Scout Leaders?

**MrToot** · 06-22-2011, 08:44

Troop Committee Chair, Troop 149, Arlington, VA here. Former Cubmaster and Cub Scout leader of 9 years. One of my 3 boys is an Eagle Scout and hopefully two to go. I made it to Star Scout in my day.

As sited by others, Committee members do lots more in our Troop. Thankfully, I get to lead many high adventure outings. Off to the Goshen Scout reservation for a weeklong high adventure backpacking trip this weekend. Trip will include rock climbing, kayaking, black powder rifle shooting, tomahawk throwing and smithing. Good fun. Half our crew in hammocks. Here is a photo of two of the boys still asleep in there hammocks on a recent training trip. Great that they are now completely self sufficient in pitching it all. My rig is the pic before it:

Off to the Boundary Water of Canada next summer at the BSA Atikokan Base.

I too was devastated last year when someone sent me the updated guide to safe scouting language on alchy stoves. If you take it strictly soda can stoves are out but ones like Tinny at Mini Bull Designs makes (the non-soda can burners) can still be used. They are commercially available ...

Yours in Scouting

**timabababaluka** · 06-22-2011, 10:26

Originally Posted by Triggerhpy

And my wife is a Fox too.

Did she go through woodbadge, or are you saying you chose well?

**dkperdue** · 06-22-2011, 10:33

The homemade "can type" alcohol stoves are specifically prohibited.
Alcohol as a fuel is only on the "not reccommended" list.

Find some regular commercial alcohol stoves like the Trangia ones (The brass ones are nice with a seal and simmer ring) and you can still work within the guidelines of the Gude to Safe Scouting.

http://www.scouting.org/scoutsource/...gss/gss06.aspx

DKPerdue
Asst Scoutmaster, Troop 212, Chesapeake, VA

**mountain_man_mike** · 06-22-2011, 13:07

Originally Posted by dkperdue

The homemade "can type" alcohol stoves are specifically prohibited.
Alcohol as a fuel is only on the "not reccommended" list.

Find some regular commercial alcohol stoves like the Trangia ones (The brass ones are nice with a seal and simmer ring) and you can still work within the guidelines of the Gude to Safe Scouting.

Sometimes the red tape take away from the fun and sense of adventure.

I am an ASM in Troop 354 in central California, never attended Woodbadge except to cook for the campers and staff in 2009. That was a lot of work but very rewarding. I had a great crew to work with and it was nice to see them get standing ovations from the staff and campers.

**TadTheTinker** · 06-22-2011, 14:46

Hammocking is new in my troop, 542 Gravel Ridge, Arkansas. Like I am the only one in the trees. But there is definitely an interest. When the school year rolls around, it will be high on the list of things to show the boys and start building interest. I am looking forward to a day very soon when a tent is something we store back packs in!

As for the stoves. While they are not allowed on official trips, unofficial trips are a whole other thing. My guys all wanted to go play paintball. This is strictly verboten in BSA. We just got together as a bunch of friends and went. So it can be done. And as for making the stoves. You are making them, not using them. Have a blast with it. (Pardon the pun.)

Peace, Tinker

**Nighthauk** · 06-22-2011, 19:35

Guys it is all great to hear from other troop leaders. We are pretty active troop so I have been getting a lot of hang time in. Our troop is slowing moving over to the hammocking. Though our leader tried a hammock a couple of weekends ago and froze. He didn't put any insulation under his 40 degree bag. He now knows. Now there are 5 of us out of 16. I will be making a solid effort to show them what you can do with them and how comfortable they can be in all weather. My goal is to sleep in it on all our campouts through the winter. It will take a little but to do but I am determined to do so.

**Triggerhpy** · 06-22-2011, 19:47

Originally Posted by timabababaluka

Did she go through woodbadge, or are you saying you chose well?

Yes to both

**timabababaluka** · 06-22-2011, 20:52

Originally Posted by Triggerhpy

Yes to both

Nicely done!

**I Splice** · 06-22-2011, 21:42

Originally Posted by Pinnacle

Maybe it is time for the BSA to start reviewing what it deems safe and unsafe. I have been in scouting for 11 years now. 7 as a scout(eagle) 3 as a Committee Chairman and 1 as a Scoutmaster(current). I think scouting was a huge importance in my life and I hope it is for our scouts we have now.

Alcohol stoves. Personally I see them as very safe, as long as they are used properly. Normally only loaded up with 1 oz of fuel at a time and not under any kind of pressure. Use it like it is intended and it is a cheap, safe, and fast way to cook a meal.

2 campouts ago we avoided disaster. One of the approves BSA stoves malfunctioned and caught fire, it was not user error. The stove and the canister were enveloped in flames. If not for some quick thinking....... well it would have been horrible. We were 5 miles from the truck and 2 hours from a hospital after that.

I love the BSA, please dont read me wrong. I just think they should update their allowances every decade. One thing: I will never trust anyone else to tell me whats safe and whats not. And thats why my trangia is always first in the pack.

Update the G2SS every decade??? In my dreams! The G2SS is updated perhaps on a quarterly schedule but sometimes more often (only National knows for sure). I think the hardcopy is updated every year with a different color cover. The BSA seems to set rules based on emotions and stuff-that-sounds-like-a-good-idea-to-someone. IOW, each update seems worse than the last.

The online version is here
http://www.scouting.org/scoutsource/...y/GSS/toc.aspx

You can find many discussions of the G2SS on scouts-l.org.

I've not been too big of a fan of alcohol stoves since I set myself on fire while experimenting with one. You really can't see an ethanol flame in the daylight.

No damage but it was eye-opening. Somewhere in the HF archives there is a story from a member who wasn't as lucky.

I do agree that making policy against using them is misguided; it would be much better to teach Scouts to use them safely.

I had a close call with a 2-burner propane stove. The gas supply line was misrouted (by me) and burned through. No damage, just some excitement.

BTW, I'm Scoutmaster of Troop 498 in Sunnyvale, CA.

**GW Sears** · 06-22-2011, 22:14

Originally Posted by Pinnacle

Maybe it is time for the BSA to start reviewing what it deems safe and unsafe. I have been in scouting for 11 years now. 7 as a scout(eagle) 3 as a Committee Chairman and 1 as a Scoutmaster(current). I think scouting was a huge importance in my life and I hope it is for our scouts we have now.

Alcohol stoves. Personally I see them as very safe, as long as they are used properly. Normally only loaded up with 1 oz of fuel at a time and not under any kind of pressure. Use it like it is intended and it is a cheap, safe, and fast way to cook a meal.

2 campouts ago we avoided disaster. One of the approves BSA stoves malfunctioned and caught fire, it was not user error. The stove and the canister were enveloped in flames. If not for some quick thinking....... well it would have been horrible. We were 5 miles from the truck and 2 hours from a hospital after that.

I love the BSA, please dont read me wrong. I just think they should update their allowances every decade. One thing: I will never trust anyone else to tell me whats safe and whats not. And thats why my trangia is always first in the pack.

The biggest hazard with alcohol is that you CAN'T see the flame. You and I know from practical experience to wave a hand over (well over) a trangia before trying to light it or otherwise put the hand near the burner. Can you picture a hormonally-burdened teenager forgetting about girls long enough to remember that?