National Outdoor Badges – Camping

Last August, BSA released its new Outdoor awards. These awards recognize Scouts BSA and Varsity Scouts who really get into outdoor activities. The five badges are for camping, hiking, aquatics, riding, and adventure. There is a center badge which is earned when the first badge is earned also. There are also gold and silver devices which can be attached to the badges for additional achievements.

I wrote previous  posts about the riding award and the hiking award. Today I am promoting the camping award. This award recognizes Scouts who do a lot of camping and who have the skills to be comfortable and safe at camp.

This series of recognitions will help engage older Scouts and give them some new goals to really get outdoors.

You can learn more about this program at the BSA website.

National Outdoor Badges – Camping

A Scout, Sea Scout, or Venturer may earn the National Outdoor Badge for Camping upon successfully completing the following requirements:

1. Earn the First Class rank, Sea Scout Apprentice rank, or complete Venturing Ranger Award requirements 1–6.
2. Complete the Camping merit badge requirements.
3. Complete the requirements for two of the following three: Cooking merit badge or Ranger Cooking core; First Aid merit badge or Ranger First Aid core; Pioneering merit badge.
4. Complete 25 days and nights of camping—including six consecutive days (five nights) of camping (Sea Scouts may be on a boat), approved and under the auspices and standards of the Boy Scouts of America—including nights camped as part of requirements 1 through 3 above. Scouts must complete six consecutive days (five nights) of the 25 nights at a BSA accredited resident camp.

A gold device may be earned for each additional 25 nights of camping. A silver device is earned for each additional 100 nights of camping. The youth may wear any combination of devices totaling his or her current number of nights camping.