Cub Scout Pack Camping Gear Organization System – Tubs!
When I attended Wood Badge, our pack camping supplies were in two large black tote bins. Things were tetrised in there in constantly varying ways, depending on who needed to get what or put what back last. One of them smelled like bleach, and there was dirt on the bottoms. There was a lot of people digging through them looking for things on campouts, and I found myself packing personal kitchen items also because we didn’t have everything we needed. We leaders were spending more time managing things than teaching and mentoring cubs, so I decided to create a better camping gear storage and management system for the pack as part of my ticket.
Pulling on my background in lean manufacturing, I 5S-ed the contents of the two bins. I got rid of unnecessary things and identified the gaps between the gear we did have and what we didn’t but needed (especially to complete the new camping adventures), and got us the gear we were missing. Then came the tricky part – how to arrange it better.
I’ll save you the long, winding story of testing things and getting feedback from the other leaders, but here’s the bottom line: for our pack, a system of many smaller bins, each one dedicated to a specific kind of gear, was the best solution. Here’s why:
- We don’t own a pack trailer, nor would we have a place to park it, and suspect that even if we had that it might be hard to always find someone willing to tow it (previous experience from another leader)
- There isn’t always someone with a large SUV or truck going camping
- The two black tubs do fit into a sedan trunk, but then that person can’t bring any personal gear – any large gear storage requires large vehicles
- Upon testing, it was very convenient to have supply tubs placed close to where they will be used
- Multiple small bins can be split up into multiple sedans – or all piled onto the same truck bed. The flexibility is helpful
After we came to this conclusion, we chose Husky’s storage tote series with transparent lids, so that one could see which tub was which and even mount kanban cards on the lids.
After a campout where we made a point to teach the parents some knots and other scoutcraft, we heard some feedback that the parents enjoyed also learning things. After also seeing that we all needed to review things – not least the new adventure requirements – I decided to work towards Standardize/Seiketsu by including reference materials for either new learning or review for using the gear in each tub. Standardization is also supported by that our new shiny camping manual coordinates with the tub contents, so that parts of the manual go into each tub to make a “here’s-your-job-supplies” tub for everyone who needs supplies for their campout job.
Shine/Seiso and Sustain/Shitsuke need to be done on the spot at each campout, and we’re working towards that. Each campout runs a little smoother and is a little easier to plan, as we remember the roles off the top of our heads better and better! It’s a lot easier to know we covered everything now, and it’s a lot easier to find the right supplies quickly.
In case this can help someone else out there, I thought I’d post it here! If someone does decide to use all or parts of this, I’d love to hear how it turned out in the comments!
Fireguard Camping Supplies Needed
The propane stove and everything needed to use it:
- Coleman Classic propane stove with two 10-12 in diameter (25.4 – 30.5 cm) burners
- A metal propane line
- 2 Coleman propane containers
Laminated Fireguard and Quartermaster resources:
- Fireguard plan/chemical fuels policy
- Fireguard chart (two-sided)
- Fire safety rules/Firem’n Chit requirements
- Fireguard and Sparkwatcher Role Descriptions
- Fire lay reference cards
- This kanban card
- Two dry-erase pens
Fire starting materials:
- Box of matches (never run low)
- Lighters (at least one with gas left)
- Box of fire starters (minimum 5)
Fire extinguishing materials:
- Fire extinguisher (check expiration date)
- Shovel (won’t fit in tub, pack separately)
- 2-gallon bucket (won’t fit in tub, pack separately)
Campfire and open fire cooking fuel (if no burn ban):
- Charcoal, 1 bag per hot meal
- Bag of firewood (if going to state park)
Cooking Camping Supplies Needed
Pots, Pans, Foil, and Sticks
- Non-stick 9-in pot with glass lid, 4.5 l volume
- Giant skillet
- Giant dutch oven with lid
- 2 coffee pots with percolator insets
- Aluminum foil and/or Al foil sheets
- Thin sticks – either pre-sharpened bamboo marshmallow sticks or sticks for AOLs to whittle sharp (won’t fit in tub, pack separately)
Cooking Tools
- Grill brush and scraper
- Grill spatula
- Large coal tongs
- Hot gloves
- Spatula
- Wooden or silicone spoon
- Ladle
- Collapsible strainer
- Slotted spoon
Head Cook and Quartermaster resources:
Food Preparation Camping Supplies Needed
Chef’s Knives and Cutting Boards
- White cutting board
- 4 cutting mats
- Honing rod
- 3000-grit (or above) whetstone
- Small plastic tub for whetstone
- Soft cloth
- Small spray bottle
In plastic knife drawer:
- Gray paring knife
- White paring knife
- Red paring knife
- Light teal serrated medium knife
- White medium cleaver
- Dark blue chef’s knife
- Teal chef’s knife
- Small, medium, and large serrated plastic knives (for littles)
- Vegetable peeler
Measuring and Mixing
- 4-qt/l bowl
- 2-qt/l bowl
- Paper towels
- 1 1/2-qt measuring cup
In plastic tool drawer:
- Small whisk
- Large whisk
- 1/3 cup (80 ml) cup measure
- 1/2 cup measure
- 1-cup cup measure
- Measuring spoon set
- Rubber spatula
- Can opener
- Cooler thermometer
- Sharpies
Food Storage
- 2 HEB tupperware large
- 4 HEB tupperware small (745 ml)
- 3 HEB Tupperware medium
- Gallon Ziplock bags
Quartermaster resources:
- This laminated kanban card
- Two dry-erase pens
Cleanup Tub Contents
This tub is intended for both campouts and trash cleanup conservation projects. Soap and sanitizer pump bottles tend to make a mess during transit unless something prevents the neck from being pushed all the way down. A clothespin on the neck is effective.
Trash Cleanup
- Roll of opaque trash bags in plastic tray
- Roll of clear recycling bags in plastic tray
- Sharps bags/container
- Box of adult-size nitrile gloves
- Box of child-size nitrile gloves
- Trash bag scale
Hand Cleanup
- Hand soap, neck secured with a clothespin
- Foam soap, top rotated to ‘closed’
- Hand sanitizer, neck secured with a clothespin
- Plastic tray for the soap and sanitizer
- Baby wipes
Cleanup Organizer and Quartermaster Resources
Dish Tub Contents
The dish tub contents have a tendency to get soapy, bleachy, and wet. The trays and ziplock bags are intended to try to limit spills, sticky transfer, and runs down bottles.
The Dish Line Supplies
- Three collapsible dish tubs with a drain
- Laminated dish tub descriptions
- Dish drying towel
- Sponge and chainmail scrubber in plastic tray, inside a bag to keep them together
- Plastic bag with extra sponges
- Plastic tray with small bottle of biodegradable dish soap inside a ziplock bag and a small chemical-safe labeled squirt bottle of bleach inside a ziplock bag
Laminated Dish Leader and Quartermaster resources:
- Dish Leader Role Description
- This kanban card
- Two dry-erase pens in a ziplock bag
First Aid Tub Contents
Most of the first aid supplies are in the large first aid kit, which is refillable from the manufacturer. See inset card inside the bottom section of the kit.
First Aid Kit
- First aid kit (ANSI ISECA X 308.i-2015 CLASS A)
Supplemental First Aid
- Non-stick sterile pads
- Burn gel
- Elmer’s glue (for removing cactus glochids)
- Menstrual pads (in case someone gets their period unexpectedly)
Laminated Quartermaster resources:
- This kanban card
- One dry-erase pen
Leave No Trace Tub
Leave No Trace Tub Contents
Included among the pack’s LNT things but usually not in this tub is the wandering den Responsible Camper Award, which is a stuffed yeti. The den that followed LNT the best on each campout gets possession of it, to be returned at the next campout.
Leave No Trace Training Materials
- Leave No Trace Seven Principles/Leave No Trace for Kids reference cards
- Leave No Trace Skills and Ethics book
- Bigfoot’s Playbook: A Youth Educator’s Guide to Leave No Trace Activities, Games, and Experiential Curriculum
- Responsible Camper Award
- Outdoor Code Opening cards
- Outdoor Code Closing cards
- Complete set of LNT quick reference cards (LNT summary, Backcountry, Kids, Outdoor Ethics, Heritage Sites, Caving Ethics, Mountain Biking, Winter Recreation, Geocaching, International Outdoor Ethics, Hunting, River Corridors, Fishing, Canyoneering, Bouldering, Rock Climbing, Stock Use, Birding Ethics)
- Leave no Trace for Kids cards with clips to give out to cubs who don’t have one yet (may also be in the Hiking Club supplies)
- Laminated Trash Timeline game (key, set of time interval cards, item cards)
- Okay vs No Way cards (12 cards)
- San Antonio River Proud Litter Pledge Card
- Apple Snail Overview
Laminated Quartermaster resources:
- This kanban card
- One dry-erase pen
Campfire MC Pouch
Campfire MC Pouch Contents
Suggestion: Use the laminated campfire planning aid to organize the offerings, then prepare a stack of index cards with one program element per card for the ceremony itself. (It will be dark and hard to read small text.)
Before the fire is lit or before properly starting the ceremony, start with the fire safety rules before the ceremony starts (they need reminders and expectations set.)
BEGINNING
Start the ceremony with something abrupt and clear – a yell, a conch, a horn, or something like that. It should be very clear that the ceremonial part just began.
MIDDLE
Then, the ceremony “follow the flames” – energetic and lively yells, songs, and skits when the flames are high; calmer, softer, and more contemplative contributions as the flames start dying down. (Do not add more wood to create a strong campfire ceremony container.) Cub Scouts are very energetic, so make sure to choose several songs and yells with movements to go with them.
END
The signal that the campfire is over is Vespers – after Vespers, it’s time to go to bed or do other calm, quiet activities. We usually only sing the first verse.
Campfire Resources
- Laminated campfire planning aid
- Stack of previously used index cards with songs, skits, games, and jokes
- Blank index cards
- Laminated The Spirit of the Fire Ceremony sheet
- Scout Skits book
- Scout Jokes book
- Cub Scout Songbook
- Additional song and yell sheets
Laminated Quartermaster resources:
- This kanban card
- One dry-erase pen
[…] of the new requirements more easily. The camping tub organization cards coordinate with our new camping gear tub organizing system to make it clear to the quartermaster (who doesn’t have to be a long-time leader who […]