Camping Skill 2

Be at least in the 6th grade.

Requirement Achieved
Develop a personal philosophy of outdoor etiquette, such as courtesy to other campers and outdoor
conservation.
 Be considerate of other campers. When purchasing tents, buy ones in muted colors that will blend in with the
environment. Blues, greens, and browns are preferred to reds and oranges. People go camping to escape the
garishness of the city—leave that behind.
 Be mindful of the noise level made in your camp. Don't be a nuisance. If camping in the wilderness, be sure to
make your camp out of sight of the trail. Most National Forests have guidelines for where you can camp in
relation to the trail. Find out what those guidelines are and follow them.
 Do not enter anyone else's campsite without their permission, especially when traveling to or from your
campsite to other places on the campground. It is very rude to cut through another camp. Use the road or trail,
even if it will take longer.
 Leave the area cleaner than you found it.
Memorize the 7 Leave No Trace Principles:
 Plan ahead and prepare.
 Travel and camp on durable surfaces.
 Dispose of waste properly.
 Leave what you find.
 Minimize campfire impacts (be careful with fire).
 Respect wildlife.
 Always ask for permission before entering another campsite.
Know and understand the following six W's for the selection of a good campsite
Wind- Find areas that are protected from the wind. This requires knowing or guessing at the normal wind direction
(hint look at the direction trees are leaning and the current wind direction)
Water- Fresh water should be available for drinking, beware of drainage areas, flooding and other water related
hazards. Marshy areas can have a high mosquito population that can make camping miserable.
Weather- Knowledge of the weather patterns of an area can help you decide the best location for the campsite.
Wild things- Beware of signs of large mammals such as bear, wolves, and mountain lions. Also watch out for the
small wild things such as snakes, spiders, ticks, biting flies and mosquitoes.
Wood- Adequate wood should be available for a campfire, and no dead wood above the sleeping area. Survey the
trees to make sure that they will not fall on you in strong winds.
Willingness- Make sure the owner of the property is willing for you to camp on it. Make sure you have the proper
permits for camping areas.
Demonstrate your ability to protect the wilderness and your water source by proper personal hygiene and
cooking sanitation.
 Going on a camping trip does not absolve you from the need for hygiene and sanitation – it merely makes it
a little less convenient. If you are camping on an established campground, use the toilet facilities provided.
Otherwise, you will have to provide your own facilities.
 If you are camping with a small group, this can be as simple as digging a cat hole (no more than 10 cm 4
inches) deep, depositing your waste in the hole, and burying it again. A hole of this depth will be occupied
by a myriad of bacterial life which will take care of the rest for you.
 If camping with a larger group, you will need to dig a latrine. Whether using cat holes or a latrine, make
sure they are dug at least 60 meters 200 feet from any water source.
 When cooking, be sure to clean your dishes and kitchen area immediately after use.
 When camping with a small group, wipe all dishes, pots, pans, and utensils as clean as you can with paper
towels.
 Burn the paper towels. Then you can scrub the dishes out with clean sand and rinse them off.
 When camping with a large group, you will need to establish a dishwashing area.
Participate in a weekend campout.
See the Campout Certificate 2023
Take part in a camp worship service to include one of the following
a. Leading song service - Done
b. Sabbath School lesson study - Done
c. Story - Done
d. Worship thought - Done
Know how to safely light and use a camp stove and lantern.
 There are two basic types of Stoves and Lanterns. Liquid-fueled and pressurized gas-fueled.
 When lighting your stove or lantern you should recognize the type of fuel it is using and the dangers that
each type of fuel presents.
 Fuel is flammable and should be treated with respect.
 Liquid-fueled equipment must be carefully filled, and all spills must be cleaned and dried before the
equipment is lighted.
 Do not fill liquid fueled equipment when it is still warm to the touch or near any source of ignition.
 Extra fuel must also be stored at least 50 feet from the kitchen area or from any open flame or fire.
 Pressurized gas cylinders are heavier than liquid fuel cans, hold less fuel per volume and can be damaged
and leak.
 If you smell gas, turn off all flame sources and seek assistance from an adult before proceeding.
 A fire extinguisher should always be kept in immediate proximity when operating either liquid fueled or
pressurized gas-fueled equipment
 Make sure the canister is connected properly.
 Liquid-fueled equipment can be more temperamental,
 Liquid fuel does not burn, only the fuel vapor burns.
Know safety rules and demonstrate your ability to properly cut firewood. Demonstrate how to break dead
wood properly.
It takes much less effort, and less wood goes to waste if it is cut with a saw. To do this, prop one end of the to-be-
cut log off the ground. This can be done by laying it on a rock, on another log, or on anything strong enough to hold
its weight. The end of the log should protrude past the support, and the log should be sawn just past this point. If
you try to cut a log between the support and the ground, the weight of the log causes the log to sag as it is cut, and
this will pinch the saw blade. If you make the cut past the support, the weight of the log will open the saw cut
making it easier to saw through.
Dead wood can also be broken instead of sawn. This is often easier and quicker than sawing it, but care must be
taken to do this properly, and it can only be done on smaller logs - up to 7 cm3 inches in diameter or so.
To do this, again, the log is propped up on a support on one end, while the other end lies on the ground. Then the
camper brings his foot down sharply about 12-18 inches (30–45 cm) from the support, between the support and the
ground. Be careful to keep your footing while doing this, and watch that the ends of the log do not fly off.
Using fuzz sticks or shaved sticks, build and know the use of a council or criss cross fire and one type of
cooking fire. Review fire building safety rules.
Fuzz sticks
A fuzz stick is a small piece of wood which has had slices cut in the sides to create small shavings. Ideally, the
shavings should remain attached to the stick, but if they are accidentally removed, they can still be used. Because
the shavings are thin, they are easy to ignite. Because they are attached, they in turn ignite the larger host stick.

Council fire
The council fire was used by Native Americans during their meetings (or councils). It is very much like the log
cabin fire except that more than two logs are laid on each layer. Be careful not to lay the logs too close to one
another. Leave gaps of at least one inch (2.5 cm) between each log to allow air to circulate. Like the log cabin fire,
the council fire is very stable, and it falls into itself as it burns, remaining within the fire ring. the council fire lights
easily as the main fuel is located directly above the kindling and tinder where convection will carry the flames. This
fire is hot and will make a nice bed of coals for cooking. It also uses a lot of fuel. This fire is sometimes called a
pyramid fire as well.
Hunter's fire
The hunter's fire is a cooking fire. The logs on top are spaced close enough together such that a pot, pan, or Dutch
oven can be placed on them. Try to lay it as level as possible.

Fire safety
 Locate the fire in a safe place. It should be clear for 10 feet (3 meters) all around.
 Do not light a fire beneath overhanging branches.
 Do not use accelerants, such as lighter fluid, gasoline, kerosene, etc. Learn to light a fire without these.
 Put the fire out completely before leaving it. If it's too hot to put your hands in the ashes, it's not sufficiently out.
Douse it down with water, turn the coals with a shovel, and be sure to extinguish every coal and ember.
 Do not build a fire on top of flammable material such as grass or leaves.
 Cut away the sod (keep it moist so it stays alive, and replace it before your leave), and clear away the duff and
litter.
 Keep fire extinguishing supplies handy and near the fire. A bucket of water or sand or a fire extinguisher are
recommended.
 Do not remove burning sticks from a fire.
 Watch for embers that escape the fire pit and extinguish them immediately.
 Wear proper footwear around a fire.
 Be aware that paper, cardboard, and leaves create floating embers that rise out of the fire pit and may land
dozens of yards away.
 Do not light a fire when conditions are adverse (high winds, or drought conditions).
Explain two ways to keep camp food cool.
 Place the food in a mesh bag and secure it in a stream or brook.
 put the food in a bag, cover it with several layers of burlap, wet the burlap, and suspend it from a tree branch.
As the water evaporates from the burlap, it will cool the food. You have to re-wet the bag occasionally.

Build two different camp cranes.

Simple Crane

Adjustable Crane

Double Support Crane

Prepare camp meals using boiling, frying, and baking.
Boiling: Boiled eggs
Frying: Pancakes
Baking: Bread on a stick
Demonstrate tent site selection. Properly pitch and strike a tent. What precautions should be taken when
striking a wet tent? Properly clean, dry, and store a tent.
Tent site selection
 Find an area that is large enough to pitch your tent and that is also flat.
 Avoid ridge tops as they will be windy and there is significant lightning danger there.
 avoid dry stream beds, especially in desert areas. Flash floods can be caused by rains many, many miles away.
 If camping near a river, camp above the high water line. The river may rise in the night. You can determine the
high water line by observing trees on the river bank - they will have debris in the lower branches deposited there
by flood waters. Camp on the lee side of a hill to avoid the wind.
 Carefully examine the space above your tent site, making sure there are no dead branches, icicles, coconuts, or
anything else that could fall on the tent and cause harm.

Pitching and striking a tent

1. Unpack the tent and spread it on the ground.
2. lay out the tent's canopy (that is, the cloth part that is not the fly).
3. Find the door and orient it where you want it. Then stake it down. This will prevent the wind from blowing it
away while you are trying to raise it.
4. Slide the poles into the tubes, but do not raise the tent until the main poles (usually two of them) are all in place.
5. Then raise them together. There are usually aluminum "hooks" located at the stake-down straps and shaped
somewhat like a question mark. They are usually a couple of inches long, and are there to slip the pole ends
over.
6. Once all the pole are in place, throw the fly over the tent, being careful that the up side is up and the front side is
to the front.
7. Do not over-tension these ropes - they should have some give so that the tent can move a little with the wind. If
they are too tight, the wind will rip the stakes from the ground or topple the tent.
Striking a tent
 do not strike the tent until it has dried. If you can, wait until the morning dew has evaporated. This is, of
course, not always possible - it could be pouring rain when it's time to go, so you'll have to strike a wet tent.
If your tent is wet when you strike it, you will need to set it up to let it dry as soon as you get back.
 Do not store a wet tent. It will be quickly ruined with mold and mildew.
 inspect the inside, being sure that everything has been removed.
 Then sweep the tent.
 pull off the fly.
 Then let down the poles.
 remove the poles from the canopy and fold them up.
 remove the stakes and carefully fold the tent. Put everything back into the bag it came in.
Cleaning a tent
Sweep the tent out before striking it. Remove muddy shoes before entering a tent, or take them off as soon as you
enter the door. You can clean the floor in front of the door with paper towels. A stiff broom will also clean most
debris from the walls, but you may need to use water and a mild detergent (such as dishwashing soap) to clean
messes deposited by birds.

Bedding
a. Show proper ways to stuff or roll your sleeping bag or bed roll for travel.
If your sleeping bag came with a stuff sack, all you have to do is stuff it in. If it does not come with one, you can
purchase one separately. Otherwise, you'll have to roll it up. First check for the tie-strings. They are usually at the
foot of the bag. Zip the sleeping bag closed and fold it in half lengthwise with the tie-strings down - one tie string
will be located near the center of the bottom, and the other will be located near the edge. Then go to the end
opposite the tie strings and start rolling, keeping it tight as you go. When you get to the end, draw the tie strings
around the bag and tie them with a shoelace knot.
b. Tell how to keep a sleeping bag or bed roll dry on a camping trip.
The most important thing you can do to keep your sleeping bag dry is to keep it in the tent and keep the tent door
closed. Take off your shoes when you enter the tent (or before going in) so you do not track water all over the place.
Keep your sleeping bag on your sleeping pad, as this will raise it off the floor slightly so that any water that drips
off wet clothing cannot reach it.
c. Describe how to properly clean your sleeping bag or bed roll.
Turn the sleeping bag inside-out, throw it over a clothesline, and beat it with a stick. Unzip it and let it air out
completely. Do not put a sleeping bag in a washing machine unless the washing instructions on the bag specifically
say that you can. A washing machine will crush the fibers inside, reducing the insulation and padding value. A bed
roll can be shaken vigorously like a rug, and it can also be beaten with a stick after hanging it on a clothesline.
The tent color for Camping Skills #2 patch is red.