Year-Round Camping

Family camping

An outdoor camping experience, other than resident camping, that involves Cub Scouting, Boy Scouting, or Venturing program elements in overnight settings with two or more family members, including at least one BSA member of that family. Parents are responsible for the supervision of their children, and Youth Protection guidelines apply.

Recreational family camping

When Scouting families camp as a family unit outside of an organized program. It is a non-structured camping experience, but is conducted within a Scouting framework on local council-owned or managed property.

Cub Scout Overnight Opportunities

Cub Scouts can experience overnight activities in venues other than accredited resident camping. There are two categories of Cub Scout overnighters:

Council-Organized Family Camp

Council-organized family camps are overnight events involving more than one pack. The local council provides all of the elements of the outdoor experience, such as staffing, food service, housing, and program. These are often referred to as Parent/Pal or Adventure weekends. Council-organized family camps should be conducted by trained leaders at sites approved by the local council. In most cases, the youth member will be under the supervision of a parent or guardian. In all cases, each youth participant is responsible to a specific adult.

Overnight activities involving more than one pack must be approved by the council. Council-organized family camps must be conducted in accordance with established standards as given in National Standards for Council Family Camping, No. 13-408.

Pack Overnighters

These are pack-organized overnight events involving more than one family from a single pack, focused on age-appropriate Cub Scout activities and conducted at council-approved locations (councils use Park Approval Form, No. 13-508). If nonmembers (siblings) participate, the event must be structured accordingly to accommodate them. BSA health and safety and youth protection guidelines apply. In most cases, each youth participant is responsible to a specific adult.

Adults giving leadership to a pack overnighter must complete Basic Adult Leader Outdoor Orientation (BALOO, No. 34162) training to properly understand the importance of program intent, youth protection guidelines, health and safety, site selection, age-appropriate activities, and sufficient adult participation. Permits for campouts shall be issued locally. Packs use Local Tour Permit Application, No. 34426. As of January 1, 2004, packs will be required to list the BALOO trained leader who will be participating in any overnight event with the pack.

Important Notes:

Archery and BB guns are restricted to day camps, Cub Scout/Webelos Scout resident camps, and council-organized family camps. Archery and BB gun shooting sports are not to be used at the pack level.

Tiger Cubs are limited to boy-parent excursions, day camps, or council-managed family camping.

If a well-meaning leader brings along a child who does not meet these age guidelines, disservice is done to the unit because of distractions often caused by younger children. A disservice is also done to the child, who is not trained to participate in such an activity and who, as a nonmember of the group, may be ignored by the older campers.