Be Prepared - And Don't Break the Budget
I dropped off my older son to camp with the Boy Scouts this Saturday at James Island County Park. As we were waiting around outside for our campsite to be assigned I was looking around at the scouts. The weather was cold by Charleston standards - 37F and a stiff 15-20 mph breeze. The scouts were huddled around one another, some already saying they were cold. Some were wearing light jackets and were just not prepared and there were some others who had high-tech warm coats (but light) and gloves and were also shivering. I looked at my own son wearing 3 shirts and long johns, a hooded sweatshirt, and then one of my wind-breaker-"Thinsulate" coats on top. He was not cold... Why? We had done it the old fashioned way by making use of what we had and just layering him so he was prepared for anything.
That got me thinking about scouting in today's world, the abundance of high tech gear, and our materialistic society. Too often I'm in scout meetings where I hear adult leaders talk about preparing for campouts and the types of gear the boys may need to buy at Target, Walmart, or Sports Authority. Let's be honest, we all spend a lot of money on clubs, sports, and activities for our kids. Every so often we really need to think about whether we really HAVE to spend that money or not. This is one of those times. You will find many camping gear lists online to prepare for campouts . My advice is to use those lists, look around your own house, borrow if you need to, and buy when you have to.
Some simple recommendations for winter camping:
- Dress your scouts in layers... from regular t-shirts closest to the skin, to long-johns, to scout uniform, and then to sweatshirts, coats, etc...
- Pack a variety of extra long sleeve shirts and sweat shirts in his pack if additional layers are needed (use some adult sweatshirts for outer layers as bulkier)
- Consider a windbreaker type jacket as the outer layer - sometimes better to block the wind rather than insulate
- Hooded sweatshirt + hat
- Gloves or mittens + "Hot Hands" hand warmers
- Pack extra socks and back-up shoes
- Don't use an air mattress for winter sleeping - use foam or insulating sleeping pad
- Layer a warm wool or heavy blanket on top of sleeping pad (insulating from below important)
- Double-up two sleeping bags like two stacked taco shells + extra blanket on top if needed
- Change your clothes before bed and change again when you wake up (dry = warm)
- Larger hand warmers helpful at night too - one down by feet and one near your chest
I got a picture texted to me by a parent from the campout at 9 p.m. of the first night and a report that my son was having a blast, and the picture showed him still smiling, and dressed warmly. As he went to sleep warm in his double-taco sleeping bag, I could sleep much better as a parent, knowing that he was in good shape, and we didn't "break the bank" doing it!
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| http://www.ccprc.com/index.aspx?NID=1434 For link to James Island County Park - use link above |
