The holiday season is upon us and being a Boy Scout opens up an entire avenue of gift ideas for that special Scout of yours. A new adventure is always around the corner and a Scout can always use another key piece of gear. I’ve canvased the Troop leadership team for gift ideas that are both useful and affordable. Below are just some of the many ideas offered.
Sleeping Bag Liner: Mr. Atwell suggests that a fleece liner can add 10-15 degrees warmth to a sleeping bag, effectively making a 30 degree bag into a 15-20 degree sleeping bag. It can also be used as a wrap/blanket when walking or sitting around camp or it can be used as a sleeping bag by itself in warmer weather.
Camping Pillow: Mr. Seitz recommends a camp pillow to save your Scout from countless weekend outings with a sore neck. There are many different kinds, from inflatable to those stuffed with memory foam but most are affordable and easily fit in a backpack.
Pocket Knife Sharpener: Mr. Kalamayzer suggests a knife sharpener. While Troop 581 Scouts are super gentile on their equipment, every pocket knife needs sharpening once in a while. Consider the Lansky Blade Medic. Affordable and small enough to fit in a pocket, your Scout will never be without a way to sharpen his favorite blade.
Dutch Oven: Does your Scout like to cook? Consider getting him is own cast iron Dutch oven. They make patrol meals easy and can be used at home too. Mr. Eichfeld recommends a 5qt (10 inch) Dutch oven. While a little more expensive than the other gifts on this list, a cast iron Dutch oven will literally last a lifetime. Save yourself considerable shipping costs and pick one up locally.
Pocket Camp Saw: While the troop has large saws for heavy duty work, a small pocket saw is a great tool for processing small branches for a patrol-sized fire. They are light, easy to use, and inexpensive. They are also a good piece of wilderness survival gear to have just in case. They come in various sizes but 5 to 7 inch saws are perfect for your Scout’s needs. Just search “folding hand saw” for many options.
Hat light: In all my time as a Scout leader, I’ve never seen a Scout lose his flashlight. But just in case, consider a hat with a built in light. They are a convenient backup to a headlamp and come in both baseball style hats for the summer and knit caps for the winter.
Solar powered lantern: Having some light in your tent always makes things easier. A small solar powered lantern can be charged during the day so there’s no worries about bringing extra batteries. Consider a version that folds down for storage or transport. Search “solar power lantern” for many options.
Sleeping pad: There’s nothing a Scout loves more that sleeping on the hard ground. But even better is having a good sleeping pad to insulate you from the cold ground and all the jabby bits. Mr. Kalamayzer recommends going with an inflatable version. These inflate easily and fold down small to fit inside a pack. Cost ranges from $20 for an entry level pad to over $100 but the cheaper ones work great for the majority of camping that we do in Troop 581.