November Wilderness Survival Campout

All Scouts must have a completed Permission Form in order to attend.

The Wilderness Survival Merit badge is a great Merit badge to add to your sash. It shows that a scout is willing to get out of their comfort zone and push themselves to conquer the wilderness.

Our weekend of camping will consist of Scouts practicing many skills.

Primitive fire building utilizing methods other than matches or lighter. They will use their flint and steel, the power of the sun and good old-fashioned friction to build a fire. That fire will provide them with warmth, allow them to cook, sanitize water, practice signaling and give them a place to gather around and hang with their scouting friends.

Scouts will also learn the art of primitive shelter building. Scouts will gather branches, grass, tree bark and moss. Using their paracord, ground steaks and their wits they will construct structures to sleep in.

Scouts will learn how to clean and sanitize water using various methods. Scouts will learn to clean water using the 2 vessel system, building a primitive water filtration system using things found in nature. They will use life straws and water sanitation tablets to provide them with safe drinking water.

Scouts will practice signaling. They will gather natural materials and create large scale signals that are designed to alert aircrafts of those in need of help. They will also learn how to use their campfire to signal for help in an emergency situation.

It is expected to be a chilly weekend, please review the cold weather camping checklist with the scouts. Dress in lawyers, it is always better to remove warmth then wish for it.

Since this is a 2 night camping trip, scouts should bring and setup their tents for Friday night. Saturday all tents will be packed up and the Scouts will begin practicing their survival skills. Tents and Gear will remain with us at camp just in case, but I have no doubt the scouts will successfully construct their own shelters.

Food will be brought to camp and kept safely in a cooler. Scouts will be preparing their own food over an open flame. Scouts will practice their primitive cooking skills, I imagine a lot of aluminum foil will be used. 😊 Food will be kept simple, will suggest to scouts they make Hot dogs and hamburgers.

Scouts should review the BSA Wilderness Merit Badge Overview – It will explain the requirements of the Merit badge and give some insight into what tasks will be required at the campout. This site will also guide the scouts through the requirements and show short videos. It is suggested that the scouts and parents watch the videos to understand what will be discussed as part of this merit badge.

This is the link for the Wilderness survival merit badge workbook. All scouts should be tracking their progress on this workbook to hand in so they can earn the badge.

This is the BSA pamphlet outlining the merit badge, its not a bad idea if scouts and parents review so they understand what the requirements are.

Helpful video showing the type of shelters the scouts can build. It will be suggested that scouts come with a small tarp as a backup in case the shelters do not work out for the scout.

As outlined above, Scouts will perform various survival-related tasks this weekend. They will also learn how to use basic survival tools. Below are some of the most important survival items to keep in mind. Mr. Duran will have most of the items mentioned below available for demonstration and practice.

KNIFE. Adult leaders will have with them a knife that will be suitable for demonstration to the scouts about the proper way to use. If scouts bring their own they should understand the safe use of them and they should be appropriate for their size and skillset. A proper knife Should be sharp and have a handle to fit your hand. Small knives will not provide the function. In addition,  small survival wire saw with handles on each end to assist in cutting firewood will be a benefit to scouts.  

FIRE STARTER. A scout must have two different types of fire starters. Its recommend they have blizzard matches and a good quality magnesium/fire stick starter (flint and steel).  To get the fire going, Scouts should have a small zip lock bag with 10-12 cotton balls saturated with petroleum jelly. It only takes a couple of cotton balls to get your fire going. You should also include a couple small pieces of birch bark which can be used to start your fire. Being able to build a good fire is extremely important as it will deal with your fear and anxiety; get you warm; dry wet clothes; cook food; boil water and serve as a signal for those searching for you. This is the one Mr. Duran uses and has proven to be very reliable, https://a.co/d/0fPiocLI. Smaller types if your scout does not already have one, https://a.co/d/04IpsFrk

SPARE COMPASS. A clear, base plate compass is preferred. Having a GPS does not replace the requirement to have a spare compass. While GPS' are great for navigation, batteries can die and leave you in the middle of nowhere with no method of determining your location. Here is a simple compass if your scout does not already have one. https://a.co/d/062Myat3

WHISTLE. Plastic without the pea in the center. A Fox 40 whistle is the loudest and marine whistles are also quite loud. Whistles should be attached to their pack and for added safety worn on their person. This is the one Mr. Duran recommends https://a.co/d/09xYnPRS

WATER TREATMENT. You have several options. There are tablets designed for purifying water. You can carry a 3 ' x 3' piece of heavy-duty aluminum foil and fold it into a container to boil your water. Survival straws which sanitizes the water as you suck it through the straw. You can survive without water for 3 days. You become dehydrated in a day or less. Here are some options.

• Water treatment tablets. https://a.co/d/06iUXhpc
• Life Straw https://a.co/d/01TkIAAa

LIGHT. A small flashlight or headlamp with spare batteries.

SIGNALING DEVICE. A signaling mirror is great. An old CD will do the same thing for free. Your fire will also serve as a signaling device - smoke by day and fire by night.

LARGE TRASH BAG AND PARACORD. Fold it up tight and wrap it with paracord to keep it folded tight. A trash bag can be used as a poncho or as a base for a roof of a debris tent. A length of 550 paracord will provide you with cordage to help build a shelter and lash things together as needed. Individual strands can also be used as fishing line.

FOOD. Most people can survive without food for 3 weeks. You should have something you do not like that will provide you with protein. You can also pack some fishing flies and small split shot sinkers in a small container like a film canister and wrap it with monofilament fishing line. Wrap the line onto the container, cover with electrical tape and you also have the tape to close wounds with.

FIRST AID

Personal First-Aid Kit

A personal kit should have the necessary supplies for treating minor injuries like scrapes and blisters. This can be kept in a resealable plastic bag or hip pack. Here are the basics for your pack:

• Six latex-free adhesive bandages in assorted sizes
• Two sterile 3-by-3-inch gauze pads
• Small roll of latex-free adhesive tape
• 3-by-6-inch piece of moleskin
• Disposable latex-free gloves
• Tweezers
• Scissors
• CPR breathing barrier
• Small bar of soap or small bottle of alcohol-based hand-sanitizing gel
• Pencil and paper or small notebook
• Small tube of antibiotic ointment (optional)
• Small tube of hydrocortisone cream (optional)

Some people are allergic to antibiotics and hydrocortisone creams. Be sure to ask permission before applying any ointments. People can also be allergic to latex, which is why it’s important to use latex-free products.

You can find preassembled first-aid kits at the Scout Shop. A scout will need to be able to perform self-help first and you will need items to control serious bleeding, stabilize a sprain or broken bones. A bandana and feminine hygiene pads can be used to deal with bleeding. By using sticks from the woods, and a couple of triangular bandages you can splint a limb and deal with bleeding.

SPACE BLANKET. A mylar space blanket can be used to reduce loss of body heat and may also be useful in making a shelter.

DUCT TAPE. A few feet of duct tape wrapped around a pencil or stick will provide you with the ability to tape things together as well as help with wound closure.

ELECTRONICS. You are not required to have electronic devices in your survival kit. However, if you have a GPS and/or a cell phone, you should know how to use them and carry them with you. Make sure they have fresh batteries or are fully charged and remember that they do not always work everywhere