In Scouting, we need equipment and gear that doesn’t just work in the great outdoors but thrives in them. In the coming edition of the Woggle, we will showcase some guides to help you learn, select, and get the most out of your gear. This season we are focussing on your shelter.
When planning great Scouting adventures, the reality is that nearly half of your time in the outdoors is spent sleeping. Getting a good night’s rest is one of the essential components of a fun and safe experience. To get a good night’s rest, you need a safe, comfortable shelter.
We Recommend The Mackenzie 4 — Eureka/Scouts Collaboration
The Mackenzie 4 by EUREKA! is specially made for Scouts Canada.
Modelled after the El Captain Tent but with scouting youth in mind, this tent is an excellent choice for your scouting adventures and is an unbeatable price of $329.99
These tents are as tough as the campers they cover.
Here are a few things to consider when selecting your perfect Scouting shelter.
Temperature:
Arguably the first place to start your selection journey is to identify the season you’ll be using your tent. A summer tent is typically built using lighter fabrics, has much more airflow to keep you cooler on hot summer nights, and aside from a heavy thunderstorm, summer tents tend to have less structural integrity. This makes them lighter to backpack with but unsuitable for supporting heavy snowfall on top of the tent.
Three-season tents are an excellent go-between the lightweight summer tent and the rugged winter tents; they balance airflow and structural integrity to be able to breathe and also sustain a light snow load.
Number of People:
For a new camper or quartermaster of a Scout group. The number of people in-tent is a funny quirk. Often when a tent is advertised as sleeping a certain number of people, the manufacturers seem to think people enjoy being squished together like sardines in a can. Scouting adventures are all about safe, fun adventures, and part of the fun is getting a bit messy; after a long day hiking with some of our best friends, the last thing we want to do is crawl into bed with our noses snuggled up to their smelly feet.
Our advice is to purchase a tent for one extra person then needed, let’s call it “breathing room” so that you have enough room in the tent to move around a bit. Extra room in your tent is also a good idea for those days with less-than-ideal weather and your activities need a warm, dry place to let a storm pass by.