1st camp for ds, ideas on what to take

DS is going to the Jamboree in Essex in August, for a week. He will still be a Cub, infact only one of 3 cubs going from our unit, the rest are Scouts.

We did some serious fundraising and the cost for the week including transport is down to about £100, which I thinik is brilliant value.

I just hope it's not as muddy as his last summer camp, it took 3 weeks to get his boots clean. Not to mention the state of my bathroom after he got showered!

I remember one camp ds did, he managed to come home in the same clothes he went in (a weekend rather than a week, fortunately) but had managed somehow to leave his bag out, open of course, in the rain, and everything in there came home sodden! .
This is going back about 8 years, (and about 30 or 40 odd camps ago), and, although he hasn't managed that one again, I can't say he's got much better. It's just, now he's older, you don't tend to feel everyone is blaming the mother quite so much

Minging... Bloody iPhone!

Nope - he wore the same clothes all week...... He was mingling! Apparently was too embarrassed to get changed in front of the others in his tent

Ds didn't even unzip his holdall!

And, like me, you may find you have NO washing to do on his return. (Work it out....)

I think camp fees on Scout sites are £10 per head. This includes the activies, instructors etc. So with food I'd expect the cost to be about £80 + petrol - maybe another £20, so not sure why this is so much more.

He will LOVE it though

Back for good, it is Cubs.
We drop then at the Scout hut, near our home, on the monday They are transported on the Scout minibus, to the Scout owned campsite/camp (with tents, climbing wall and go-karts and all the activities they wil need, so I am told, it does look FAB) approx 1 hour away, still in our county. They come back on the minibus and we pick them up on friday, from back at our scout hut.
It does sound great, but I was just a bit shocked at the £150. I don't know how much I expected, but alot less, I thought he scout organisation would fund it more, so that the price was a bit lower.
But hey ho. They do only go once. Or ds will only be going once!! with all his mates. so dh and I , after having said no, agreed he could go.

Who is that with Oblomov ? Scouts or school or another organisation ? Scouts (+ Guides + Cubs + BB + GB etc) are generally far cheaper because you are not having to pay staff (indeed, every time dh goes,as a leader he is paying out for the priviledge!), whereas schools tend to use centres where staff are employed to lead activities, which then bumps the cost up.
Is your transport included ? (Another massive cost to be factored in)

A sleeping bag tip.

Tie some string around the foot end of a too long sleeping bag. This means
a) he won't have to heat that extra air up, so will be warmer
b) he won't disappear down inside it in his sleep - this freaks some kids out
c) he can use it for several years and it will 'grow' with him

Mon to Fri, so 4 nights.
Am making notes of mutt's great list and hebe's trouser suggestions, etc.

I found the best trousers are those horrible track suit ones (the shiny ones) They cost about £4 from primark and Matalan and dry really quickly.

A blanket (fleece) or poncho for sitting around the camp fire is useful.

Crocs are good for getting wet in during the water fight. Or as inside shoes if it's an indoor camp.

A 2 night camp cost us £20. The week long one in the summer (7 nights) costs us £150 as it's indoors. The scouts pay £130 as they have to camp

DS is going on a one night 'Beaveree' just up the road, own transport, and it's £20!

How long is it forOblomov?

Ours are normally £10 per night for food plus £10 per night camp/activity fee, plus travel costs if theyuse the mini-bus.

Thats what I thought, Pavlova. And my Mum was shocked too. I thought it was argely subsidised.
Gone are the days when you go on a Cub Camp for a fiver. When most of the kids had never gone away before because their parents couldn't afford it. These days many kids apparently quibble at going to a Cub camp in Essex, Kent, or Surrey because they normally go to Mount Tizzy-man-jargo. Oh well.

That sounds an expensive camp, oblomov. I am paying that for DD and DS1 in June, but it includes train and ferry fares, plus activities . Also I know they will be happy away as they have done lots of camps before.

This one is still UK though. Wait til you get to the international camps!!!!

We are still trying to decide if ds1 can go. £150 seems like alot of money.

Mutt,
I'm slightly relieved to note that your v organised leader has made the same mistake I did.

Freaking water bottle.

Our scout group always advised a three-season bag if you're buying one.

i've just put together the kit list for the brownie camp.

i have to say that it just says 'sleeping bag'. it has honestly not occurred to me that people might find this vague.

ask the camping shop staff to recommend a suitable bag, for his size, and the temperature rating you think he might end up using it in. weight and bulk (and expense) vary too, so think about whether he's going to carry it for three miles or ten metres from the van. and how long it has to last - this season? adulthood?

i honestly would never ever dictate to a family what sort of bag to buy! sometimes all the siblings share them, sometimes a family camps a lot in a trailer, sometimes a family backpacks in mongolia - as long as the child turns up with a bag that will keep them warm in the location i am taking them on that particular weekend (be it in a snow shelter or a nuclear heated bunker) it is their choice.

i have, however, stated both rubber boots and trainers, lol.

you might be overthinking this.

pack all his kit in a thick bin liner in his rucksack or kit bag as bags can get wet. Also spare bags for wet stuff. A sleeping bag liner is a must at this time of year. A cheap way to do this is buy a cheap fleece from tesco or sainsburys and sew it into a bag shape.
If it's scouts, generally sweets etc are banned as they are given loads of snacks as well as main meals.