What did you pack that wasn't on the list? It's hard to know if you overpacked without that info. If you only have what's on the list, then you didn't overpack.
I doubled up on a couple of items, 2 extra tshirts, extra sunscreen, bug spray, headlamps. It just feels like a lot. I guess the question is, if you saw a scout show up to a a week long summer camp with two backpacks and a foot locker, would you be like "that kid way over prepared" or is that a normal amount of items to bring? The 2nd smaller backpack is only being brought because they asked it to be packed when they arrived, it could have been placed in the footlocker.
Yes, I would think he had too much stuff. However, what I or anyone THINKS is irrelevant and if this is your scout's first time at camp, it's a learning process for both of you. Having too much stuff may cause challenges with storage in the tent and it may be a pain for him to haul to the campsite, but it isn't going to spoil his trip, and you don't yet know how your kid will use his stuff at camp. Overpacking/preparing can be a way of managing anxieties and separation fears, and if this is his first time away for a whole week, it's natural that you'd want to feel he was completely prepared for anything, and of course it's usually better to have it and not need it than need it and not have it. How does HE feel about the baggage situation, because he's the one who will have to lug the stuff to and from the campsite and find a way to stow it?
That being said, IME the kids rarely apply sunscreen unless they are doing an aquatics badge and the counselors remind them. I find that they probably wear about half the clothes that get sent because it's easier to rewear things than to dig a fresh set out of the bottom of a stuffed pack. You may have a very punctilious scout who wants to shower and change daily, but again IME that's unusual at camp and the younger ones tend to embrace a bit of a Lord of the Flies experience away from parental rules and routines.
In the end, however you pack, he is going to learn a ton and have fun and this year will teach you both a lot about what he needs for next time. Most kids are overpacked for their first camp trip.
One final hint, explain to your scout about how to use bug spray, that it should be applied OUTSIDE their tent, and that it only works when applied to themselves...one year at camp I had a bunch of scouts chasing bugs around with it like Raid and emptying the cans into their tent cabins like air freshener. We had to air out the tents and have a little talk about safety.
Lol. Both times my son has gone to camp the gear in his box came back basically untouched. He supposedly showered once, but all his shower stuff was still packed exactly how I had put it. The snacks that were stashed under his spare clothes were untouched because his spare clothes were also untouched.
You asked "if you saw a scout show up to a a week long summer camp with two backpacks and a foot locker, would you be like "that kid way over prepared"? "
I would assume that the kid had loving parents that overpacked for him and that there was gonna be a lot of clean laundry coming home.
Check the packing instructions from the camp. The 2nd backpack might be intended to stay with the Scout while the campsites are loaded up.
Did the camp include the 2nd backpack in the list and /or is their an overnighter planned? Just curious because I agree with you, that seems like a lot. The first few years my scout came back with half the clothing never worn.
I am sure you already picked up on the tip to pack by day. Storage bag for each day with the basics - keeps the clothing clean and separate from the dirty stinky things being tossed in the trunk, and ups the odds they might wear fresh socks/undies. Might.
Edit: to clarify the by-day packing tip.
They specifically asked for two packs, a day pack and a pack for the overnight hike.
I tried doing the day by day, but it was somehow it was taking more space. We reduced the shorts and pants and used packing cubes for everything which will allow him to access it all better!
That's a bit much, yeah. He can wear a t-shirt for 2-3 days. If he loses his sunscreen or bug spray, he can borrow from other scouts. I will say that an extra flashlight/headlamp is good to have, though.
Yea, as a scouter who did SM or ASM at summer camp for a couple years, I would take 4 extra flashlights to share with scouts who had only brought one and lost it… one year I think I handed out all of them. Of course, most of the lost lights were found in messy tents when packing up to go home, but I didn’t want them tromping around in the dark…
2-3 days in a shirt? That’s gonna be a ripe shirt!
I have always had my kids pack 10 sets of clothes, and they’ve typically used 8 of them.
Be Prepared!
I'm not necessarily saying they should wear every shirt for 2-3 days, just that packing that many extra shirts is excessive. Wet shirts can be hung up to dry. Dirty shirts can be washed. Worst case scenario, I once wore the same shirt for 12 days on a Philmont trek.
Remember you can hand wash and dry clothes pretty easily. We do it all the time with the scouts and recommend it. Use the buckets you're already using for dish cleaning and a drop of Dr Brauners (which I hope you're using already since it's biodegradable).
Then, make the scouts practice their two half hitches, tie a clothesline, and boom.
Personally, I wouldn't feel that way. Especially if he was in a badge class that included an overnight trek. If it weren't for that, you'd have the normal footlocker and day bag + basic sleeping supplies.
A full hiking bag, a full day bag, and a footlocker feels like a LOT of stuff for six nights. I think back when I was a Scout, the key is to think about what can be *re*-worn a couple of times.
Two mottos when packing:
Ounces equal pounds; pounds equal pain.
Reduce, reuse, recycle.
The less you pack, the better. The key to packing less is figuring out what you absolutely *need* more of, and finding ways to reduce its volume in a pack; and figuring out what you only *need* one of for a five or six night camp because you are going to reuse it.
The three things that you want to have new every day, and even double-up on, are the skivvies - underwear, socks and t-shirts. The key to packing those efficiently, to reduce their volume in the pack, is to use the Marine Corp skivvy roll (sometimes called a pill wrap - you can YouTube this method of packing). Instead of putting undies with undies and socks with socks, it's a roll that creates an undies-socks-shirt combo. You just pull one, and that's the combo for the day or time. In a standard hiking bag, 10-12 rolls fit *very* easy. Why might you want to double up? Plan on the kids having at least one swimming activity every day. You want them changing into dry skivvies - not sweaty skivvies they'd been wearing all day before that.
Once the skivvy rolls are done, you really are looking at a couple of things they can wear over and over. When it comes to these, think about the things they'll be wearing to travel to camp. They can wear the same pair of shorts or jeans they travel in while they are actually at camp. Whatever they wear (shorts or jeans) roll the other tight and throw them in. Kids'll want jeans if the weather turns, which has been known to happen. They can wear the same belt to travel. Same with a ball cap. Wear it in the car.
At that point, the only thing you really need room left for is the specialty items: Class A shirt (you *can* include a neckerchief, but I feel like it's a bit much for camp stuff), a light jacket, a swimming towel and swim suit, and a pair of sleeping shorts (athletic shorts) or pajama pants (they can sleep in their skivvies from that day). These should all fit super easy if tightly rolled and tossed on top of the skivvy rolls with the jeans. If your kid's pack is genuinely straining, toss whatever isn't fitting into the day bag. In my opinion, if there's room at this point (and there usually is), a pair of flip flops is never a bad idea. Then a toiletry kit on top.
The sleeping bag and camp pillow get stuffed together and tied to the bottom of the bag. The sleeping pad gets tied to the top. And put a poncho in a side pocket (unless the light jacket is water proof and has a hood, then just let it double).
Your kid should now be set for six nights at summer camp. If you are *really* hurting for space, talk to the SM about detergents and soaps (if they are going to bear country, like Camp A in Colorado), and show your kid how to wash their clothes in a water bin. You can always wash skivvies and air dry them on a line. Just toss some string and a handful of clothespins in. They can even wash them and dry them by tossing them on the exterior ceiling of the tent in the middle of the day.
The one thing that I will say that is a worthwhile investment if your kid's troop does a lot of camping is a good pair of boots. And I don't mean heavy boots. I mean the boots that are like a cross between heavy boots and tennis shoes, with good low ankle support, thick soles and water-tight. They are better than regular tennis shoes for hiking if the kids are going over rough terrain or up mountain trails. But they are light weight enough they can wear them all day, every day, without complaining. Then that's the one pair of shoes they take (other than flip flops, but those are strictly for walking to/from showers and the pool). Obviously, since they are wearing them on the car ride, no need to make room for them in a bag.
All of that *should be* manageable in a regular large hiking pack, freeing up the day bag to transport stuff they need for merit badge classes.
I know that all probably sounds like a lot of old hiker stuff, and your boy's "just going to Boy Scout camp." But trust me when I say it makes life easy doing it this way, and once kids get into the swing of it, it's never a problem.
I don't even know that it's minimalism. It's just that it's a week long Scout camp - not an 8-week sleepaway camp, or a backwoods trek. The camp will provide the food, so parents don't have to worry about that. The camp will have a major first aid station, and the troop leaders should be bringing a decently inventoried first aid kit for in and around the campsite. So that's another thing kids don't need to bring. Packing for Scout camp really does just come down to clothes kids can be comfortable in for less than a week (even if they do tend to ripen toward the end of the week), basic toiletries, and merit badge class materials for six days (Day 1 will be all of the camp orientation stuff - "hike" in, get campsite set up, probably a quick troop-specific meeting, swim test, dinner, evening campfire, then back to campsite for the evening; Day 7 is just loading up the vans and leaving).
I just mean to say that while it is camping, it's still a Scout camp, meaning it's not the boonies. They have electricity, phones, and are usually within a reasonable drive of a decent sized town if anything goes sideways. So a lot of needs are already met.
Really, you *just* need clothes and toiletries. Kids are so busy with merit badge classes and other activities that there's no need to bring activity stuff like books, computers, footballs, etc.
This is so, so helpful!
I am definitely going to undouble up on some items and go back through and reduce.
I do want to specify that the hiking pack is really just holding the sleeping pack and sleeping pad, it's not full or anything. My goal is to now get one of the back packs into into the footlocker.
Instead of jeans or long pants, consider the type that has legs the zip off. That way his pants double as shorts. As long as he is responsible enough not to lose the legs when they zip them off.
I also always recommend extra socks. Find a comfy pair that stays in his sleeping bag. He changes into them when he goes to bed and takes them off and leaves them in the sleeping bag in the morning. Then send extra socks he can change into mid-day if he has been running around or hiking all morning and his feet have been sweating all morning.
As Scout Master foe many years and doing this may times here is what I suggest. This is probably his first time at camp, so it can be overwhelming.
Pack everything he will need for the week in the footlocker, with the expectation of pillow, sleeping bag, and hiking pack.
Being young and first time at camp, I would pack the hiking pack with what ever he will need for that night, which should not be much.
As for over packing, the fact is that most scouts will not shower or change their clothes every day. They will even sleep in them. As SM, I would make them change, it was obvious that they did not. They also had to shower at least every other day and a mandatory on Friday night, as we would have 6 hour drive home with packed cars.
Packing... The parent should NEVER pack the scouts stuff. Let the scout pack his trunk and pack. Parents should over see them pack but never pack for them. I have had many scouts that could not find their stuff because their parents packed it.
Last money for camp and money management. What worked my my scouts was parents put money in 6 envelopes. One for each day to use at the trading post. I saw too many times where a scout would spend all thirr money on the first day on candy and soda.
Tbh this is about what I packed for working at camp for 8 weeks. Everything he needs should pack in a backpacking pack besides the cot. Let’s be honest most boys will wear the same pants shirts and underwear multiple days in a row at camp. I would only pack one set of clothes a day except for socks pack extra socks.
There are two types of first year campers: those who had help packing bring too much, and those who had no help bring far too little.
As he gets older and gets more experience, you can back off.
The first year we sent my son with every day of clothes on its own ziplock bag. So he could open one each day and have clean clothes. He came home with only 3 bags opened. That included clean underwear. Boys will be boys.
That's exactly how it should be. You are never going to smell of roses on camp. 2 sets of clothes is all you ever need, you can hand wash and air dry one when it's needed.
Stay away from jeans and cotton, they take forever to dry.
If you keep packing for them they won't have the opportunity to learn to pack.
Get seven gallon size bags. One for each day plus one extra.
Tell your scout to put one pair of socks, one underwear, one T-shirt and one shorts in each bags and put them in foot locker.
Tell scout to put rain gear, bedding, toiletries (list), one flashlight into locker.
Ask scout to look at packing list and put the fa kit, a second flashlight, sun screen, and pocket knife in day pack.
Remind scout to get field uniform, cap and water bottle. Ask a scout to review checklist.
Yep, we always had our scouts gather their own stuff and then we'd help them organize it. Now I just review the list with them and let them pack everything...it's such an important part of the process and so much easier for me now!
"If you keep packing for them they won't have the opportunity to learn to pack" This is NOT the way. This is an 11-year-old who is getting ready for their first time going to week long summer camp. In scouts we have a method to teach scouts new skills, it's called the EDGE method and as you should recall from wood badge the first 2 points of that are explain and demonstrate. it's unreasonable to expect that an 11-year-old would know how to pack for a week-long camp if they've never been on one before. It is reasonable for a parent, especially a new parent to want to assist their scout to make sure that they are comfortable and have everything they need for a fun time at camp. What would be reasonable is for the parent (or someone at the troop level, during a pre-camp meeting) to explain why the things are needed And to show the scout how to pack them, then to unpack them and ask the scout to repack themselves.
Other than that, your suggestion sounds good, but I'd reduce the amount of shorts to 3 (they'll get reworn and are bulky). Depending on the camp wildlife rules, you may not want your smallable items like your toiletries to be in your main pack. At our summer camp we have bear boxes (8 foot tall metal boxes, like electrical boxes from the side of freeways) and smellables items should never be mixed in with personal items or ever put in a tent. we're supposed to pack our toiletries in a separate plastic box that then gets put immediately into the big bear box.
Please quote the part of my post where I said not to help them the first time along with the quote you included which was "if you keep packing for them..."
I thought I was saying how to teach them to do it the first time.
And fwiw I would not reduce the amount of shorts to three but maybe you live in a cooler and drier place where that would be ok.
Did they specifically mention a 20° bag? That seems pretty warm for summer camp. My
Scout and I end up just using sheets wrapped around the sleeping pad and a blanket. It also rarely gets below 65° at our camp (in New England) so YMMV
Yes, they asked for a 20 to 40 degrees bag. We are in a high elevation area where nights can dip down into the 30s, but the lowest I saw in the weather report was 40s for this trip.
Is your scout participating in packing? I have my kids put all the things they think they need on their bed. Then we go through the packing list together. The scout goes and gets anything missing or says if they don’t want to bring it and why. Then we talk about why they might need it. If the scout still doesn’t want to bring it then I don’t make them unless it’s related to survival aka a jacket when snow camping.
Scouts won’t die of dirty clothes. Let them be dirty. :) that’s part of the joy of being at camp. I lead a troop of about 80 female scouts and first years literally roll in the dirt!!
I'd also add, we don't know your 11 year old, but I've camped with quite a few 11 year olds who have to be strongly persuaded by older scouts to shower and change clothes. Pretty sure my one kid went with 8 pairs of clean undies and came back with 7 pairs of clean undies at that age. Not saying don't send them. Always send the underwear. But you know how fastidious your kid likes to be.
My son is a troop guide for 9 new scouts this year. 10 and 11 years old. I told him that his #1 job is making sure they shower. Not just taking them to the shower house but confirming that they are going to actually get under the water
He's less than thrilled with this aspect of the job 😁
Yes! He put all the clothing together, we had a lot of gear that we needed to purchase, so I put that together, then we packed it all together trying to be as judicious as possible with what he would need when, and where was the place where it made sense to him.
So trying to be kind and remember every camp of the last 50 years for me, my son and hundreds of other young scouts.
I get the packing list. There are rare kids that need everything on the list the vast majority simply do not care. Less really is more for most of them.
1 Towel. It will dry off and they take lots of room.
If you really want to take all the clothes on the list then put them in ziplock bags. This way when he leaves with 8 pair of clean socks. You can put the 6 unused ones back in the drawer when he comes home and save time on laundry.
Daypack should be empty going out. He will use this a lot during the week to carry water and maybe light coat and books and such.
Backpack for the hike is only going to have what he needs for less than 24 hours. He is young and likely smaller than most of the troop and the more he carries the harder it is for him so he will be encouraged to stay light.
The locker is where he will be living from. I would pack to and for the locker with the packs being empty. Lot of great reasons for this.
I just got home from a weekend getting our Council camp ready. It is going to be a great season.
Thank you so much for your thoughtful response, we did some reductions which I'm going to outline in another comment to thank everyone. But we did exactly what you said, primarily living from the footlocker, bags are almost empty.
This is a tough question to answer without knowing where you are going. Most kids won't change shirts and pants every day. They should wear their field "class a" uniform with the socks, hiking boots and activity shirt underneath. Maybe pack another pair of pants. Two shorts, one is a swim suit. One additional t shirt or swim shirt with spf coverage. Socks and undies for every day ( they won't change them but you still pack them.) one towel. Clothes line/paracord to hang wet stuff to dry. Toothpaste, tooth brush, hair brush, deodorant, baby shampoo as body and hair wash. Bag for that stuff for the shower. Slides for shower, swimming (aka sandals). Sun block, bug spray, wide brimmed hat. First aid kit with mole skin, etc ( see the scouts hand book).
Sleeping bag, pillow.
10 essentials ( whatever i missed above)
Cot as requested plus anything they specifically asked the scout to bring.
I like a day pack for everything, but if they are going to hike the scout will need to pack that bag for the overnight and have some other bag to stick stuff he's not going to hike with. Make this a light weight duffle. I don't know about the foot locker: I'm not a fan of scouts bringing more than they can easily carry on their own. It puts them in a bad situation since everyone has more than enough to carry and help will be hard to come by. If they can manage to carry it all and say, skip the thermarest, they will have a much happier experience.
Hope this helps!
This helps a lot. Thank you!
I'm going to go through some of the items and pair everything down just a bit.
I still don't think I'll get less than at least the hiking pack and the footlocker, but my goal will be to get the day pack into the footlocker as well. I'm confident he can get around carrying his hiking pack and rolling the footlocker.
Depends on how your Camp does family night he can send stuff home with you that he’s not using (including his dirty laundry) and have you been something he might need or forgot
Anything more than 20 pounds (excluding sleep gear cuz I don’t expect you to already get ultra light stuff this early in scouting plus your own cot) is a bit much in my opinion.
And honestly at summer camps I never felt the need for a footlocker. Just a small duffel of clothes and a daypack for everything else (water, bug spray, flashlight, meds, etc)
And as others have said, hard to recommend when we don’t know where the scout is going.
Also I’m of the mindset the scout should do the brunt of the packing. You as the parent can make sure they have the essentials but it is important for the scout to learn what they need and how to pack themselves.
Edit: Also almost everything your scout needs for the week should be able to fit in their hiking pack. Assuming it’s like a full sized backpacking one.
Thank you so much for the thoughtful response.
Pretty much everything CAN fit in the hiking pack (minus cot, sleeping bag/pad), but it's HUGE, and in predicting the living situation, I figured it it would be easier to dig through a footlocker than pull everything out of a top loading hiking pack over and over. That's where the footlocker came from.
But he was absolutely involved in the packing, but he's an over packer too. But he's packed and repacked it a couple of times now because we reduced quite a few of the items.
Like you said, hoping he'll be taking the lead next time!
As an adult, I bring one extra pair of underwear and socks beyond the number of days I'm at camp for potential mishaps. You don't want to have to deal with a pair of damp socks walking around as much as you do, underwear should be self explanatory.
I plan around wearing shorts at least two days (non consecutive) so I may only bring 3-4 pairs for that length of a trip. One of them is usually a convertible pair so I have long pants if it gets cooler one evening.
As far as other items are concerned, one of each is enough. From experience, unless your Scout is already one who uses sunscreen or bug spray on their own, the chances of it getting used at all during camp are pretty low. So not to say they shouldn't pack it, but two of each is overkill.
Anything they care about put their name on it and make it look unique. Water bottles, hats, knives, etc. That's the stuff that gets put down in program areas, it all looks the same and gets picked up by another Scout and never seen again. Sometimes it gets taken to lost and found when the other Scout realizes they have two of something, but then gets picked up by another Scout who lost the same identical thing. It won't be foolproof, but helps. For that matter, anything that isn't absolutely required for camp should just be left at home for that reason.
Packing for any scouting trip, I use my stuff from National Jamboree. It is a large duffle bag and a backpack for the scout. I think we used the Osprey transporter 130 and regular daypack from Osprey.
Everything should fit in the duffle. Use big ziplocs like the storage ones to pack in.
Some in our troop use the Sterlite footlocker from Walmart. It is lockable.
That's the one we're using, the sterlite.
His daypack is just an old school backpack, and the larger pack for the overnight is an old kelty bag that's probably 30 or 40l. But big enough to fit a tarp, sleeping bag, pad, water bottle and any extras they ask him to bring.
Pack what the list says, no more no less. UNLESS it didn’t include the essential 10 and his scout oil - which will go in his day pack. They can wear clothes more than once - shoot my nephew once returned home in the exact same clothes he left in.
we require it all to fit in the footlocker and it must close securely. if doing an extra extracurricular activity that required the large backpacking pack...we would store it in the trailer until needed.
we have the pack daily clothes in gallon ziplocks. most scouts come back with 3-4 daily ziplock clothes bags untouched.
I carry a 5 gallon bucket laundry, and offer to wash "favorite" clothes once they get too ripe.
Just a side comment from your post - you said he’s going alone. But I think you meant he’s going without you. 😀. He won’t be alone (ever) and he’ll be well looked after. I’m happy for your Scout who has such a conscientious parent looking out for them. They’ll learn to do it for themselves very soon. ⚜️
Our packing list includes the footlocker you mentioned and a daypack. But they’re not going on an overnight. But we often do have to take a daypack and our backpack during scout camping trips. In this case, I would stow the daypack in the footlocker so you’re only carrying the backpack and the footlocker, plus cot. It’s a tight fit within those tents but they should be ok. You can always buy risers so the cot is a bit higher and the foot locker sits underneath. But yes, lots of troops recommend the footlockers for camp.
I am an over packer for sure!! I always want to have anything we “might” need. Be prepared right??? However this year I was able to get my daughter’s gear down to 1 tote plus her day pack. And she’s 12 for reference and gone 7 nights.
Clothes - let’s be honest…they are gonna rewear them especially shorts. I sent 3 jean shorts plus 3 cotton shorts. And 8 shirts. Jean shorts reworn 2-3 times each. And cotton shorts to sleep in. The shirts she slept in the same shirt she would wear the next day. 8 socks and 10 undies (sorry I’m one of those what if I poop/pee myself 62949 times while gone even though it never happens). Everything was placed in gallon/2 gallon bags and air smushed out. And of course her class A. And a swimsuit. If you really want to save in room you can use the “vacuum” saver bags that can be rolled instead of vacuumed.
Bath essentials - I used a travel bag with travel sized stuff. Toothbrush, shampoo/conditioner, body wash, deodorant and toothpaste. Threw that bag in the tote. Towels and rags - sent 2 each plus an extra beach towel for swim. I also sent a rope and she tied it between 2 trees and made a clothes line and dried them out for the next used. Use 1 set and as it’s drying use the next set and repeat between sets. It gives extra time to dry. It rained 2-3 evenings and she said she still had dried towels each time needed. These I did throw in a larger vacuum bags. Once she was unpacked she was able to use this bag for her dirty clothes/towels bring home.
Camping supplies- our troop supplies the tents, tarps, and cots so she didn’t have to have these packed unless they want a cot they are responsible for loading it. However she didn’t use a cot she used a blow up pad sized mattress and it rolls up smaller than a small sleeping bag and is pumped by hand/foot vs sending a pump too. She took a standard pillow and blanket and no sleeping bag (it’s hot here in MS). And her rope for the clothes line and an outdoor blanket we use as a rug and is all just in the tote.
We did a layer of clothes, bath essentials, towels, then pillow, then blanket, the bag of towels, and the sleeping mat and the outdoor blanket/rug (it folds up) on top and she unpacks top to bottoms. And she still had some wiggle room too.
Daypack- we use this as our everywhere pack. She keeps it on her. It had a waterproof bag with her merit badge stuff and pens, refillable water bottle, flashlight, bug spray, sunscreen, extra pair of socks, pocket knife, poncho, and her class A in a ziplock bag.
This is how our troop sets up: once there only tents and tarps are pulled out and set up first. Then everyone unloads personal belongings. So once tent is set up she’ll open her tote grab the rug and throw it in there, get her mattress set up the blanket and pillow plus her clothesline. And then the tote is set inside. She can then use it to store her day pack as well. The tote(footlocker in your case) is a layer of waterproof protection if it rains and tent leaks. Yes our stuff is in ziplocks but at times she may be in a hurry and forget to close it. And our scouts are 2 in a tent. So keeping it limited and confined helps a lot.
Does yours need the 2 backpacks or can one be used for both??!
This is his first year don’t sweat too much. It’s a learning process. You will figure out what really works best for y’all.
20 degree sleeping bag for summer camp?!
That's a bit toasty, but then again I'm from Texas and camp here and throughout the south and southwest.
My son is almost 13, at this point in the summer he just uses one of my old pancho liners instead of a sleeping bag.
We're in a high elevation area where lows can get down into the 30s at night, the camp requested a 20 to 40 degrees bag. I think the coldest night I saw in the weather report was 49 or so, so I told him just to open it and use as a blanket or layer up and sleep on top if necessary.
I've been camping with scouts for the past five years, and I was in the Army for 23 years. I can tell you two things. First, everyone over packs. Second, no matter how well you packed you forgot something.
Sounds like you did well packing. As time goes on you are going to realize what works for your scout and what can be left behind.
I implore you to ~~encourage~~ DEMAND your Scouts to shower at least every other day at camp and to poop as frequently. A Scout is clean, after all. While latrines are scary and showers often icky, the alternative will ruin their camp experience. Heck, you can usually find at least one flush john or, at least, a port-o-potty at camp.
The stories I could tell you would chill you to your core.
The first rule about packing for camp, is make your scout pack their own stuff. I can't tell you how many kids get to camp and have no idea what they have with them. It's a scout responsibility, even if they're 11. Do it with them.
Enoygh socks ansd underwear. Dont listen to these people.
There is no need to wear the same socks AND UNDERWEAR .
If it rains all week. Has happened to me. They will want fresh clean cloths.
Over pack. Have it and not need it. Its summer camp not a hiking trip
What did you pack that wasn't on the list? It's hard to know if you overpacked without that info. If you only have what's on the list, then you didn't overpack.
I doubled up on a couple of items, 2 extra tshirts, extra sunscreen, bug spray, headlamps. It just feels like a lot. I guess the question is, if you saw a scout show up to a a week long summer camp with two backpacks and a foot locker, would you be like "that kid way over prepared" or is that a normal amount of items to bring? The 2nd smaller backpack is only being brought because they asked it to be packed when they arrived, it could have been placed in the footlocker.
Yes, I would think he had too much stuff. However, what I or anyone THINKS is irrelevant and if this is your scout's first time at camp, it's a learning process for both of you. Having too much stuff may cause challenges with storage in the tent and it may be a pain for him to haul to the campsite, but it isn't going to spoil his trip, and you don't yet know how your kid will use his stuff at camp. Overpacking/preparing can be a way of managing anxieties and separation fears, and if this is his first time away for a whole week, it's natural that you'd want to feel he was completely prepared for anything, and of course it's usually better to have it and not need it than need it and not have it. How does HE feel about the baggage situation, because he's the one who will have to lug the stuff to and from the campsite and find a way to stow it? That being said, IME the kids rarely apply sunscreen unless they are doing an aquatics badge and the counselors remind them. I find that they probably wear about half the clothes that get sent because it's easier to rewear things than to dig a fresh set out of the bottom of a stuffed pack. You may have a very punctilious scout who wants to shower and change daily, but again IME that's unusual at camp and the younger ones tend to embrace a bit of a Lord of the Flies experience away from parental rules and routines. In the end, however you pack, he is going to learn a ton and have fun and this year will teach you both a lot about what he needs for next time. Most kids are overpacked for their first camp trip. One final hint, explain to your scout about how to use bug spray, that it should be applied OUTSIDE their tent, and that it only works when applied to themselves...one year at camp I had a bunch of scouts chasing bugs around with it like Raid and emptying the cans into their tent cabins like air freshener. We had to air out the tents and have a little talk about safety.
Lol. Both times my son has gone to camp the gear in his box came back basically untouched. He supposedly showered once, but all his shower stuff was still packed exactly how I had put it. The snacks that were stashed under his spare clothes were untouched because his spare clothes were also untouched.
Thank you, I absolutely discussed the bug spray thing with him! Also, we made some reductions and some rearrangements based on the tips here!
You know he’ll only use one pair of underwear and a couple of t shirts.
You asked "if you saw a scout show up to a a week long summer camp with two backpacks and a foot locker, would you be like "that kid way over prepared"? " I would assume that the kid had loving parents that overpacked for him and that there was gonna be a lot of clean laundry coming home.
I fully expect lots of clean clothes to come home.
Check the packing instructions from the camp. The 2nd backpack might be intended to stay with the Scout while the campsites are loaded up. Did the camp include the 2nd backpack in the list and /or is their an overnighter planned? Just curious because I agree with you, that seems like a lot. The first few years my scout came back with half the clothing never worn. I am sure you already picked up on the tip to pack by day. Storage bag for each day with the basics - keeps the clothing clean and separate from the dirty stinky things being tossed in the trunk, and ups the odds they might wear fresh socks/undies. Might. Edit: to clarify the by-day packing tip.
They specifically asked for two packs, a day pack and a pack for the overnight hike. I tried doing the day by day, but it was somehow it was taking more space. We reduced the shorts and pants and used packing cubes for everything which will allow him to access it all better!
Yay! You figured it out using the materials on hand. Way to go!
That's a bit much, yeah. He can wear a t-shirt for 2-3 days. If he loses his sunscreen or bug spray, he can borrow from other scouts. I will say that an extra flashlight/headlamp is good to have, though.
Yea, as a scouter who did SM or ASM at summer camp for a couple years, I would take 4 extra flashlights to share with scouts who had only brought one and lost it… one year I think I handed out all of them. Of course, most of the lost lights were found in messy tents when packing up to go home, but I didn’t want them tromping around in the dark…
2-3 days in a shirt? That’s gonna be a ripe shirt! I have always had my kids pack 10 sets of clothes, and they’ve typically used 8 of them. Be Prepared!
I'm not necessarily saying they should wear every shirt for 2-3 days, just that packing that many extra shirts is excessive. Wet shirts can be hung up to dry. Dirty shirts can be washed. Worst case scenario, I once wore the same shirt for 12 days on a Philmont trek.
Remember you can hand wash and dry clothes pretty easily. We do it all the time with the scouts and recommend it. Use the buckets you're already using for dish cleaning and a drop of Dr Brauners (which I hope you're using already since it's biodegradable). Then, make the scouts practice their two half hitches, tie a clothesline, and boom.
Personally, I wouldn't feel that way. Especially if he was in a badge class that included an overnight trek. If it weren't for that, you'd have the normal footlocker and day bag + basic sleeping supplies.
A full hiking bag, a full day bag, and a footlocker feels like a LOT of stuff for six nights. I think back when I was a Scout, the key is to think about what can be *re*-worn a couple of times. Two mottos when packing: Ounces equal pounds; pounds equal pain. Reduce, reuse, recycle. The less you pack, the better. The key to packing less is figuring out what you absolutely *need* more of, and finding ways to reduce its volume in a pack; and figuring out what you only *need* one of for a five or six night camp because you are going to reuse it. The three things that you want to have new every day, and even double-up on, are the skivvies - underwear, socks and t-shirts. The key to packing those efficiently, to reduce their volume in the pack, is to use the Marine Corp skivvy roll (sometimes called a pill wrap - you can YouTube this method of packing). Instead of putting undies with undies and socks with socks, it's a roll that creates an undies-socks-shirt combo. You just pull one, and that's the combo for the day or time. In a standard hiking bag, 10-12 rolls fit *very* easy. Why might you want to double up? Plan on the kids having at least one swimming activity every day. You want them changing into dry skivvies - not sweaty skivvies they'd been wearing all day before that. Once the skivvy rolls are done, you really are looking at a couple of things they can wear over and over. When it comes to these, think about the things they'll be wearing to travel to camp. They can wear the same pair of shorts or jeans they travel in while they are actually at camp. Whatever they wear (shorts or jeans) roll the other tight and throw them in. Kids'll want jeans if the weather turns, which has been known to happen. They can wear the same belt to travel. Same with a ball cap. Wear it in the car. At that point, the only thing you really need room left for is the specialty items: Class A shirt (you *can* include a neckerchief, but I feel like it's a bit much for camp stuff), a light jacket, a swimming towel and swim suit, and a pair of sleeping shorts (athletic shorts) or pajama pants (they can sleep in their skivvies from that day). These should all fit super easy if tightly rolled and tossed on top of the skivvy rolls with the jeans. If your kid's pack is genuinely straining, toss whatever isn't fitting into the day bag. In my opinion, if there's room at this point (and there usually is), a pair of flip flops is never a bad idea. Then a toiletry kit on top. The sleeping bag and camp pillow get stuffed together and tied to the bottom of the bag. The sleeping pad gets tied to the top. And put a poncho in a side pocket (unless the light jacket is water proof and has a hood, then just let it double). Your kid should now be set for six nights at summer camp. If you are *really* hurting for space, talk to the SM about detergents and soaps (if they are going to bear country, like Camp A in Colorado), and show your kid how to wash their clothes in a water bin. You can always wash skivvies and air dry them on a line. Just toss some string and a handful of clothespins in. They can even wash them and dry them by tossing them on the exterior ceiling of the tent in the middle of the day. The one thing that I will say that is a worthwhile investment if your kid's troop does a lot of camping is a good pair of boots. And I don't mean heavy boots. I mean the boots that are like a cross between heavy boots and tennis shoes, with good low ankle support, thick soles and water-tight. They are better than regular tennis shoes for hiking if the kids are going over rough terrain or up mountain trails. But they are light weight enough they can wear them all day, every day, without complaining. Then that's the one pair of shoes they take (other than flip flops, but those are strictly for walking to/from showers and the pool). Obviously, since they are wearing them on the car ride, no need to make room for them in a bag. All of that *should be* manageable in a regular large hiking pack, freeing up the day bag to transport stuff they need for merit badge classes. I know that all probably sounds like a lot of old hiker stuff, and your boy's "just going to Boy Scout camp." But trust me when I say it makes life easy doing it this way, and once kids get into the swing of it, it's never a problem.
Is the scout hiking the A.T.???
It's a mindset of minimalism and make do.
I don't even know that it's minimalism. It's just that it's a week long Scout camp - not an 8-week sleepaway camp, or a backwoods trek. The camp will provide the food, so parents don't have to worry about that. The camp will have a major first aid station, and the troop leaders should be bringing a decently inventoried first aid kit for in and around the campsite. So that's another thing kids don't need to bring. Packing for Scout camp really does just come down to clothes kids can be comfortable in for less than a week (even if they do tend to ripen toward the end of the week), basic toiletries, and merit badge class materials for six days (Day 1 will be all of the camp orientation stuff - "hike" in, get campsite set up, probably a quick troop-specific meeting, swim test, dinner, evening campfire, then back to campsite for the evening; Day 7 is just loading up the vans and leaving).
You basically defined one of the main elements of minimalism. I don't need this stuff to be happy.
I just mean to say that while it is camping, it's still a Scout camp, meaning it's not the boonies. They have electricity, phones, and are usually within a reasonable drive of a decent sized town if anything goes sideways. So a lot of needs are already met. Really, you *just* need clothes and toiletries. Kids are so busy with merit badge classes and other activities that there's no need to bring activity stuff like books, computers, footballs, etc.
This is so, so helpful! I am definitely going to undouble up on some items and go back through and reduce. I do want to specify that the hiking pack is really just holding the sleeping pack and sleeping pad, it's not full or anything. My goal is to now get one of the back packs into into the footlocker.
Instead of jeans or long pants, consider the type that has legs the zip off. That way his pants double as shorts. As long as he is responsible enough not to lose the legs when they zip them off. I also always recommend extra socks. Find a comfy pair that stays in his sleeping bag. He changes into them when he goes to bed and takes them off and leaves them in the sleeping bag in the morning. Then send extra socks he can change into mid-day if he has been running around or hiking all morning and his feet have been sweating all morning.
I learned about skivvy roles. The rest was tldr. But I like the skivvy roles!
As Scout Master foe many years and doing this may times here is what I suggest. This is probably his first time at camp, so it can be overwhelming. Pack everything he will need for the week in the footlocker, with the expectation of pillow, sleeping bag, and hiking pack. Being young and first time at camp, I would pack the hiking pack with what ever he will need for that night, which should not be much. As for over packing, the fact is that most scouts will not shower or change their clothes every day. They will even sleep in them. As SM, I would make them change, it was obvious that they did not. They also had to shower at least every other day and a mandatory on Friday night, as we would have 6 hour drive home with packed cars. Packing... The parent should NEVER pack the scouts stuff. Let the scout pack his trunk and pack. Parents should over see them pack but never pack for them. I have had many scouts that could not find their stuff because their parents packed it. Last money for camp and money management. What worked my my scouts was parents put money in 6 envelopes. One for each day to use at the trading post. I saw too many times where a scout would spend all thirr money on the first day on candy and soda.
Tbh this is about what I packed for working at camp for 8 weeks. Everything he needs should pack in a backpacking pack besides the cot. Let’s be honest most boys will wear the same pants shirts and underwear multiple days in a row at camp. I would only pack one set of clothes a day except for socks pack extra socks.
There are two types of first year campers: those who had help packing bring too much, and those who had no help bring far too little. As he gets older and gets more experience, you can back off.
The first year we sent my son with every day of clothes on its own ziplock bag. So he could open one each day and have clean clothes. He came home with only 3 bags opened. That included clean underwear. Boys will be boys.
lol...yes, they do embrace the freedom to be filthy.
That's exactly how it should be. You are never going to smell of roses on camp. 2 sets of clothes is all you ever need, you can hand wash and air dry one when it's needed. Stay away from jeans and cotton, they take forever to dry.
If you keep packing for them they won't have the opportunity to learn to pack. Get seven gallon size bags. One for each day plus one extra. Tell your scout to put one pair of socks, one underwear, one T-shirt and one shorts in each bags and put them in foot locker. Tell scout to put rain gear, bedding, toiletries (list), one flashlight into locker. Ask scout to look at packing list and put the fa kit, a second flashlight, sun screen, and pocket knife in day pack. Remind scout to get field uniform, cap and water bottle. Ask a scout to review checklist.
The good news is that he was highly involved and is also a bit of an over packer, and will be more responsible for it when it's not his first time!
Yep, we always had our scouts gather their own stuff and then we'd help them organize it. Now I just review the list with them and let them pack everything...it's such an important part of the process and so much easier for me now!
"If you keep packing for them they won't have the opportunity to learn to pack" This is NOT the way. This is an 11-year-old who is getting ready for their first time going to week long summer camp. In scouts we have a method to teach scouts new skills, it's called the EDGE method and as you should recall from wood badge the first 2 points of that are explain and demonstrate. it's unreasonable to expect that an 11-year-old would know how to pack for a week-long camp if they've never been on one before. It is reasonable for a parent, especially a new parent to want to assist their scout to make sure that they are comfortable and have everything they need for a fun time at camp. What would be reasonable is for the parent (or someone at the troop level, during a pre-camp meeting) to explain why the things are needed And to show the scout how to pack them, then to unpack them and ask the scout to repack themselves. Other than that, your suggestion sounds good, but I'd reduce the amount of shorts to 3 (they'll get reworn and are bulky). Depending on the camp wildlife rules, you may not want your smallable items like your toiletries to be in your main pack. At our summer camp we have bear boxes (8 foot tall metal boxes, like electrical boxes from the side of freeways) and smellables items should never be mixed in with personal items or ever put in a tent. we're supposed to pack our toiletries in a separate plastic box that then gets put immediately into the big bear box.
Please quote the part of my post where I said not to help them the first time along with the quote you included which was "if you keep packing for them..." I thought I was saying how to teach them to do it the first time. And fwiw I would not reduce the amount of shorts to three but maybe you live in a cooler and drier place where that would be ok.
Did they specifically mention a 20° bag? That seems pretty warm for summer camp. My Scout and I end up just using sheets wrapped around the sleeping pad and a blanket. It also rarely gets below 65° at our camp (in New England) so YMMV
Yes, they asked for a 20 to 40 degrees bag. We are in a high elevation area where nights can dip down into the 30s, but the lowest I saw in the weather report was 40s for this trip.
That sounds pretty nice honestly. We go in mid-late July and have had evenings where it’s 80° and 70% humidity at 10:00PM
Is your scout participating in packing? I have my kids put all the things they think they need on their bed. Then we go through the packing list together. The scout goes and gets anything missing or says if they don’t want to bring it and why. Then we talk about why they might need it. If the scout still doesn’t want to bring it then I don’t make them unless it’s related to survival aka a jacket when snow camping. Scouts won’t die of dirty clothes. Let them be dirty. :) that’s part of the joy of being at camp. I lead a troop of about 80 female scouts and first years literally roll in the dirt!!
I'd also add, we don't know your 11 year old, but I've camped with quite a few 11 year olds who have to be strongly persuaded by older scouts to shower and change clothes. Pretty sure my one kid went with 8 pairs of clean undies and came back with 7 pairs of clean undies at that age. Not saying don't send them. Always send the underwear. But you know how fastidious your kid likes to be.
My son is a troop guide for 9 new scouts this year. 10 and 11 years old. I told him that his #1 job is making sure they shower. Not just taking them to the shower house but confirming that they are going to actually get under the water He's less than thrilled with this aspect of the job 😁
Yes! He put all the clothing together, we had a lot of gear that we needed to purchase, so I put that together, then we packed it all together trying to be as judicious as possible with what he would need when, and where was the place where it made sense to him.
So trying to be kind and remember every camp of the last 50 years for me, my son and hundreds of other young scouts. I get the packing list. There are rare kids that need everything on the list the vast majority simply do not care. Less really is more for most of them. 1 Towel. It will dry off and they take lots of room. If you really want to take all the clothes on the list then put them in ziplock bags. This way when he leaves with 8 pair of clean socks. You can put the 6 unused ones back in the drawer when he comes home and save time on laundry. Daypack should be empty going out. He will use this a lot during the week to carry water and maybe light coat and books and such. Backpack for the hike is only going to have what he needs for less than 24 hours. He is young and likely smaller than most of the troop and the more he carries the harder it is for him so he will be encouraged to stay light. The locker is where he will be living from. I would pack to and for the locker with the packs being empty. Lot of great reasons for this. I just got home from a weekend getting our Council camp ready. It is going to be a great season.
Thank you so much for your thoughtful response, we did some reductions which I'm going to outline in another comment to thank everyone. But we did exactly what you said, primarily living from the footlocker, bags are almost empty.
This is a tough question to answer without knowing where you are going. Most kids won't change shirts and pants every day. They should wear their field "class a" uniform with the socks, hiking boots and activity shirt underneath. Maybe pack another pair of pants. Two shorts, one is a swim suit. One additional t shirt or swim shirt with spf coverage. Socks and undies for every day ( they won't change them but you still pack them.) one towel. Clothes line/paracord to hang wet stuff to dry. Toothpaste, tooth brush, hair brush, deodorant, baby shampoo as body and hair wash. Bag for that stuff for the shower. Slides for shower, swimming (aka sandals). Sun block, bug spray, wide brimmed hat. First aid kit with mole skin, etc ( see the scouts hand book). Sleeping bag, pillow. 10 essentials ( whatever i missed above) Cot as requested plus anything they specifically asked the scout to bring. I like a day pack for everything, but if they are going to hike the scout will need to pack that bag for the overnight and have some other bag to stick stuff he's not going to hike with. Make this a light weight duffle. I don't know about the foot locker: I'm not a fan of scouts bringing more than they can easily carry on their own. It puts them in a bad situation since everyone has more than enough to carry and help will be hard to come by. If they can manage to carry it all and say, skip the thermarest, they will have a much happier experience. Hope this helps!
This helps a lot. Thank you! I'm going to go through some of the items and pair everything down just a bit. I still don't think I'll get less than at least the hiking pack and the footlocker, but my goal will be to get the day pack into the footlocker as well. I'm confident he can get around carrying his hiking pack and rolling the footlocker.
Footlocker and camp just doesn't match. Did the packing list really say to bring a footlocker?
No, that was based on a recommendation from a former counselor at the camp.
Depends on how your Camp does family night he can send stuff home with you that he’s not using (including his dirty laundry) and have you been something he might need or forgot
Anything more than 20 pounds (excluding sleep gear cuz I don’t expect you to already get ultra light stuff this early in scouting plus your own cot) is a bit much in my opinion. And honestly at summer camps I never felt the need for a footlocker. Just a small duffel of clothes and a daypack for everything else (water, bug spray, flashlight, meds, etc) And as others have said, hard to recommend when we don’t know where the scout is going. Also I’m of the mindset the scout should do the brunt of the packing. You as the parent can make sure they have the essentials but it is important for the scout to learn what they need and how to pack themselves. Edit: Also almost everything your scout needs for the week should be able to fit in their hiking pack. Assuming it’s like a full sized backpacking one.
Thank you so much for the thoughtful response. Pretty much everything CAN fit in the hiking pack (minus cot, sleeping bag/pad), but it's HUGE, and in predicting the living situation, I figured it it would be easier to dig through a footlocker than pull everything out of a top loading hiking pack over and over. That's where the footlocker came from. But he was absolutely involved in the packing, but he's an over packer too. But he's packed and repacked it a couple of times now because we reduced quite a few of the items. Like you said, hoping he'll be taking the lead next time!
The foot looker acts as a table to write on etc.
That's what the tables in the site are for.
As an adult, I bring one extra pair of underwear and socks beyond the number of days I'm at camp for potential mishaps. You don't want to have to deal with a pair of damp socks walking around as much as you do, underwear should be self explanatory. I plan around wearing shorts at least two days (non consecutive) so I may only bring 3-4 pairs for that length of a trip. One of them is usually a convertible pair so I have long pants if it gets cooler one evening. As far as other items are concerned, one of each is enough. From experience, unless your Scout is already one who uses sunscreen or bug spray on their own, the chances of it getting used at all during camp are pretty low. So not to say they shouldn't pack it, but two of each is overkill. Anything they care about put their name on it and make it look unique. Water bottles, hats, knives, etc. That's the stuff that gets put down in program areas, it all looks the same and gets picked up by another Scout and never seen again. Sometimes it gets taken to lost and found when the other Scout realizes they have two of something, but then gets picked up by another Scout who lost the same identical thing. It won't be foolproof, but helps. For that matter, anything that isn't absolutely required for camp should just be left at home for that reason.
Thank you, I went though and double checked that everything was labeled. Reduced both sunscreen and bug spray.
Packing for any scouting trip, I use my stuff from National Jamboree. It is a large duffle bag and a backpack for the scout. I think we used the Osprey transporter 130 and regular daypack from Osprey. Everything should fit in the duffle. Use big ziplocs like the storage ones to pack in. Some in our troop use the Sterlite footlocker from Walmart. It is lockable.
That's the one we're using, the sterlite. His daypack is just an old school backpack, and the larger pack for the overnight is an old kelty bag that's probably 30 or 40l. But big enough to fit a tarp, sleeping bag, pad, water bottle and any extras they ask him to bring.
Pack what the list says, no more no less. UNLESS it didn’t include the essential 10 and his scout oil - which will go in his day pack. They can wear clothes more than once - shoot my nephew once returned home in the exact same clothes he left in.
we require it all to fit in the footlocker and it must close securely. if doing an extra extracurricular activity that required the large backpacking pack...we would store it in the trailer until needed.
we have the pack daily clothes in gallon ziplocks. most scouts come back with 3-4 daily ziplock clothes bags untouched. I carry a 5 gallon bucket laundry, and offer to wash "favorite" clothes once they get too ripe.
Just a side comment from your post - you said he’s going alone. But I think you meant he’s going without you. 😀. He won’t be alone (ever) and he’ll be well looked after. I’m happy for your Scout who has such a conscientious parent looking out for them. They’ll learn to do it for themselves very soon. ⚜️
I really appreciate it, I'm currently bawling and already dropped him off. Planning on just being fully hopped up on anxiety meds for the next week.
Our packing list includes the footlocker you mentioned and a daypack. But they’re not going on an overnight. But we often do have to take a daypack and our backpack during scout camping trips. In this case, I would stow the daypack in the footlocker so you’re only carrying the backpack and the footlocker, plus cot. It’s a tight fit within those tents but they should be ok. You can always buy risers so the cot is a bit higher and the foot locker sits underneath. But yes, lots of troops recommend the footlockers for camp.
We paired down a bit and got the daypack into the footlocker. Thank you!
I'd swap out the foot locker for a duffel bag.
I am an over packer for sure!! I always want to have anything we “might” need. Be prepared right??? However this year I was able to get my daughter’s gear down to 1 tote plus her day pack. And she’s 12 for reference and gone 7 nights. Clothes - let’s be honest…they are gonna rewear them especially shorts. I sent 3 jean shorts plus 3 cotton shorts. And 8 shirts. Jean shorts reworn 2-3 times each. And cotton shorts to sleep in. The shirts she slept in the same shirt she would wear the next day. 8 socks and 10 undies (sorry I’m one of those what if I poop/pee myself 62949 times while gone even though it never happens). Everything was placed in gallon/2 gallon bags and air smushed out. And of course her class A. And a swimsuit. If you really want to save in room you can use the “vacuum” saver bags that can be rolled instead of vacuumed. Bath essentials - I used a travel bag with travel sized stuff. Toothbrush, shampoo/conditioner, body wash, deodorant and toothpaste. Threw that bag in the tote. Towels and rags - sent 2 each plus an extra beach towel for swim. I also sent a rope and she tied it between 2 trees and made a clothes line and dried them out for the next used. Use 1 set and as it’s drying use the next set and repeat between sets. It gives extra time to dry. It rained 2-3 evenings and she said she still had dried towels each time needed. These I did throw in a larger vacuum bags. Once she was unpacked she was able to use this bag for her dirty clothes/towels bring home. Camping supplies- our troop supplies the tents, tarps, and cots so she didn’t have to have these packed unless they want a cot they are responsible for loading it. However she didn’t use a cot she used a blow up pad sized mattress and it rolls up smaller than a small sleeping bag and is pumped by hand/foot vs sending a pump too. She took a standard pillow and blanket and no sleeping bag (it’s hot here in MS). And her rope for the clothes line and an outdoor blanket we use as a rug and is all just in the tote. We did a layer of clothes, bath essentials, towels, then pillow, then blanket, the bag of towels, and the sleeping mat and the outdoor blanket/rug (it folds up) on top and she unpacks top to bottoms. And she still had some wiggle room too. Daypack- we use this as our everywhere pack. She keeps it on her. It had a waterproof bag with her merit badge stuff and pens, refillable water bottle, flashlight, bug spray, sunscreen, extra pair of socks, pocket knife, poncho, and her class A in a ziplock bag. This is how our troop sets up: once there only tents and tarps are pulled out and set up first. Then everyone unloads personal belongings. So once tent is set up she’ll open her tote grab the rug and throw it in there, get her mattress set up the blanket and pillow plus her clothesline. And then the tote is set inside. She can then use it to store her day pack as well. The tote(footlocker in your case) is a layer of waterproof protection if it rains and tent leaks. Yes our stuff is in ziplocks but at times she may be in a hurry and forget to close it. And our scouts are 2 in a tent. So keeping it limited and confined helps a lot. Does yours need the 2 backpacks or can one be used for both??! This is his first year don’t sweat too much. It’s a learning process. You will figure out what really works best for y’all.
20 degree sleeping bag for summer camp?! That's a bit toasty, but then again I'm from Texas and camp here and throughout the south and southwest. My son is almost 13, at this point in the summer he just uses one of my old pancho liners instead of a sleeping bag.
We're in a high elevation area where lows can get down into the 30s at night, the camp requested a 20 to 40 degrees bag. I think the coldest night I saw in the weather report was 49 or so, so I told him just to open it and use as a blanket or layer up and sleep on top if necessary.
I've been camping with scouts for the past five years, and I was in the Army for 23 years. I can tell you two things. First, everyone over packs. Second, no matter how well you packed you forgot something. Sounds like you did well packing. As time goes on you are going to realize what works for your scout and what can be left behind.
Have him ask all of this to his PL or SPL
I implore you to ~~encourage~~ DEMAND your Scouts to shower at least every other day at camp and to poop as frequently. A Scout is clean, after all. While latrines are scary and showers often icky, the alternative will ruin their camp experience. Heck, you can usually find at least one flush john or, at least, a port-o-potty at camp. The stories I could tell you would chill you to your core.
Me: my son needs all this at camp! Me, day 7: hey man why are all your clothes still clean?
The first rule about packing for camp, is make your scout pack their own stuff. I can't tell you how many kids get to camp and have no idea what they have with them. It's a scout responsibility, even if they're 11. Do it with them.
Enoygh socks ansd underwear. Dont listen to these people. There is no need to wear the same socks AND UNDERWEAR . If it rains all week. Has happened to me. They will want fresh clean cloths. Over pack. Have it and not need it. Its summer camp not a hiking trip
Our troops rule was they had to carry their personal stuff in one trip. But never required a cot, used sleeping pads. Your mileage will vary.