Camping Sleeping arrangements

[ynotquilt]

How is it decided in your troops how sleeping arrangements are made? I ask for 2 reasons. At this past weekend's canoeing trip, there was an issue with 2 of the scouts (as one is my son, I know that there have been problems with them getting along for some time in school as well). The ASPL told them that he would put them together in a tent for the next campout. #1 I find this to be wrong because tenting together should NOT be a punishment. #2 Second problem with this is that there are only a few boys that I would "approve" my son to be tenting with as he has a particular medical condition that I would not trust most of the boys to keep quiet about. It would be embarrasing enough to my son that I am sure he would drop out. Our troop is VERY young - 80%+ either just finished fifth grade or sixth grade.

Just want to find out how others handle the tenting issue

[wagionvigil]

In The Troop I have been associated with for 18 years the Boys choose their tent mate. If they don't then the SPL and and ASST. SM Decise

[Rick Tyler]

I still manage to find at least one post per week in the Scouting groups that makes me boggle. The ASM picking tentmates? Does he pick out their clothes and tell them what to eat for every meal, too? Someone has control issues.

Boys pick their own tentmates. With the cooperation of the SPL, I have told Scouts that they have to pick someone from their own patrol, but I've never seen a boy or adult leader assign tentmates. Does this really happen in a lot of troops?

ynotquilt, drop me an email if you want. I have some experience with concealed medical issues.

[wagionvigil]

I can truthfully say in those 18 years the ASM has never had to be involved. It has always worked out. By the way the PL council made that decision. I really think it was a way to help the boys make up their minds.

[JazerNorth]

I have never made assignments.... of course we only have one very large boy tent, wo they are stuck sleeping with everyone. Leaders bring their own tents.

JazerNorth

[Lynda J]

Like all the others our boys pick their tent mates. Especially at summer camp. Tent mates are buddies. Sometimes it can cause problems if one boy wants to tent with another and that boys wants to tent with someone else. But they all work it out. As adults we try to stay out of it as much as possbile. Only if they start fighting do we step in. But only after the SPL has tried to work out the problem.

[ASM-142]

My troop always lets the boys pick their tent mate. This is not something that an adult should be getting involved in unless the tent mate's are causing problems. In that situation, we would tell the boys that they need to pick a different tent mate - we still would not dictate the tent mate.

[Woodbadgegirl]

Usually the boys pick their own tentmates but this year at summer camp, they asked the older scouts to team up with a new scout for the week. I thought this was a nice idea. All the new scouts were with boys that had been to camp before and prepared them for what to expect. They weren't forced to do this, just asked if they would. We had all comply!!

[Chief J]

As SM I inherited adults who like to assign scout tent arrangements. I have worked on breaking this habit. I think the Scouts should be allowed to pick their buddies and not be told who their buddy is.

Chief J

[KB1KOI]

It has been said in my troop that we can chose who we want to bunk with at Yawgoog Scout camp (Summer Camp). I haven't seen JL telling us, or any scout summiting a list. It got as bad as be bunking with the same scout for the past three years (03,04,05). The JL says a computer randomizies it. Thats not random to me or the other in my andarondak.

On other campouts, if you have a personal tent, you have the option of sharing, or bunking alone. If you don't, and must use a troop tent, 3 scouts must bunk together.

[Lynda J]

At summer camp this summer two boys got in an argument and got really mad at each other. They went to the SPL. His answer was. "Which one of you wants to sleep on the ground outside." The boys looked at each other and that was the end of it. Neither wanted to sleep outside. I was sitting outside my tent in the dark. One made me proud of our SPL. And it reinforced the leadership he had.
Never had another problem with those two boys.

[BM_Crawford]

Only had one issue with tent buddies. The scouts in my troop always pick their partners. But for summer camp this year one boy only knew two kids in the troop (Just moved here from another state) and those two were tent partners. So then I did get involved and simply asked the two tent partners if they could put all there equipment in one tent and have three people stay in a tent. Thats the only time I think a leader should get involved. Just to compromise if the boy's are ok with it.

[RWSmith]

At summer camp this summer two boys got in an argument and got really mad at each other. They went to the SPL. His answer was. "Which one of you wants to sleep on the ground outside." The boys looked at each other and that was the end of it. Neither wanted to sleep outside. I was sitting outside my tent in the dark. One made me proud of our SPL. And it reinforced the leadership he had.
Never had another problem with those two boys.

Now that was simply worth re-telling.

[evmori]

At summer camp this summer two boys got in an argument and got really mad at each other. They went to the SPL. His answer was. "Which one of you wants to sleep on the ground outside." The boys looked at each other and that was the end of it. Neither wanted to sleep outside. I was sitting outside my tent in the dark. One made me proud of our SPL. And it reinforced the leadership he had.
Never had another problem with those two boys.

Way to go MR. SPL!

[Lynda J]

We have a great SPL. We kind sit back and let him handle things. He had already been up and talked to these two before. By this time is was after 11. Camp was dark and quite except for this. I laughed to myself.
I know he was about ready top bean both of them. But I thought he handles it great.

[Rick Tyler]

Sleeping arrangements at summer camp always amuse me. I don't know about your troops, but in both of the ones I've been involved with the Scouts treat the tents like some sort of common property. They move around like nomads looking for good grazing land.

Last week I found a tiny 11-year-old, let's call him Steve, in the SPL's tent. I asked him what he was doing there (figuring the 16yo SPL and his 16yo tentmate would be irritated that this tot had Tread on Holy Ground). He said that the SPL told him to sleep there. When I asked the SPL what was up, he said that Steve's tent buddy was on an overnight outpost trip and that he was afraid to sleep alone. The SPL took him into his tent so he wouldn't be afraid. After that, I didn't worry about it. The SPL and the other Scout leaders knew what was going on so I didn't have to.