Scouts/Beavers camp blanket?

[WillowB]

Hi. I'm after some mumsnet wisdom please.
DS has just joined Beavers and is going on his first camp next weekend.
On his kit list it says he will need a camp blanket. After a bit of googling I've found a few different ones. One is a reversible poncho style with beaver colours one side & cubs on the other.
The other type is either a grey wool or purple fleece blanket.
Just wondered what most people go for as I'm hoping it will last a while.
Thanks.

Ikea blanket with a hole cut in the middle here, you don't need anything branded.

DS1 has his dad's old scout camp blanket

DS2 a plain grey woollen blanket with a yellow line detail at the edges

Neither have holes cut in them; they're camp BLANKETS, not ponchos...

Camp blankets /ponchos are great. We had the official cub one and it was great for sewing all the old badges on. They made one in scouts by cutting a hole in a cheap primark one and hemming it.
They are really for sitting around the camp fire in I think and sleeping in! DS wore his all the time when camping

IKEA fleece blanket definitely ok. When they move onto cubs, they sew all their beaver badges onto it, and then cub badges when they move up to scouts. I have just cut a slit in the middle for my two so can wear it poncho style at camp fires but it still keeps them warm at night.

I’m a Cub leader. Our Cubs and Beavers have a mix of both, and others. I personally prefer the traditional grey wool ones - they can actually be used as a blanket too, a d are much easier to sew badges onto.

DS has one of these, and a “embroidered” his name on it in red wool. When he moved from Beavers to Cubs, I put all his Beaver badges on it, he also gets a badge from every camp/day out. I met a chap on camp this summer who had been adding to his camp blanket since he became a Cub in the 1950s, it was fabulous.

DD wanted to use a big fleece blanket we’d had since she was a baby. I stitched her name in too, and am adding badges as she goes, but she’s only been a Beaver for a year.

I'm a Beaver/Cub leader. Any blanket will do, just not too big or heavy if it's got to be carried!

The section specific blankets are nice but remember your DS won't be a Beaver forever. The idea behind camp blankets is that they keep them over the years, sewing on badges every time they go to camp.

Personally I'm not a fan of the ponchos.

I’d ask the leader. Ours have only ever had camp blanket as a ‘if you have one’ item.

My DC has an Ikea fleece blanket with a hole cut in it. Everyone had the poncho style.

Cheap and cheerful which was good as they lost interest!

Brilliant, thank you!
I think I'll go for a generic one then as I don't fancy taking the badges off and starting again if he goes to scouts!

If you can get hold of a woollen one, do!
Army surplus are ideal.
The fleece type ones can smoulder and do melt if they catch a spark from the fire.
I was cynical/thought parents were being over cautious until I saw it happen.
Wool blankets all the way now.

Oh really?! Hadn't even crossed my mind. Will go for the wool then!

Ours are normal fleece blankets with a hole cut in the middle to make it into a poncho.

Long term Brownie leader here. We give all ours an ikea fleece and with 4 to 5 campfires a year for nearly a decade have never had or seen any child at risk from a campfire.

A fleece is fine unless you have concerns about the leaders' ability to properly manage a camp fire.

Brownie leader & multi Guide/Scout parent. Fleece here because it's light & quick to dry.

For a poncho, cut a T shape rather than a hole, smaller than you initially think it needs to be.

Becles - very similar pedigree here; as I said in my last post, I honestly wouldn’t have thought of it as an issue until I saw it happen - a popping log and a wee breeze was all it took - I had no concerns about the leadership capabilities either - I fully admit it was a Ranger age group it happened to rather than younger section, but it definitely has changed my thinking.

The heavier woollen ones, I’ve since discovered, are miles better for cooler camps - I had many years of a fleecy one!

I had wondered if fleece close to a camp fire was sensible, pleased someone has cleared that up!

I've got two Primark blankets sewn together with a head hole. I love it as it keeps me warm to sit on as well as from above.

I agree about head holes being smaller than you think.

I made ponchos for the DCs when they were little, fantastic for the car seat!

We just bought the proper camp blankets. We sent ds1 with a big fleece blanket once but he was still freezing so he ended up borrowing the leaders scout blanket which he said was really warm. They’re also flame retardant which is obviously better when they’re all sat around the fire. I have no concerns about the leaders ability to manage the fire but I’d rather be safe than sorry.

Cub leader here. I had an ancient wool blankwt as a Brownie/Guide. Got a wool army style blanket when I became a leader 15 yrs ago, but was allergic to it! Bought a scout one which is cotton fabric like sweatshirt I think - poncho style. Probably not mega warm if using as a blanket to sleep (also beaver/cub poncho is fairlyvshort & the scout one is too long for a beaver). For my youth one, plus my daughters (fleece blanket), I made a collar by folding one side over & putting a wool cord through. I'd find out if essential & purpose at this stage.

Got DS a Beaver camp blanket when he was in Beavers. He is now in Scouts, luckily he is still happy to have the Beaver one as I have sewn all his old badges onto it and would hate to have to do that again. However, he is soon to go into Explorers so not sure whether he will still be happy to have a Beaver camp blanket then.

Wool blankets here. Bit safer around the campfire and a useful blanket all the way to adulthood.

DS1 has a large blue fleece one. He’s only 8 but has lots of badges on it already and loves it. One of his old Beaver leaders has hers and it is covered in badges from all her scouting experiences and is fab.