Standard trip details
For new members and their parents, here are the basics and logistics for most weekend trips with the troop and/or crew—when we leave, how much trips cost, what to pack, etc.
Each year we have a variety of 10 weekend trips, about half of which are on the same theme year to year, though the locations usually change (the ski trip, the city trip, the water trip, etc.). To get a sense of those, check out our Annual Calendar
Scheduling
Yes, we try to keep the online calendar accurate.
But know that the details for a given trip are often not finalized until a week or two before we leave, since so much depends upon participation (how many have signed up), weather, and suddenly-recalled previous commitments.
For example: We don't really cancel for rain or anything, but some winter trips are based on the availability of snow, so we might have to swap around, say, the January freeze-out and the February ski trip if there's not enough snow for the freeze-out (ski mountains make their own snow, so it's reliably available).
And while we can't accommodate every bar mitzvah, family vacation, or procrastinated term paper, when school and family obligations involve a significant portion of the group, we try to.
We try mightily to plan around the school calendars, holidays, and testing times (SATs, mid-terms, proms, etc.). However, sometimes members suddenly remember—at the last second—that two-thirds of those signed up for a trip are actually obligated to be at a maching band gig, or had also signed up for a 5K fun run that weekend, or finally got dates for the big dance.
As much as we try to avoid this scenario, it seems to happen at least once a year, causing a sudden shuffling of the trip calendar. Then the parents yell at us. This makes us sad. Don't make us sad. Let us know well in advance next year, m'Kay?
Trip costs
Most weekend camping trips cost $30–$40, which covers everything—food, supplies, gas, and any camping fees or backcountry permits.
When a trip involves equipment rental (skis, snowshoes, kayaks, etc.), those fees are added on (unless you have your own skis, etc.), so the toal cost for those trips can range from $50 to $140 (the latter mostly for ski trips, when we sometimes stay in a motel).
What to pack
We have posted several standard packing lists for most weekend camping trips. Obviously, specialty trips (snowshoeing, kayaking, rafting, etc.) will be slightly different.
116 packing lists
- Backpacking trips (fall/spring) (unless told otherwise, use this packing list for all weekend backpacking trips)
- Backpacking trips (winter)
- Skiing/snowboarding trips
- Cabin camping (Rodney)
- The 10 Essentials (take these even on a day hike)
Typical trip logistics
Departure:
As a general rule, for most weekend trips we leave, from the church, Friday evening, usually somewhere between 6pm and 7:30pm.
Precisely when we leave depends on how far we have to drive for a particular trip, and is sometimes adapted to personal schedules of the attending adults and scouts (making accommodations for Friday afternoon practices, concerts, games, or work obligations).
Transportation
We do usually have the use of a 15-passenger van, but we often have more than 15 people on a trip. This means we really need parents' help in providing rides.
Otherwise, the group is divvied up between the most capacious vehicles we can cobble together belonging to all the adults going on the trip.
Parents with minivans are lifesavers.
Re-entry
We usually return Sunday afternoon, sometimes early evening.
Again, this depends partly on any Sunday morning activities to be done, but mostly on the distance we have to drive.
Our typical weekend-trip radius runs from the northern Chesapeake to Central PA to the Catskills in southern NY to the NJ/MD shore, so the drive can be anywhere from 30 minutes to four hours.
Outside of longer, summer trips, we usually only range beyond that for the occasional December city trip to Pittsburgh or Boston (otherwise that trip rotates each year between NYC, DC, Baltimore, and Philly).
We have done the occasional long weekend to Quebec City, but only when we've had five days to play with.
