Many of you have requested suggestions on what gear that our scouts and adults may want to use on camping trips. Eating well is one of the great pleasures that we have in Scouting.

Unless we're cooking individually, Troop 70 provides all the cooking equipment in our patrol boxes that the scouts need to cook at a campsite. When we cook separately, as we're doing during COVID, it's for our scouts' safety, advancement, or development -- but in all cases there's a reason behind it.

Let’s look at some things that your scout will need to eat at camp. This is not a comprehensive list and there is nothing magic about these suggestions or where to buy them. There are many different products — fantastic and otherwise — and we won’t be able to cover them all, so use what works for you. None of these suggestions are required for your scout to participate in our campouts, so don't feel any pressure or obligation to purchase any of the gear.

Before you buy, I encourage you and your scout to consider the weight and volume of each item. This is a very important concept to begin relaying to your son when he is packing. During long hikes a pack that is just 2 pounds lighter can mean all the difference in world when scaling difficult/elevated terrain.

As a general rule, you will need to have the following equipment

Water bottle
Plate and / or bowl
Cup
Utensils
Mesh bag

Hydration

A water bottle is one of the single most important things that a scout can carry. There are many different types of water bottles, so we won’t recommend any particular model at this point — but know that insulated metal water bottles add unnecessary weight to scouts' packs. Make sure your water bottle is large enough as well — 750 ml to 1 liter. If your scout attends any long-term camps or other activities, they will probably develop a substantial water bottle collection. As long as the bottle holds water without leaking, it's fine. Many hikers just use a plastic water bottle from the store, such as a smartwater bottle.

Bowl / Plate

One of the staples of scout cooking are dutch oven stews and cobblers, so anything that a scout brings should be able to hold foods like stews and oatmeals, be able to be washed in hot water, and be durable.

Inexpensive, durable plastic bowls and plates can be purchased at the dollar store. Any plastic bowl will likely be good enough.

There are also many different types specialized bowls and plates to choose from:

Fozzils Snap-Fold Bowls - Best for backpacking

Dog Bowl, X-Large - There are many like this. Search for your favorite, but make sure it’s large enough.

Sea to Summit - Delta Plate - There are many plates like this one.

Frisbee Classic - Any clean Frisbee makes a great plate.

Cups

If all your scout is drinking is water, a cup is probably not necessary. If they are having soup or a warm beverage, they will probably want to bring a cup of some sort. The most important feature for a cup is that it is unbreakable. Ceramic, glass, etc. are not appropriate materials. Plastic, silicone, and metals are good.

Some examples of cups are:

Toaks Titanium, 375 ml - Titanium is light and strong, but can be relatively expensive

GSI Glacier - Stainless steel dents less, but is slightly heavier.

GSI Bugaboo - Aluminum cups are very light, but can dent easily.

Coghlan’s Polypropylene Cup - This style of cup is rugged and inexpensive.

Sea-to-Summit X-Mug - There are also many variations of this product on Amazon.

Utensils

Utensils vary widely in cost and functionality. The easiest and cheapest are plain plastic flatware. Bring two sets since they often break. They can just be thrown away when returning home, or washed and reused. Chipotle has the best ones for reuse.

There are other options such as the following:

Toaks Titanium Spork - For digging to the bottom of freeze dried meals.

Toaks Titanium Long Handled Spoon - For digging to the bottom of freeze dried meals.

humangear GoBites

Coghlans Chow Kit

Since they will be likely eating stews and cobblers, a spoon of some sort will be important.

Mess Kits

You can purchase mess kits that have most or all of the items that you will need. Companies like GSI, MSR, Sea to Summit, UCO, etc. have kits that will work, as will anything from the army surplus store.

Mesh Bags

You will need to have a mesh bag to hang your things to dry. Any will do.and an example can be found using this link. Have an inexpensive carabiner to attach it to the drying line.

Remember that many of the items above may have a cheaper alternative at Academy, Amazon or elsewhere.

As always, I’m happy to answer any questions you may have -- just let me know.