We camp. We hike. We get dirty.

It’s important for parents to know how Boy Scout campouts are run, so here is a brief overview of some of the important points for our campouts:

• The Scouts plan and run the campout, using the patrol method. That means that few outings will run perfectly smoothly. That’s okay, as long as the boys learn from the experience.

• The boys are grouped into patrols for each campout. Ideally the patrols for the campout have the same composition as the Troop’s regular patrols, but sometimes campout attendance requires that existing patrols are combined into “ad hoc” campout patrols. The composition of patrols for the campout will be determined by the campout’s Senior Patrol Leader and Scoutmaster at the Tuesday Troop meeting prior to the campout.

• At the campout, the boys are under the leadership of a fellow Scout designated as the Senior Patrol Leader (SPL) for the event who may not be the actual Troop SPL. The SPL reports to the ASM in charge of the campout. All campouts are planned by the SPL and PLC with the assistance of one of the Troop’s ASMs. The organizing ASM will serve as the “Scoutmaster” for the duration of the campout if the SM isn’t present. If you have questions regarding an upcoming campout, they should be addressed to the designated ASM for that event.

• Just like in other Scouting events, each boy reports to his patrol leader (PL); all PLs in turn report to the SPL. All boys should follow this reporting structure during the campout. If a boy has a question about the campout agenda or needs permission to do something, he should ask his PL. If the PL does not know, he should ask the SPL. If the SPL does not know, he should ask the SM/ASM. If a Scout asks you for instructions or permissions the answer should always be, “What did your patrol leader tell you when you asked him that question.” They’ll get the hang of it eventually – and so will you. If you are a parent joining the campout and are not an ASM, you should always refer Scouts to the Troop leadership structure for all questions and concerns.

• At the campout, the boys will camp, cook, and eat as patrols. Your Scout’s patrol will typically create a duty roster/menu for the campout and select a “grubmaster”. It is important for you to know if your son has been selected for a role for the upcoming campout, such as acting as the patrol quartermaster (responsible for requisitioning equipment from the Troop quartermaster for his patrol) or grubmaster (planning the menu, shopping for food, and organizing cooking activities for his patrol). We strongly urge you to confirm what, if any, role has been assigned to your Scout before leaving the pre-campout meeting.

• The Scoutmaster-in-charge is the ultimate authority at a campout. Our SM and ASMs are trained in BSA methods, and they know how to run campouts in accordance with BSA policies. Sometimes BSA policies may not be popular (e.g. the requirements for safe swimming can be very restrictive), but we are required to adhere to them. Never do anything to undermine the authority of a SM/ASM at a campout. Adults should address their questions to the designated SM/ASM for the event.

• If you are available or asked to camp with the Troop, you are not a guest, you are an adult leader. As such we require you to have YPT training and to act as an adult role model. On certain trips, we welcome adults to join us for campouts, but you are asked to carefully not to fulfill your traditional parent role which may interfere with your Scout engaging with the Troop leadership structure. Please raise concerns quietly with the designated SM/ASM, who can address it within leadership structure. If immediate action is required to address a health or safety issue, and a uniformed leader is not immediately available, you should take such action as is reasonably required by the circumstances. NOTE: You don’t want to attend every campout with your son. He will be fine!

• Subject to the immediately preceding exception, all significant adult direction should originate from the designated SM/ASM, to the SPL, to the PLs, to the rest of the boys. It confuses the boys – and, more significantly, compromises the integrity of the patrol method – when multiple adults are giving multiple orders or making multiple suggestions to multiple boys. Of course, that’s not to say that there is no communication between adults and boys on a campout. But the communication and approval of instructions and permissions should follow the patrol method.

• The adults are a separate patrol in a separate (but not distant) part of our designated camping area and eat as a separate “adult” patrol. Adults attending typically coordinate food and cooking gear for communal adult meals. There will rarely be a reason for an adult to venture into a boys’ patrol campsite other than periodic check-ins by the SM/ASM. The one exception to this will be if something dangerous is imminent or if behavior is becoming un-Scout-like. Don’t helicopter over your son while he’s hanging out with his friends. There will be disagreements among patrol mates, the food will be overcooked, and tents will occasionally collapse. No problem – as long as it’s safe, the Scouts will be learning.