wilderness survival question

[stevenscout]

I was only allowed a jacket, canteen, an maybe a flashlight. I can't remeber, I took it several years back. Obciously we were not allowed to use tarps.

[ICanCanoeCanU]

Personally, I think some of the artificial restrictions I've heard about (like "no sleeping bags") make it more fun for the Scout, but these are in direct contradictions to BSA MB rules: "add nothing, subtract nothing." If BSA meant, "no sleeping bags allowed," that's what the MB requirements would say.

As I stated, my son did this at a BSA summercamp and they made the guidelines for what was allowed. I would find it hard to believe that a BSA camp didn't give thought to whether or not they were adding to or taking away from the requirements. Once again, BSA has purposely NOT spelled it out for all to follow.

Some scouts in our troop did their Wilderness Survival night out in March in western Washington. Nighttime temps in the 30s combined with a light but steady rain would have been life-threatening following the "rules" set by some counselors.

We too have had temps in the 30s at night in the Adirondack mountains during the summer months. Like so many things in scouting, there are no absolutes. Everyone should use common sense and judgement to decide if an event should be canceled due to unsafe weather conditions.

[lifescoutforlife]

If they were to add another required MB for eagle WS would be a great one to add.

[Ridge Runner]

Wow! When I took this badge at summer camp, we weren't allowed to bring anything that couldn't fit in regular pants pockets. That meant no sleeping bags. The only things I brought were two fleece jackets and a raincoat. I was planning on laying the coat down on the ground and sleeping on it, but it got so cold that I just put it on.

Here's how to stay warm...In woods, often you can find a dense copse of trees making shelter building easier. To buid a shelter keep it and it's opening small to trap body heat, and pack it full of leaves for insulation. Always orientate the opening out of the wind and weather. Next, tuck your toursers into your socks, and stuff them with more dry leaves/dry grass. Next, the shirt, doing the same. If you've got a spare garment use it to cover the head. Then borrow deep into your shelter....the key is to keep a lot of insulation between you and the ground, the more the better. And staying out of the wind as much as possible.
For fire building, Ceders and Jack Pines are the life savers. Ceder bark can be rubbed rapidly between the hands to produce fibers for tender, and Jack Pines are pitchy. Collect the pitch on dry wood, and it'll burn hot.
To minimize wood gathering use a star lay for the fire with a reflector to radiate heat towards you and shelter.......

[9009scoutmaster]

We have several youth who will be working on the shelter on our camping trip the last weekend of this month. The biggest question has been from my son who took wilderness survival at summer camp. Items they could use at summer camp, sleeping bag, water, and pocket knife. I have stated "I have no problem with the scouts using their shoe strings and belts to build their shelter." My son says " that is not right at summer camp they would not let us use them."

[FrankJ]

As in all merit badges, interpretation of the requirements is left up to the counselor. Like or not, the counselor signing the bottom line has the final say.

In a real wilderness survival situation, you would use whatever was available.
So ask yourself, would you normally have a belt or shoelaces with you/

[9009scoutmaster]

That was my answer to him.

[mhjacobson]

I have a difficulty with any camp or scouting program not allowing the scouts to have equipment with them that the absence of might cause the scouts some physical harm. To tell a group of scouts that they can not have sleeping bags with them when the temperature is known to be low at night, is not proper. There is a strong difference between "demonstrate that you know how to build and shelter. . . .and sleep in it' is far different from 'sleep in a shelter without a sleeping bag."

Since that is not a requirement, why make the scouts do so? The idea of the MB is for scouts to demonstrate that they have the skills necessary for wilderness survival if the need arises, not to make the utilization of the skills necessary in the demonstration.