Why is camping so important to Scouting?

Camping has always been an important part of Scouting. It is both an enjoyable experience (in all weathers!) and a learning experience in one. For those in the Scout movement it allows them to bring a variety of things they have been taught into practice.

In addition the campers are also learning other important 'life' skills such as hygiene, self discipline, responsibility and such like. There are a variety of things to learn to enable your time at camp to go smoothly, from being able to erect the tents to starting a fire for a cup of hard- earned tea there are many things that scouts and scouters pick up over the years.

The campsites section provides a few pointers on where and how to set out your camp. Its no good just plonking your tents down anywhere if you end up miles from water, water running down into your tent and invaded by wasps.

Under tents you can find a few ideas on how to pitch (put up), strike (take down) and store (er...store) tents of different types.

Campfires are naturally associated with the camping experience. Being able to construct and light a good fire is not as easy a skill as it seems. It takes many years of practice and experience before you can light a fire with the minimum of materials and use it effectively. In this section you can find how to light different types of fires.

Being able to use a knife, saw and axe can be an important camping skill. They will enable you to do a variety of things around camp from lighting your fire to constructing your camp equipment. It is important that a scout learns how to use and look after these items correctly and safely.