Personal Gear - Tips

Why the Supplex? – Hopefully everyone will take/has taken note of the equipment demos saying “you must have the short sleeve light weight supplex scout shirt” and “you must have the light weight supplex scout pants”. Also on the order form for Jamboree orders via Transatlantic Council was/will be the codes for ONLY the supplex uniforms. It is very hot in West Virginia in July & August with humidity staying between 80% to 99%.

The answer to why the supplex is simply, that the supplex uniforms were designed to keep scouts cool and are the best uniforms for the Jamboree. Please help us to help keep your scouts safe and cool by outfitting them as we have asked.

Labelling – Everything needs to be labelled clearly and in an obvious place. Everything should have written on it with a permanent marker the Scout’s first & last name and Troop/Crew number. This is especially true for uniform peices. Some suggested locations are:

  • scout socks – write on the base of the foot
  • scout pants – write on the back inside waistband and write on each of the zip-off legs
  • scout belts – write on the inside of the belt and near the buckle
  • scout shirts – write on the tag
  • t-shirts – write on the inside collar or on the tag

Ziplocks – The jamboree duffel bags are waterproof, but only if closed correctly! All of a scout’s clothes should be in 1 gallon or 2 gallon Ziplock bags. This helps to keep them dry and also helps to keep the duffel organized. For example, if all of the scout’s socks are in only 2 gallon ziplock, then he can keep track of how many pairs he has left and plan for when he needs to do laundry at the Jamboree. It also keeps the smell of dirty laundry from permeating into the clean clothing. Finally, ziplocks can be squeezed to compress out excess air to help

Excess Clothing & Gear - The jamboree duffel bags are big, but scouts will pick up more “goodies” at the jamboree and will need to have some space. Scouts need to watch what they pack to leave space for these goodies. The packing list (which will be posted here once finalized) includes what scouts should be wearing as well as what should be in their day pack and duffel bag. If it is not on the list, they likely do not need it and it is only taking up space. Please remember that you will need to arrive in [TBC] on [TBC] in a FULL CLASS A UNIFORM. You will not need non-scout clothing (except for swimsuits and pajamas) during the Jamboree.

Flying in and Carry-on Luggage – remember that some items which will be in the day pack cannot come on a plane as carry-on. These include:

  • Waterbottles
  • Pocketknives
  • Camelbak bladders
  • Scissors from a first aid kit

Also, checked bags carrying knives on airplanes to/from Germany require a lock on the bag under German law. Other countries have similar laws. That is why everyone needs a duffel bag lock.

Footwear - Arguably the most important piece of kit which a scout can take the Jamboree is his foot wear. The average scout walks 10 miles a each day of the Jamboree. We cannot stress enough how important it is for scouts to have good hiking boots and to break them in before the Jamboree.

Scouts also will need a pair of tennis shoes for in camp or for running the 5K during the jamboree and a pair of wet shoes for the shower & boating activities. The wet shoes can be crocs, flip-flops, sandals or aqua socks, any of which work well.