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The best is a thin cotton/polyester pair next the skin, and thick woollen on the outside. The thin socks will stick to your feet, and the thick ones to your boots, any friction will be between the two pairs of socks and not to your feet so the heat can't build up and blisters won't form. Make sure that they are not too tight or it will restrict blood circulation and you could get frost bite in cold weather. This will absorb some of the sweat and stop your feet from softening up or getting too hot, reducing the chances of a blister.  Some people swear that rubbing a little meths or surgical spirit into your feet for several days before a hike will harden the skin, making it more difficult for blisters to form. Sounds revolting but it works, it reduces the friction between your feet and socks so blisters won't form, however this is will wear off over a long hike and is only really useful in an emergency. If you do get one know how to treat it. Check your first aid manual for this as it changes from year to year. Just walking down the road will wear off the proofing. If they are leather then polish them, or for man-made fibres check the manufacturers instructions or use scotchguard. If you do the leather will harden, warp and maybe crack which will make them uncomfortable and leak. In a emergency you can use toilet roll or dirty clothes. Denim holds water and takes ages to dry, if the weather is bad you will stay wet, get colder and colder and eventually you could die from hypothermia. Putting waterproofs over damp clothes will keep the damp in long after it stops raining. They allow your sweat to pass out but will keep you dry and warm. As you get more experienced find out about how they work and how to get the best out of them. 
Sounds silly, but make sure they all point in the same direction. cut it down, or raid the bathroom for one of the little bars you get free in hotels. Similarly take an almost empty tube of toothpaste. Purpose-made green ones can be bought from 'outdoor' shops but cost a lot more Cuts down container weight, use zip lock baggies and put them in a bin when used up. Sometimes they work, sometimes they don't, you won't know where they do work until you go there. Check the current fist aid manual. Always leave a route plan with someone and tell them when you arrive About camping...Even the best sleeping bags trap your sweat at night and after a few days they start to stink and go mouldy If its dry roll up the sides but if wet hang them up to dry/air. During the night you will breath out carbon dioxide and water vapour and air borne germs. Opening up the tent makes sure that this is blown out and will make you tent a far more pleasant place to be. There may be some missing and you could be miles from home and no way of holding your tent up. The crumbs encourage ants and rodents, especially squirrels, who will happily chew through your ruck sack for food. Water carries on dripping of trees hours after the rain has stopped and the roots will make it difficult to bang in pegs This indicates damp ground and there will be thousands of flying insects Its unhygienic, attracts insects and will turn your campsite into a stinking fetid swamp Includes gas, tilleys, hurricane lamps etc This will allow water to pass through and it will drip on you. If someone does touch the side and it drips then run your finger down the tent from the drip to the edge and the water will flow away. Camp sites are not carpeted and have broken tent pegs, bits of glass, snakes, old bits of barbed wire, and sharp stones on them. If you injure your feet you may have to go home. This will dissuade thieves and keep animals out, especially wandering dogs On tents made from natural fibre loosten the guys a fraction each night as the damp night air can cause the fabric to shrink. If the guys are too tight then as the tent stretches the pegs will come out. Mand made fibres shouldn't need this. It might seem funy at the time, but messing around with tents or letting them down in the night has caused damage to equipment and caused serious injury. Most leaders will send you home for this. Ground sheets out side the tent will catch rain and funnel it onto your sleeping bag Leave a gap to store your muddy boots by the door so your sleeping bag wont get dirty and you will be able to find them easily Not necessary during the summer and be aware that if one part catches fire the whole lot will go up. This can be used to store your gear on patrol camps when its not always feasible to have a separate tent. A bell end on a 6 man patrol tent can store all your gear and food.. If you are given a job, just do it as well as you can so that you can all get on with the rest of the day Wrap the plastic round a stone like foil round a toffee apple, and twist it. Tie the rope behind that, where the stick would go on the toffee apple and the plastic won't rip. Useful for emergency fly sheets and shelters. While you are at camp your tent is your home and the area around it should be treated the same so don't go in unless invited. If you do someone will think that you are stealing. You will trip over a guy road and crack your head open on a tent peg, not to mention damage the tent. Its rude, ignorant, it can damage tents and ultimately can get your head kicked in. You will damage other peoples kit, fall over and hurt your self. If you put too much in you are likely to injure your self or drop the container and split it. About cooking...Alternatively make a paste with washing up liquid and washing powder, and spread on the outside - at the end of the week - it just comes off with all the burnt bits - and for any bits that are burnt the paste acts as a good "abrasive".... This makes the flame burn cleaner and cuts down the amount of soot you have to clean off afterwards, however this may be negligible for short hikes If the flames have _just_ gone out the meths can ignite when poured in so pick the burner unit up before refilling it just to check. This sometimes means you end up waiting a bit longer - which means waiting for the dinner or cuppa, but its better than getting your hand or face burnet off. There are times when Gas is best, other times when paraffin or petrol are best. And even times when a Trangia is the best solution :-) Gas bottles tell you how much gas is inside but don't normally tell you how much the bottle itslef weighs. When you get a new one weigh it on the bathroom scales and write the weight on a sticker or label around the neck. Check this occasionally and when the new weight is almost the same as the original minus the weight of the gas you know the bottle is empty. It takes about 30secs for an 8 man patrol tent to burn... the stuff in it takes longer to finish off. A nylon hike tent will burn even faster, and even if it is ""Flame retardant"" it will go up up in seconds. What's worse is that the burning nylon will drape a layer of burning plastic over everything in the tent, including anyone who happens to be inside. Scouts have died from fuel leaking, both gas and meths by being choked by fumes or burnt alive. Add some long green lush grass, water, bit of washing up liquid, and heat. When it starts to bubble, burnt stuff will scrape of pretty easily Alternatively don't put washing up liquid in initially and add a large amount of salt, salt is usually the best ingredient for removing stuck grime on the inside of a pan... But not a non-stick one Use it for measuring out liquids when cooking. Also understand a little bit about nutrition, that way you won't go hungry at camp and on activities If soemone does becoem nut intolerant then a mountain emergency isn't the time or place to find out. Dairy Milk's a good choice, as they come in waterproof packets Its easier than a bucket, stays cold longer, and you can fill it up in the supermarket Roughly a half litre per Mars bar. Wet toilet paper is useless. Plastic bags collect water and get lost, hanging from the tent they get damp and left on the ground they get muddy and damp. About fires...That way you will have enough for the next meal too and will be able to get it started earlier. Cut more wood while the food is cooking. and keep it in your tent at night. Fresh kindling will always be damp in the morning, you will have your fire alight much quicker if you have dried some out overnight, and can even use it to start a fire with wet wood. Dried silver birch bark when scrapped up into flakes will burn exceptionally well. Most wet wood is dry in the middle, so split it up 4 ways and most of the surface will be dry. I.e. Splitting wood and not for cutting across logs, use a saw for this. This will keep he wood dry, don't use a poly bag water will collect in the bottom and make it wetter. Dead wood attracts insects and they will crawl out during the night and over your kit. If an axe can cut through a branch it isn't going to be stopped by the hair on your toe, ALWAYS wear strong leather boots or shoes inthe curring area, and don't wear anything loose around your neck. They will explode with the force of a small hand grenade, people are regularly killed and injured like this. It will eventually explode and blow off you arm up to the elbow but don't worry about that as you will probably die from the blast, or as a result of your injuries. Its dangerous and will hurt someone, probably you, when it slips down through your hand. They burn really nicely and the molten plastic will stick to your body. The best possible outcome is several days in intensive care and scarred for life. Keep then there until the pain stops, and if it still hurts after 15 minutes then go to the hospital, but keep the burn wet and/or cold. Stick your hand in a billy of cold water for the journey to hospital. About troop kit...In a few years time they will either crack or rot and leave a sharp spike which could go through someone's boots or hurt an animal Carefully hit them backwards and forwards with a mallet then pull them up with a loop of rope, a lever, or another peg as a "T" handle The damp will make the canvas rot and mildew will spread and ruin the tent. If it is wet at the end of camp get it out and dry it as soon as you get home. This will force dirt into the pores and ruin the water proofing Wooden pegs will rot and after a while fail when they are put under pressure, like in a storm when you need them most If the spike comes out or the pole splits the pole can be turned upside down and a nail banged in with a mallet Side spray produces instant deproofing. it ruins them. It forces dirt into the fibres which acts like sandpaper cutting through them. you are more likely to see them in the dark. About personal kit...If she does, you'll never get it all back in and you won't know what you have got with you. PLUS she will only pack the things she "knows" you'll need... and not very many of the essential things from the kit list... because she can't see a use for them! They are biodegradable and designed to melt when wet, leaving you with a damp and miserable nights sleep. Keep your sleeping bag in a tough plastic bag inside a stuff sack. The plastic bag will keep it dry and the stuff sack will protect them both from tears and cuts. You loose as much body heart through the ground as through the air, a cheap mat (£10) will keep you warmer and keep your sleeping bag drier if the ground gets damp. Clothes damp from the days sweat, rain or evening dew will make for a clammy cold and miserable night. Either keep a separate set of clothes for night time or put on tomorrows dry clothes. A wool (or fleece) hat will make ALL the difference in keeping you warm at night, and will reduce the body area outside your sleeping bag by 50% Don't take a normal pillow they get damp at night and are a pain to carry. Keep your clothes, not including your uniform, in a stuff sack wrapped inside a jumper and it will be just as good. Even the best bags and tents can leak, but a plastic bag won't. That will stop them rotting or going mouldy if they are wet. Or better still get a hand full of wipes from KFC and keep then in the pocket of your bag. If it gets a good lathering up at the end of each day (and it does, doesn't it?) it smells sweetly all day! One lot on and the other drying out. and learn some games before you go. This is lighter than a book and can provide entertainment on the occasions you are stuck in the tent. Wear yesterday's clothes or the most grotty ones, and always leave a dry set to go home in, which may well be your uniform. If you're camping in an area that is buggy or populated by hoards of mosquitoes, stick to biodegradable soaps with no perfumes. Most insects are drawn to "nice smelling" soaps and perfumes and will make your life miserable. Unless you want to end up wearing someone elses underpants or for them to go home with your new torch It comes off after the first wash and it doesn't prove its yours. It will fall out or get stolen. Do this in a open area or wear ear plugs, and don't try it on enamel which will flake of and ruin the item. Pushed the pin into a stick and hold the head over a candle so you can melt in your name. Some plastic won't melt others you will go straight through. Especially true of your your torch (and electric razor if your can) because if they turn on the batteries will be flat before you get there and a razor can eat its way out of your rucksack Check that it works, *before* it gets dark and keep it handy for those 'night time' visits Tie a length or cord or string to the end so you can find it easier in the dark. This avoids spending ages looking for tiny batteries in a big bag! A small "key-ring torch" tied to the pocket of your rucksack will be easy to find and useful for searching your kit. Learn how to change them in the pitch dark.. Keep the bulbs wrapped in tissue inside a film canister. Keep batteries in a small poly bag to stop them shorting out. Use a payphone where possible to save the batteries and if you can buy an adaptor that uses dry cells for long camps. If you are going by car get a cigar lighter charger so you can keep it fresh. To stop your teatowels blowing away on a windy day, they don't dry so well if you tie them around the washing line About stuff...These are the two most useful knots you will ever need, learn them early and well. Always let someone know where you are during activities, Skip has no way of knowing if you are stuffing your face down at the providore or floating face down in a pond, unless you tell him first. Protect your back Thanks to the following people from the UK.REC.SCOUTING news group who added to this list during January 2001BaggyBill Neobard David Ball Dr John Stockton Glyn Scouts Graham Drabble Hanne Gottliebsen Ivan Turner John Russell Jon Wickham Keith Meredith macdo Mark Winn Mike Hudgell Mr.P NICVARNEY Paul Harris Robert Metcalf Roy Hill Sam Clayton Steve Podbury Tony Flury VE2VFD Pat
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