_____ good walking shoes or hiking boots, take an extra pair if an overnight trip, and break them in before your camping trip

_____ if meals are not provided, two lunches for each day (put them in a sack or ice chest with your Scout’s name and "Pack 1" written on it)

_____ hat or cap (write your Scout’s name and "Pack 1/99" on it, on the inside)

_____ bathing suit & swim goggles (if swimming will be available, like at Camp Don & MKB)

_____ towels (write your Scout’s name on it, unless it’s unique) & "shower shoes"

_____ "Deep Woods Off" or similar tick & insect repellent (write your Scout’s name and "Pack 1" on it)

_____ compass (optional)

_____ walking stick (optional)

_____ money & one whistle per person (remind your Scouts not to blow whistles in camp, or unnecessarily; they're for "getting found")

_____ Walkie Talkies or Family Radio Service radios, with fresh batteries (optional, but they're good for adults communicating between cars)

_____ water bottles (must be hung on a belt or with a over-shoulder sling)

_____ personal pump water mister (may be worn on waist or over the shoulder on a sling and pump out a cooling mist upon command -- it's GREAT!)

_____ if a rainy day -- rain gear & ponchos (a large trash bag works OK)

_____ waterproof tarp/plastic sheet for under the tent (know the size of your tent) and a tarp or cover for shade, plus (if you will need them) cable tie wraps or rope or bunggie cords, and poles to put the cover up

_____ chairs, cots, 3" foam pads, or an air mattresses, etc. to sleep on (that ground gets mighty hard at 2:00 a.m.)

_____ cook stove, sauce pan, Dutch ovens, knife, tongs, spoon, cutting board, can opener, Patrol griddle, foil (the Troop/Pack usually provides these items if meals are provided, if your Pack has them)

_____ hoses and some sort of water misting attachment or hose setup (if it's going to be hot)

_____ folding shovel (optional unless you are going on a multi-day wilderness hike)

_____ hatchet, rope to rope off a wood chopping area, a machete (to clear underbrush from under your tent site) (remember to sharpen these before you leave; it's the dull knife that cuts you!)

_____ if you have earned your Whitlin' & Totten' Chip, a small Swiss Army or pocket knife, not more than 2 1/2 inches in blade length (remember to sharpen it, and always check the camp rules in advance, some camps like Philmont don't allow knives at all, and none beyond a certain length)

_____ small flashlight or lanterns (check your batteries before you leave, and take extra batteries), and a camp light (butane, propane, white gas, electric, etc.) (REMEMBER -- "no flames in tent" means no open flames in your tent -- flashlights or florescent lights only; and remember that scorpions glow in the dark under florescent lights, so use one to check your tent/sleeping bag before you craw in it)

_____ firewood, charcoal, fire starters (dryer lint works well, or paper), matches in a waterproof container (check fire rules in dry conditions), and two metal water buckets (to clean your cooking & eating utensils in)

_____ a well-stocked Pack first aid kit and/or individual emergency aid kits; all medications must be in in original prescription containers; any required medical forms (Class I, II and/or III) in a three-ring binder; a "reflector on a stick" or some glowlights to mark the tent of your emergency medical responder (so that it's easy to find at 3:00 am when you have a sick child)

_____ eyeglasses or sunglasses/sun shades & cases

_____ a weather radio (optional, but a very good idea, and in any event it's a most excellent idea to check the weather in advance, with one last check just before you leave home/town)

_____ windbreakers or coats (if cold or windy)

_____ trash bags (leave your campsite as clean or cleaner than you found it), and one or more plastic or mesh bags for drying your eating utensils, for "finds", and/or for wet clothes, and a clothes line to hang them on

_____ skewers or wire hangers for marshmallows & smores

_____ fishing poles & fishing gear (if fishing is available)

_____ if there's a way to wash clothes or if you'll be swimming, a long rope and some clothespins to hang up your wet clothes to dry

_____ Ideas for a Campfire Skit -- if you need some skit help, check out this Scout skit book in Adobe Acrobat .pdf format.  (Please note that a few of the pages in this skit book will not open nor print, but that's the way I got this .pdf file and there's no way for me to fix it.)

DO NOT BRING:

electronic devices -- battery-operated games, CD players, etc.; sandals or open toed shoes, sheer bed-clothes, or high heel shoes; unnecessary jewelry; pets