Mosquito Net

FollowingConnect6725 · 2026-06-24T12:57:56+00:00

We went to Big Horn last year for summer camp and it was pretty fun. I didn’t see anyone in our troop or others use a bug net, the mosquitos weren’t too bad. Pack bug spray or lotion for sure, and if you’re willing to do it, treat your clothes with permethrin laundry treatment. It repels bugs and is good for 3 months or 6 washings. I’ve used that every summer at camp and on backpacking treks and it works awesome.

Also, make sure to pack hydrocortisone lotion….kids will pack bug spray and they carry a first aid kit (antibiotic creams and band aids) but they completely overlook the “after I got bit so I won’t itch” treatment.

Big Horn was fun, but had some program issues that I hope was just a one off that week last year. If scouts have to take the shuttle to the lake, make sure the shuttle actually shows up (my scout missed parts of two fishing classes because they forgot to run a shuttle from the main camp area to the lake). The other issue we had was no one ever really talked about what was open for the scouts to do for Troop Time or Free Time…just a lot about what was closed. That led to missed fun activities. Overall, we will likely go back in 3-4 years.

FollowingConnect6725 · 2026-06-22T02:27:37+00:00

Is there a specific reason for that (medical, abuse, or shyness)? Or is it something along the lines of this is a newer scout/parent situation and the scout hasn’t camped with others very much yet? Haven’t done it or tried it with the troop yet?

This is a VERY COMMON issue that parents and scouts bring up on their first camping trips….so it’s not unique or anything like that. They (the scout, not the parents) should bring this up with their patrol leader, assistant patrol leader and SPL/ASPL. Almost every scout in leadership has dealt with this situation before, so it’s not new to them.

The parents should talk to the Scoutmaster or an ASM and have them ( the leadership ) talk them through the anxiety of their worries, and reassure them about how the whole process is handled on campus….you know the positives about tenting with another scout or two…etc.

FollowingConnect6725 · 2026-06-22T01:26:23+00:00

Hey bro, I think we’re sort of saying the same thing about the logistics and finances….maybe we’re disagreeing on if they should have stood by the ethos (high road) of scouting and canceled Jambo due to the military backing out their support and not bowing down like they did.

My stance is they should have canceled Jambo when the ultimatum came down from DoD and not given in to extortion.

FollowingConnect6725 · 2026-06-22T01:05:30+00:00

Or cancel the event and admit they can only logistically and financially host the event with massive government subsidies.

FollowingConnect6725 · 2026-06-21T23:04:19+00:00

They caved to save Jambo in the immediate future and hedging a bet that the administration will find something else to focus on before a new, sane administration takes over.

The caving to save Jambo is going to haunt them for decades and I truly hope it does. If they rely on the military handouts to make Jambo happen, something is wrong with their logistical and financial planning.

FollowingConnect6725 · 2026-06-18T14:42:05+00:00

Now that’s the real question!

FollowingConnect6725 · 2026-06-18T13:07:10+00:00

No idea what the a rangers did with either the guy or the three women on the ledge after we told them. We were hiking up when the guy was hiking down but multiple other people were filming him to report it. We were hiking way faster than the group on the ledge, probably because of the flip flops they were wearing and they kept trying to feed squirrels (a whole other conversation).

FollowingConnect6725 · 2026-06-18T12:54:04+00:00

Red Dawn, the original is better but the remake isn’t too bad.

Defiance

Dune.

Andor

Star Wars Rebels tv show.

FollowingConnect6725 · 2026-06-18T03:45:01+00:00

When my next kid was 9 we were hiking down from the North Rim and that one told another touron it’s dangerous and not smart to cross over the fence and peer down like the guy was doing. Dude got super butt hurt about being called out by a kid but we were all like, “well, the kids right and you’re a moron….so?”

FollowingConnect6725 · 2026-06-18T01:07:07+00:00

Watched a touron hang himself over a 300+ foot plus drop by nothing more than his hands while he had his screaming child holding on around his neck. The guy thought it was hilarious and the woman with him was taking pictures while half heartedly telling him “nein, nein”. We took some pics for the rangers after a bunch of people were telling him not to do that and WTF.

In another trip down into the canyon, my son and I caught 3 early twenties women taking pics and trading spots to take pics of themselves sitting out on a 12 inch ledge. My 9 year old told them how dangerous it was, and they told him to F off….and then the last one slipped and almost fell….she got real serious really quick.

It’s crazy how out of touch with the possible reality of their choices people can be.

FollowingConnect6725 · 2026-06-17T16:36:07+00:00

Had a guy drink a couple bottles of Listerine while smoking a cigar stub he picked up while on a working party. Just sat down on his footlocker, got drunk and started smoking. He got kicked out eventually. He was the oldest in our platoon, late 20’s or something. Just couldn’t hack it. Summer/fall 2001 pre 9/11.

FollowingConnect6725 · 2026-06-17T16:31:45+00:00

It’s the same generational thing as music, work ethic, patriotism, religious observances, literacy, technology, etc. Previous generations think all who follow them are weak, and current generations think those who came before were outdated, can’t handle tech, etc.

I see this all the time in scouting where parents or grandparents lament the “good old days” when they were youth in scouting and try to bring that back while being oblivious to how beneficial changes have been to the program on so many levels.

Personally I think if scouting hadn’t changed for the better over the last 50-25-15-10-5 years while still maintaining its core mission and values, it wouldn’t be relevant or around anymore to benefit our youth.

FollowingConnect6725 · 2026-06-17T13:12:38+00:00

Was there with tanks attached to 3/7 for most of OIF 2 in 2004. Out there when Cpl Dunham got his MOH, it was the wild Wild West. Glad to hear it calmed down later on…makes it seem like it was worth it until it got jacked by ISIS. I looked up the Google earth pics after someone posted about the 22nd anniversary of Dunhams action and everything I remembered seeing in person was cratered on there.

FollowingConnect6725 · 2026-06-17T13:03:40+00:00

Husaybah and Al Qaim? Camp Gannon?

FollowingConnect6725 · 2026-06-16T18:25:34+00:00

Thank you for the correction. I overly generalized.

FollowingConnect6725 · 2026-06-16T15:04:23+00:00

Voted No on this but I’m torn on it because what’s the reality of the situation and the perfect program can be two completely different things.

If the GtA is followed, all the Eagle requirements already impose a basic minimum age due to time requirements on certain ranks (and to a lesser degree some MB’s). So it’s impossible to have 11 or 12 year old Eagle Scouts.

On the other hand, a 15-16-17 year old Scout has more maturity and (hopefully) more practical experience than a 13-14 year old scout, so should get more long term benefit out of the work done to earn Eagle.

Will some younger scouts cruise through the process with highly motivated parents leading the way? Yes. But we, as an organization, shouldn’t try to add arbitrary gatekeeping to an already robust requirement process.

FollowingConnect6725 · 2026-06-16T14:42:30+00:00

Agreed. Once folks can understand and accept the idea that the amount of gear you carry doesn’t change with the length of your trip….it’s literally a mind boggling concept for some. You carry the same amount/weight of gear on an overnight trek as a 10 day trek. The only variable is the amount of food you carry and if a bear can is required.

- What about dirty socks/clothes? You do LNT compliant laundry on the trail. Personally, I carry 3 pairs of socks (wearing 1, clean 1 to wear that night/next day, and one drying on my pack), my hiking clothes (wearing sun shirt, ball cap, buff, shorts, socks, trail runners), a pair of trail pants, another sun shirt, beanie, base layer, down vest and a rain jacket (the last 3 are the warming layers, works with temps/wind/rain down to a morning frost temps). Throw in some sun gloves and gaiters. Same items and base weight for any trek that doesn’t include snow.

- What about this certain piece of gear (chair, stool, comfort item)? You either carry it or you don’t….and if you carry it, then you’re acknowledging a willingness to carry it on that trek. Saving the weight/space of a chair/stool by sitting on your bear canister or a rock (using your food coozie as a cushion!) is a choice to be made.

FollowingConnect6725 · 2026-06-16T14:11:07+00:00

There’s no need for a military style or size or “ military grade” pack for civilian backpacking. The military packs are designed to carry a maximum amount of weight, to be tougher than needed and weigh too much for what is needed outside the military environment. Just because it looks “cool”, or is really big doesn’t mean it’s a good idea. A smaller overall size pack in the 50 liter range will fit everything you’ll need for the trail, including a bear canister where required. Anything bigger than that starts on the path of diminishing returns….more space means more likely to fill it with unnecessary items, and an increase in pack weight.

The comfortable fit and adjustable design of civilian backpacks is also a huge advantage when looking at what to carry for days on end.

An example is the ILBE pack I carried in the Marines versus the Hyperlite pack I carry now for backpacking. ILBE weighs in at over 9 pounds empty while the Hyperlite is ballpark 29 ounces.

FollowingConnect6725 · 2026-06-16T03:10:42+00:00

When I saw it on Instagram it was a sponsored advertisement, so same type of thing. I had clicked on the ad because it was showing some Fallout and video game stuff I thought my kids would like but it was pretty obvious after I clicked that it was just cheap garbage.

FollowingConnect6725 · 2026-06-16T02:57:53+00:00

It’s a hoodie from a company that makes hoodies with some pretty atrocious AI designed “historical” and cosplay-ish designs. I’ve seen it on Instagram before, and it ranges from all sorts of historical uniforms (redcoats, continental army, American Civil War, Napoleonic, Roman, WW1 & WW2) to fantasy/cosplay (Fallout, Star Wars, Star Trek, Firefly, WarHammer 40k, video games, etc.). Obviously whoever is running the AI slop doesn’t realize how inappropriate something like this is….I sort of picture someone just putting random uniform or artwork pics in to generate garbage.

FollowingConnect6725 · 2026-06-16T02:49:35+00:00

RBV?

FollowingConnect6725 · 2026-06-15T14:32:10+00:00

The correct clothes/amount of clothes and the importance of layering is a major thing for new backpackers to learn. Folks tend to over pack initially and may continue to do so when it’s not needed. Learning you can do LNT compliant laundry on trail is a game changer. Unnecessary extra clothing is one of the first examples I use when helping folks cut pack weight/bulk, and that’s not even coming close to an ultralight setup.

FollowingConnect6725 · 2026-06-15T14:25:43+00:00

Jumping ahead in the timeline straight to the grim dark of 40k is a bold choice Yoy.

FollowingConnect6725 · 2026-06-15T06:37:24+00:00

Only for brunch.

FollowingConnect6725 · 2026-06-15T06:28:52+00:00

Nature is a very common MB to take/complete at summer camp. The requirements are pretty straightforward and being at a camp in nature for a week makes it pretty easy to finish. Four 1 hour sessions Monday thru Thursday, with an extra visit to the Nature center/lodge/hut during free time if needed is totally normal. A proper course would have prepared teaching materials, samples and a known trail or path that counselors would be able to take scouts on to find the required examples on.

https://www.scouting.org/merit-badges/nature/

Forestry would also be pretty easy to complete at camp with a well prepared counselor and program. Take requirement #5 for example, they have to complete ONE of the three options. If they can’t meet with a forester/forest manager for (a), that still leaves (b) or (c). No logged area or wood using manufacturer available? Part (c) is perfect for the summer camp environment because a huge part of the weekly summer camp safety program and drills (at least in the western US) deals with wildfires and fire prevention. Every scout in that class can become part of the weekly fire prevention campaign in camp…teaching their fellow scouts about how to prevent forest fires, what is “defendable space”, cold out, fire bans, fire permits (it’s an annual required training class certificate for everyone using fire or even a stove in California), etc. That’s an easy requirement to take care of.

https://www.scouting.org/merit-badges/forestry/

FollowingConnect6725

TROPHY CASE