What You Need

Scout Handbook

Every Scout will need to purchase the Boy Scout Handbook, if they do not already have one. The Boy Scout Handbook is the official guide to Boy Scouting. The Boy Scout Handbook can be purchased either on the online BSA store or The Blue Ridge Mountain Council Store. The Boy Scout Handbook will serve as a guide through all the Scout’s years of Scouting and will serve as the record for the Scout’s advancement. Unlike the handbooks used at the different levels of Cub Scouting, a Scout will need to hold onto his Boy Scout Handbook for all his years in Scouting.

It would be beneficial to purchase one with the sturdy book covers sold at the Scout Shop. Please make sure the scout book has the Scouts name on it.  The Scout candidate’s first requirement is to complete the exercises in the pamphlet How to Protect Your Children from Child Abuse: A Parent’s Guide.  This must be done with a parent. The Boy Scouts of America takes youth safety very seriously.

The Scout candidate’s next goal will be to meet all the requirements for the Scout Rank in the Boy Scout Handbook in order to earn the Scout badge. After completing these requirements, the Scout candidate will request a Scoutmaster conference with the Scoutmaster. The purpose of this talk is to make sure every Scout candidate knows what it means to be a Scout. When this requirement is completed, the Scout candidate is officially a Boy Scout.

Scout Uniform

Wearing a uniform helps to promotes unity between scouts and shows commitment to the Scout values. In Troop 221, we wear the BSA uniform with pride. When traveling to and from activities and when touring, we always wear our uniforms.

Many of the Scouts and parents in the troop have extra (outgrown) Scout uniform parts. The troop also has a selection of items in the troop locker.  If you have items you want to donate to the troop locker feel free to bring them to an adult or the scoutmaster.  If you need items for your Scout,  there’s no harm in asking if something is available.  If we don’t have it, the The Blue Ridge Mountain Council Store has experts on what you need and uniforms are available for order through the online BSA store.

  • Full Class A Uniform (Shirt, olive Long Pants or Shorts with socks, neckerchief) is required for Flag Color Guard Duty.
  • Full Class A Uniform is preferred for Court of Honor Attendees.
  • Full Class A Uniform is preferred for Board of Reviews and or Scoutmaster Conferences.
  • Class A shirt is required for meetings during the school year.  We usually dress in class B (scouting related t-shirt) for meetings when school is not in session.
  • Class A shirt is required for all travel to and from scout events.  When we go camping we wear our Class A shirt while in the car.