Patrol Leaders –
As a PL in our troop, you are responsible for planning at least one campout per year.  This campout is your patrol
campout, not just YOUR campout.  This means that you need to engage the boys in your patrol to help you get the work
done for you trip.  You job, is to get a great plan together for the trip and then to manage to that plan to ensure everything
that needs to get done, gets done.  Please work with your Assistant Scoutmaster patrol advisor to come up with the plan.  
You will need to set up a meeting with him to review the following…Click here for a MS Word version of the Campout Plan.

1.        Activities plan
  • What is the main activity for this campout?
      - What specific equipment is required to support the main activity?
      - How will teams/boys be organized to participate in the activities?
  • What secondary activities will be part of the trip?
      - Who will manage those activities?
  • Will there be a competition involving the activities?
      - How will it be scored?
      - Who is responsible for scoring?
  • Special Skills
      - Are there special skills required for this trip?
      - Do the boys already have these skills?
      - If not, do we need to prepare in advance, learning these skills at our meetings?
      - Do we need to find a special skill instructor? (ie. Icefishing, etc)
      - Do we need to be sure we have an expert with us on the trip?  If so, who is it?
  • If we are backpacking…
      - Plan out specific trail routes, get maps, and determine key locations for camping and other activities.
      - Will we be hiking on the same trial or different trails?  Come up with specific plans accordingly.

2.        Equipment plan
  • What troop equipment will we need on the trip?
      - Do we have what we need or do we need to acquire anything new for the trip?
      - How will we transport equipment (Trailer, individually?)
  • What specific equipment should each boy bring?
  • What will we sleep in?  
  • For backpacking trips…
      - Distribute tents in advance.
      - Distribute water filters and GPS units to patrol leaders
      - Be sure each patrol has a First Aid kit

3.        Organization plan
  • Will we be organized by our standard patrols?
      - Do we need to shift boys around to balance the patrols?
      - Do we need to combine patrols to come up with enough boys?
  • Who are the patrol leaders?  
      - Use our normal patrol leaders if they are going.
      - Use Asst. PL if PL is not going
      - Choose new PLs if neither are attending
  • What role do you want the adults to play?

4.        Dining plan
  • How many meals will we have?
  • How will we cook and eat? (By patrol, individually, or by troop)
  • Who is responsible for purchasing food for the patrols?
  • What cooking equipment do we need to bring on the trip?
  • Do we need to bring water?  Is there a water source where we are going?

5.        In advance of the trip…
  • Be sure we have the equipment we need
      - Get it loaded in the trailer (if we are taking it)
      - Talk to you Asst. Scoutmaster patrol advisor about purchasing anything special for the trip
  • Create rosters of the boys and what patrols they are to be in.  Bring enough copies for you and your patrol leaders
  • Send out an email to the troop explaining the details of the trip.
      - Be sure to tell the boy what to bring.  
      - Explain how we will be dining
      - List any special clothing or equipment required
      - Provide dates of the trip and times if you have them
      - Tell them who to contact if they have questions
      - Remind them that they need to being a Consent Form
      - List who has signed up to go on the trip
  • Two-three weeks in advance
      - Send out an email introducing the trip to everyone
      - Announce the trip at a scout meeting
  • At the meeting prior to the trip
      - Get each patrol to plan out their meals and assign a person to shop
      - Collect money for food if you are eating in patrols
      ** BE SURE TO WRITE DOWN WHO GIVES YOU MONEY
       - Confirm who is going on the trip.
      - Confirm what adults are going on the trip.
Patrol Leader Campout Planning
Patrol Leader Campout Planning
Evergreen Campsite
This is from our site  at the
Treasure Valley Scout
Reservation.
Stephen P's Eagle Crew
The Troop showed up tp help
Stephen work on his Eagle
Project.