A Webelo’s Guide to Preparing for a Camping Trip

The following guide is for you the Webelo Scout to read, though your parents should also read it.  It is expected that you the Webelo scout will take the lead role in preparing for the trip, using information from this sheet and with guidance and assistance from your parent.

When preparing for an outdoor camping trip you need to think about many things and ask many questions about the place you’re going.  Doing so will help you to decide what to bring, and how much preparation you’ll need.

NOTE TO PARENTS:  I encourage you to have your Webelo read this, and help him to take the active role in gathering the necessary gear. I realize that sometimes this is more difficult than simply “doing it yourself.”  Obviously, you’ll need to help him locate some things and decide what, if anything, needs to be purchased.  The intent is that most of the things on this list are already in your house, and if not, you can get them from a grocery store or a “Big Box” store like Target.

Weather

• What’s the coldest it’s likely to get?
• What’s the hottest it’s likely to get?
• How shaded is the destination; how much protection from the sun is there?
• How close to the water is it
• How likely is it to rain? (You should *ALWAYS* be prepared for rain!)
• Might it snow?

Campsite Facilities

• Is there water available at your campsite?
• How far do you have to go to get it?
• Is it drinkable, or do you need to treat it before drinking it?
• Are campfires allowed?
• Is firewood available and if so will you be allowed to gather it?
• Are there toilets?  Do they have Toilet Paper, or do you need to bring it?
• Are there showers?

How are You Going to Get There?

• Drive?
• Hike, a short distance, on a well marked trail?
• Hike, a longer distance on a well marked trail?
• Hike over unmarked terrain
• Canoe/Kayak

How Long Will You Be Staying?

• The longer you’re staying, the better prepared you’ll need to be.

What Meals are You Planning?

• Bring all the food & supplies necessary to make everything on your menu
• Plus all the utensils necessary to cook it
• Plus all the utensils you need to eat with
• Plus everything you need to clean up afterwards

What Important Activities are you Planning?

• Think about any activities you’re planning; that will require you to bring anything.
• For instance, if you want to take pictures, you’ll need to bring a camera.

So, let’s look at our planned campout:

What’s the coldest it’s likely to get?         -- Likely the 40s.  It gets quite cool in the Santa Cruz Mountains overnight.

What’s the hottest it’s likely to get?          -- Probably not hotter than the 80s, but be prepared for the 90s.

How shaded is the destination?               -- There’s some protection from the sun, but it’s not completely shady.

How close to the water is it                     -- There’s a stream, but not too close.

How likely is it to rain?                            -- Not likely.

Might it snow?                                       -- No.

Is there water available at your campsite? -- Yes.

How far do you have to go to get it?        -- 100 feet or less.

Is it drinkable?                                       -- Yes.

Are campfires allowed?                          -- Probably not.

Is firewood available?                             -- No.

Are there toilets?                                   -- Yes, with TP (toilet paper)

Are there showers?                                -- No.

How are we going to get there?               -- We will drive to the campsite.

How long will we be staying?                   -- One night and less than one full day.

What meals are planned?                       -- See discussion of menu, separately.

What activities are planned?                   -- There will be a hike, plus other activities organized by the pack.

OK, so what do you need to bring?

Shelter:

We’ll be staying one night.  So you’ll need the following for shelter and warmth, and to protect yourself from the elements:

• A tent (the pack provides this)
• A sleeping bag, suitable for temperatures as low as 40 degrees. (The pack has a limited number of these)
• A sleeping pad.  If you don’t have one, 3 large bath/beach towels can be folded to serve.  I will show you how to do this.
• You may choose to bring a pillow.  (This is a luxury that is possible since we’re driving to the destination.)

Dressing in Layers

People heading outdoors often speak of “dressing in layers.”  What do they mean by that?  Well, imagine you’re wearing shorts, sandals, and a t-shirt, but you also have a thick winter coat.  You’re ready for anything, right?  Not so fast!  Let’s say it starts out hot.  You’re OK because you’re wearing your shorts and t-shirt.  But imagine a breeze picks up and it turns a little bit chilly.  You reach for your warm winter coat.  But that’s no good.   Your legs and feet are still cold.  But your body gets so hot inside the coat that it starts to sweat!  You’re wearing clothes for warm weather, and cold weather, but no part of you is comfortable!

The solution is dressing in layers.  When we dress in layers, we wear many thin layers of clothing.  Then, if we’re a little too hot, we take just one layer off, and if we’re a little too cold, we add another layer.

Here are some clothes suitable for dressing in layers:

• Long-johns (long winter underwear) make a good base layer if you know it’s going to be cold.  But you won’t need that layer for THIS trip.
• Light weight shorts (you can change if it’s hot)
• Long pants or sweat pants (for if it turns cooler) – if necessary these can go OVER your shorts
• Short sleeved T-shirt
• Long sleeved T shirt (this can be worn over your short sleeved T-shirt)
• Cub Scout Uniform shirt (T shirts can go under this, sweaters and jackets, over)
• Sweater or Sweatshirt (this can be worn over the long sleeved T-shirt)
• Light jacket (can be worn over the sweater)
• Warm stocking cap.  This is important.  Your body loses a lot of heat through the head.  So adding a warm cap to whatever you’re wearing now can keep you warm as the temperature drops another 10 degrees.  Also, if you find that you’re cold (or even your feet are cold) while you’re in your sleeping bag, the best way to warm up is to put on your stocking cap.
• Rain parka or Rain poncho.  This is important too.  Everything else in this list will STOP keeping you warm if it gets wet.  So if it starts raining, you MUST have a waterproof outer layer you can put on, to keep all your other layers dry.

In addition, you’ll want the following change of clothes

• Change of underwear
• Change of socks (this is extra-important if there’s any chance your feet will get wet)
• Comfortable, well worn, athletic shoes.  Don’t run out and get hiking boots!  People hike the entire Pacific Crest Trail from Mexico to Canada in ordinary running shoes.  And nothing creates blisters on the feet like nice stiff new boots! 

• Note that t-shirts and sweat shirts/sweat pants (see above discussion on layering) make a good substitute for pajamas; and are great to wear while in your sleeping bag.

Don’t overpack.  Your layers are suitable for wearing whenever you need them, and you want to re-use your clothes whenever you can.  Aside from clean underwear and socks, you’ll probably wear the same clothes on Sunday as you did on Saturday.

Toiletries

The longer your trip, the more important it is for you to bring the things you need to keep clean and healthy.  For a single night all you probably need is:

• Your toothbrush and toothpaste
• Bar of soap
• Hand towel

Don’t Get Lost

A safe trip becomes an unsafe one if you get lost, or separated from the group.  The amount of precaution you need to take depends on the answers to “How Are You Getting There?” and “How Long are You Staying?”  For this trip, we’re driving over well marked public roads to the campsite, and hiking with a large group over well marked trails.  So you’ll need:

• A whistle to blow if you become lost and separated from the group (The pack may provide this… TBD)
• Bring a compass if you have one, so you can start learning how to use it.
• Your mom or dad will need the map to get to the campsite
• You can pick up a map of the campground at the gate, but please consider returning it when you leave.

Personal First Aid

If you put together a first aid kit as part of the requirement for the Readyman badge, now’s the time to bring it.  If not, your personal first aid kit should be ready so you can take care of yourself after minor injuries.  You should have:

• Moleskin, to prevent blisters on the hike (you’ll need a knife or scissors to cut the moleskin)
• Gauze pads for cleaning
• Antiseptic cleaner
• Antibiotic ointment
• Band-Aids
• Tweezers
• Ice-pack (optional, since the pack will have ice available in the food cooler)

More Necessities

• Personal water bottle for drinking out of – especially on the hike
• Sunscreen and/or a hat.  We’ll be in the sun part of the time.  Don’t get sunburned!
• Mosquito repellent.  Ordinary spray-on repellent such as “Off!” works well.
• You need a small flashlight; but you’ll probably use this less than you expect.
• Camera if you want to take pictures
• You or your parent will need a small knapsack (backpack) to carry your water, snack, first aid kit, and rain poncho on the hike.  You use one for school, don’t you?
• You will probably end up with some time to spend on your own; so you may want a book to read, playing cards, a portable chess set, etc… You won’t need a lot, and DO NOT BRING ELECTRONIC GAMES, RADIOS, etc…

The Menu

Plan on three meals: a picnic lunch on Saturday, dinner on Saturday, and breakfast on Sunday.  Food will be provided by the pack, but boys are expected to take the active role in cooking and cleanup, with help from their parent.

• Saturday Lunch.  “Brown Bag—pack your own”
• Snack food for the hike
• Saturday Dinner.   The menu is:
• Hamburgers
• Hot Dogs
• Chips
• Chili
• Lemonade
• S’Mores for desert
• Sunday Breakfast.  The menu is:
• Instant Oatmeal
• Hot chocolate
• Instant coffee for adults

So what do I need to bring?  You’ll need:

• Cooking Utensils
• A spatula and/or tongs for turning burgers or hot dogs
• You may want to bring a metal brush for scrubbing the grill, if you have one.
• Outdoor matches
• Personal Eating Utensils
• Plate
• Knife, fork & spoon
• Bowl for chili & oatmeal
• Cup/Mug for drinking out of (a “sierra cup” works great for this, and serves “double duty” as a bowl)
• Bandana or paper napkins
• 1 or 2 Plastic tubs (or buckets) for doing dishes in
• Dishwashing liquid
• Scrub/sponge or similar for cleaning
• Towel for drying dishes
• NOTE: I strongly encourage you to bring a single set of washable utensils here, rather than planning on using and discarding paper plates and plastic utensils.  Remember, paper/plastic disposable utensils are impractical on a longer trip when you need to “pack it out,” and one of our goals is to develop the skills and self-sufficiency to help you get ready for longer and more elaborate trips.
• Food

The pack will provide most of the food.  However:

• Pack your own brown bag lunch for Saturday
• Bring a snack food of your choice for Saturday hike.  Foods without a lot of sugar are recommended, as they’ll give you energy for a longer time.  Think fruits, granola bars, etc…
• Adults who want hot beverages on Sunday morning should bring appropriate instant coffee, tea bags, etc… Hot water and hot chocolate packets will be provided.

The Pack will provide:

• Uncooked burgers & hot dogs
• Charcoal & lighting fuel
• Chips
• Chili; (this may be homemade, and in any case will be higher quality than “Hormel”)
• Lemonade
• Stove & fuel for heating chili
• Ingredients for S’mores
• Instant oatmeal packets
• Instant hot chocolate
• Stove & fuel for heating water on Sunday morning

OK Great, Now How Do I Carry All This?

Use whatever you’ve got!  Since we’re driving to the campsite, it isn’t really important.  Use a backpack, duffle bag, suitcase, etc…  However, there are a few basics to learn about packing for an outdoor trip.

• Pack compactly!  The fewer things you have to carry, the easier your life will be.  Don’t forget anything important, but don’t overpack either.  For example, you probably want clean underwear and socks to change into on Sunday, but aside from that can wear the same clothes as Saturday.  See “Dressing in Layers” above.  In general, experienced campers carry LESS than inexperienced campers.
• The longer the trip, the more you have to protect things from getting wet!  On longer trips, I put my clothes into plastic bags, and then put the plastic bags into my backpack.

Protecting Food from Wildlife

The wildlife wants YOUR food.  Mice.  Rats.  Squirrels.  Raccoons.  Bears. (Though there are no bears anywhere near OUR destination.)  They all want a free lunch, and they want it from the food YOU brought.  Animals of varying sizes get lots of practice pilfering, as there’s a fresh load of campers who come to visit their homes every weekend.  You may be a new camper, but they are experienced thieves!  So for their health and safety, as well as your own, you need to be savvy and keep them from getting into your stuff.  Here’s how.

1. If it SMELLS like food, it IS food.  Anything that has a scent (toothpaste, dishwashing soap, etc…) has to be treated as if it’s food and protected with all the following precautions.

2. NEVER feed the animals.  I know they look cute.  But they are healthiest and happiest when they live on the foods they’ve used for thousands of years; not on people food.  And once animals learn to live on people food, they become more aggressive about stealing food from campsites.

3. NEVER put food in your tent!  Animals have teeth and claws that can shred a tent in seconds.  And you DON’T want to wake up during the night to find your tent being raided by a hungry raccoon.

4. Lock up all FOOD overnight, or when you’re away from the campsite.  Many campsites provide animal proof lock boxes.  (Ours does.)  Since we’re not traveling in bear country, we can also lock food in our cars.  (The trunk is best.)

5. Despite all this, if you find animals stealing your food, act loudly and aggressively to scare them away.  Make noise.  Bang pans.  Move towards them.  However, always leave them a way to escape and DO NOT touch them or even get too close.  Your goal is simply to scare them off, not to punish them, and not to retrieve anything that they are carrying.

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Author’s Notice:

This Webelo’s Guide to Preparing for a Camping trip was written in 2005 by Steven Hartman.  It is in the public domain.  Please feel free to make copies or re-use this guide.  As a courtesy to the author, please leave this notice intact.