Adult-sized scouts may choose 70L packs where they can get tents, sleeping bags and winter gear all inside their packs.
Tent
Scouts are welcome to borrow a troop tent until they have one of their own. In cold weather we always use the buddy system and tent in 3-4 person tents. But for experienced scouts in good weather? They can camp solo.
Depending on your scout’s age and experience, the type of tent will not change: Tents should be light enough for a scout to carry him/her/themselves. Dome tents are the easiest to carry, because they’re a shelter made of a rain fly, a tent and two fiberglass poles. Other tents that are appropriate are tunnel tents and bivvy tents. Geodesic, family-size and A-frame tents are too large and too heavy for scout camping. Pop-up tents are very heavy and too delicate for scout camping.
Wool Socks
The wool sock is the magical piece of outdoor gear your scout will learn to love. Yes, there are official scout socks that are part of the full scout uniform, but for every day camping trips, hikes, meetings, and just about every day, the wool sock is a welcome part of the scout kit.
This magical piece of gear helps prevent dangers of living outside, such as blisters, hypothermia, swamp foot and teen foot odor. They’re fantastic in any size.
BSA Handbook Cover
Absolutely everything you need to know as a scout is in the handbook. Scouts use it to learn how to greet scouts, what goes where on their uniform, or how to tie knots. They even use it to track their advancement.
Protect this record with a book cover with pockets for pens, little notebooks and money for their share of the camp food. You can even personalize it with a Sharpie.
Headlamp
Every scout is going to need a headlamp or flashlight. This is the ultimate stocking stuffer that will keep your scout safe on the trail at night.
We are brand-agnostic, but do make sure the battery case is accessible to your scout. If he/she/they cannot replace the batteries, they may not use this particular piece of gear.
A mug
Imagine, the sun has gone down, you’re about to join in the troop’s campfire program, and an adult leader announces there’s hot chocolate for anyone who has a mug.
Any camping mug will do. Enamel mugs like the one pictured fit in a Christmas stocking, start at $5 and can be personalized with your scout’s name.
A watch
With phones locked in an adult’s car, it’s hard to figure out what time to get to merit badge class at summer camp. We recommend watches that are water-proof (we swim A LOT) and that are small enough to fit your scout. There are lots and lots of options in women’s sizes that fit the most masculine of smaller scouts.
Dryer lint
Imagine you’re wet and cold and getting a roaring fire in a camp-sanctioned fire circle is the best thing you can do for your patrol. How cool would it be to whip out the ultimate in thrifty and dry tinder put aside by a favorite grandparent?
We’re totally serious: Your hard-core scout will love that you have a ball of lint ready in a weather-proof bag that can be re-used for the entire time your scout is in Troop 30. Just maybe add a weather-proof box for matches or a flint-and-steel kit to make it look fancy.
What’s a bad gift for a scout?
There are lots of tools we teach scouts how to use in the woods, but we teach them how to use these tools safely. Among the items we’ll discourage on campouts are:
- Knives: Scouts may carry a folding knife once they’ve been trained on how to use it safely and to take care of it. Fixed knives and sheath knives are not allowed at scouting activities.
- Heirlooms: We’d love to hear about a grandfather who was an Eagle scout and the knife he used while camping. We don’t want to take the chance of it being lost in the woods.
- Phones: Do we teach scouts how to use GPS on their phones? Do we use them in meetings to research a topic? Yes. We do not take phones on trips. That is our time to be present in nature without push notifications and social media.
Scouting America Troop 30 