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Outings are an important part of Troop
494's activities. Almost all of our outings involve
an overnight stay. We plan an outing for every month
and we plan two one-week outings per year.
Every outing requires a Local Tour Permit and adult
leadership with current Youth Protection Training is
required. There are basically two types of camping trips:
Backpack vs. car camping. In a nutshell, backpack trips
means all equipment and food needs to be packed in,
while car camping means that there is only a very short
distance from the drop area to the campsite.
Outing coordinators should contact adult leadership
to determine if leaders with additional training are
required for the outing.
Outings Information
If you're looking for ideas or information
on different types of outings or campsites, check out
this website. There's information about camping, hiking,
climbing, horseback riding, shooting, swimming, boating
and a lot more information. Link to Outing Resource Website.
Types of Outings
Think of outings into categories: One
where you have to carry all of your gear and food (backpacking),
and the other where there's easy access to bring all
of the gear (i.e. car camping.) The first step in planning
any outing is to determine whether it's a car camp outing
or a backpacking outing. This has a great deal of impact
on the food and supplies chosen, including the need
for a backpack, hiking boots and total weight of gear.
Backpacking
Campsites are usually remote and could be as
much as a day's hike away. All food and equipment need
to be backpacked in. Another important factor is the
availability of water and whether it's potable. Backpack
stoves are used for cooking and limited utensils and
pots are available. Backpack trips require a balance
between what's being taken vs. the overall weight being
carried, with careful attention to the essentials. Food
is usually dehydrated and type of food chosen should
minimize use of utensils and cookware.
Car Camping
Campsites are very near to the drop site so
gear can be easily transported. This means items such
as coolers, Dutch ovens, chairs, and camp stoves can
be used and for facilities with fire pits, we can bring
charcoal and firewood. Backup supplies can be left in
the cars and backpacks are not necessary. Car camping
can easily be combined with a wide range of other activities
listed below.
Boating
Boating outings, like cycling can be day trips
but will more than likely involve overnight camping.
Again, equipment and food will be taken to the campsite
drop off area.
For boating outings, an adult leader with SAFETY AFLOAT
training is required and all scouts need US Coast Guard
certified floatation devices. Some outings may require
the scout to have BSA Swimming certification (1st class
swimming)
Cycling
Although cycling events can be day trips,
we often will combine them with an overnight outing.
While cycling, minimal equipment is needed as the gear
and food will be taken to the camping site. Cycling
outings do require some basic and additional essentials
such as water, first aid kit, bike repair kit, helmet,
map and compass. The troop participates on road bike
trips as well as mountain bike trips.
Swimming
Usually our swimming outings are in combination
with other outings. For proper swimming safety, the
activity needs to be:
- Directed by a leader with SAFE SWIM DEFENSE training
- Require all participants to be fit;
- Three swim areas identified (non-swimmer, beginner
and swimmer)
- Lifeguard (Does not need a BSA Lifeguard, but can
be a strong swimmer)
- Lookout with visual access to all areas
- Swimmers separated into three ability groups
- All swimmers with buddies
- Discipline by all.
Other
All other types of outings will usually involve
car camping. Other types of outings may include rock
climbing, fishing, other water sports (surfing, snorkeling,
etc.) spelunking, tree felling, etc. |
