Learn essential survival skills including shelter building, fire lighting, navigation, first aid, outdoor safety and practical skills to survive in the wilderness.
Rivers and streams can be beautiful places to explore, but moving water can be much more powerful than it looks. For Scouts, the safest approach is to understand the hazards, stay within agreed boundaries and avoid entering or approaching water unnecessarily. Understand the Current Moving…
Animals need water just as people do, so signs of animal activity can sometimes provide clues about where water may be found. For Scouts, this is an interesting way to combine survival skills, nature observation and tracking. However, animal signs should be treated as clues…
Understanding how water moves across the landscape is a useful survival skill for Scouts. You don’t always need to spot a stream immediately. By learning to read slopes, valleys, gullies and natural drainage, you can make an educated guess about where water is more likely…
Knowing where water might be found is a useful outdoor skill for Scouts. You don’t always need to see a stream or pond immediately. The landscape, vegetation, animal activity and shape of the ground can provide clues that water may be nearby. However, finding water…
A well-organised camp kitchen makes outdoor cooking easier, cleaner and safer. Whether Scouts are using camping stoves or another approved cooking system, the cooking area should be planned before equipment is unpacked. Good organisation helps everyone understand where to work, where equipment belongs and how…
A tidy campsite isn’t just easier to look at. Good organisation helps Scouts find their equipment, move around safely and work together more effectively. Camp can quickly become messy when tents, rucksacks, cooking equipment and outdoor gear are spread across the site. Developing simple routines…
Setting up a campsite is more than simply finding somewhere to put the tents. A well-organised campsite gives everyone enough space to move around, keeps equipment manageable and makes everyday camp jobs much easier. It also gives Scouts the opportunity to practise planning, teamwork and…
Campcraft is the collection of practical skills used to set up, run and look after a campsite. For Scouts, it can include everything from pitching tents and organising equipment to setting up cooking areas, managing camp routines and leaving a site clean and tidy. Campcraft…
Camping in wet weather is much easier when you prepare for it before leaving home. In the UK, rain can arrive with little warning, so Scouts should learn to pack in a way that protects essential equipment and keeps spare clothing dry. The goal isn’t…
Wet camping equipment is almost unavoidable on some outdoor trips, particularly in the UK. Tents, clothing, rucksacks and other kit can quickly become damp after rain. The important thing is knowing how to deal with wet equipment properly so that it dries without being damaged….
Keeping your clothes dry can make a huge difference to comfort when camping. Wet clothing can become cold and uncomfortable, especially when the weather is poor. The key is to protect your dry clothes from the moment you pack them and to keep wet clothing…
A sleeping bag is one of the most important pieces of camping equipment you have. Keeping it dry helps you stay warm, comfortable and ready for the next night. Rain isn’t the only source of moisture. Condensation, wet clothing, damp tent floors and careless packing…