[philmont] Troop equipment needs

Here is a summary I wrote up for my District Roundtable some time back;
you (and others on the List) may find some useful pointers here. Please
excuse the references to local outfitters here - I did not re-work the
writeup.

ebay - virtually anything available, often quite inexpensive, often new
or nearly new. Patience can result in extraordinary bargains.

craigslist - often even better than ebay with respect to deals (some
items are even free), but no national database to search (each city has
to be searched separately), so limited selections (or lengthy
city-by-city searches are required). Usually require personal pickups.
  Requires regular checking (at least once a day) for hard to get items.

Chain Bridge District Gear Exchanges - Both Troop and personal equipment
available. Quality varies widely. But it's all free. Note that some
other local Districts have picked up on this idea, and some don't mind
if folks from neighboring Districts come.

Folded Units - When a Troop folds, often their gear is abandoned in
place, and the Chartered Partner usually wants it removed, sometimes
immediately, sometimes after a couple of years of waiting. These are
usually treasure troves of useful Troop equipment, and sometimes some
personal gear also (uniforms, etc.). However, the lapsed Unit's storage
space is usually a disaster, and removing and sorting all the gear can
be an arduous, multi-day task.

Yard Sales - Inner suburbs, especially in wealthier neighborhoods, are
good sources of Scout personal gear (backpacks, messkits, etc.), and
sometimes some Troop gear that was never returned (tents, cook-kits,
etc.) Many neighborhoods hold a "neighborhood yard sale," and these are
good places to go to to quickly review the offerings of many dozens of
families (have to go EARLY). Note that any large sale with dealers
(like the monthly Civitans sale at Washington and Lee H.S.) are usually
NOT good places to find bargains - the dealers grab everything as soon
as the sale opens, for immediate or later resale at market value prices
(no bargain!).

Thrift Shops - An occasional source of uniform parts, sometimes some
outdoor clothing (wool shirts, rain jackets, etc.) - not much more than
that.

Personal Solicitations - Many neighborhoods in Arlington and McLean have
monthly or quarterly newsletters. Placing an "I want/I need/In search
of" advertisement in such newsletters is usually dirt cheap or free.
Other neighborhoods have email-based bulletin boards or list-serves (a
great way to hit a very large number of folks in your immediate
neighborhood). Some camping outlets, such as Casual Adventure or REI,
may allow you to post an "I want/I need/In search of" flyer on their
community board for a month or two.

Ask Other Troops! - Personal solicitations in District Newsletters can
also result in donations of unusual or discontinued items - things like
specific type tent-poles, cook-kit parts, American or state flags, etc.

Special Sales - Some camping outlets hold an annual, one day sale where
discontinued, little used rental gear, and returned (slightly used)
items are sold for dirt cheap. The REI annual "Attic Sale," and the
Hudson Trail Outfitters Annual Clearance Sale are the best known such
sales in our area. These sales usually require some pre-scouting, and
camping out at the door, in order to grab specific one-of-a-kind items.

Other Scout Sales - Casual Adventure Annual 20% Off Scout Sale. REI,
EMS, HTO "members-only" sales. Alps Mountaineering (Scout Direct
outlet, not the main site). Coleman Non-Profit Sales.

-END-

----------

On 9/4/07, Eric Maes <emaes@provide.net> wrote:
>
>
> All, I know this is off topic of Philmont, so I apologize in advance,
but I
> am in need of some assistance...
>
> =================
>
> Our troop right now has the good fortune that we are growing. We are in
> fact have 2 crews going to Philmont next summer (6-26)... Woo Hoo!!!
>
> I the past 2 years, I we have gone from 1-1/2 patrols (6-8 scouts
each) to
> now 4 and approaching 5. We currently have 3 complete patrol boxes,
and now
> need to make a 4th (and maybe a 5th come Cross-Over time).
>
> We also have a few storage bins (big plastic garbage cans) full of old
> unused patrol cook kit equipment. I recently went through all those
items in
> an attempt to
> assemble two complete cook kits. No luck :(
>
> So, my question is this, does anyone have a stash of unused patrol
cook kit
> parts that would be willing to part with (sell or donate)?
>
> Our troop equipment is made up of the aluminum stuff. Here are 2 links to
> what I'm talking about.
>
>
http://www.scoutstuff.org/BSASupply/ItemDetail.aspx?ctlg=05NDC&ctgy=PRODUCTS&c2=CAMPING&C3=CCOOKING&C4=&LV=3&item=01153&prodid=01153^8^05NDC&
>
>
http://www.scoutstuff.org/BSASupply/ItemDetail.aspx?ctlg=05NDC&ctgy=PRODUCTS&c2=CAMPING&C3=CCOOKING&C4=&LV=3&item=01011&prodid=01011^8^05NDC&
>
> I can get a specific list of what we need. Off the top of my head I can
> think of the following:
> Nylon utensil Chef's Tool Kit holders (those green fold-over/roll-up
> things)
> Two quart pot tops
> Four quart pot tops
> Cast iron (or similar) griddles
> Aluminum dutch oven pliers (they have the little hook on 'em too)
> Hard plastic cutting boards
> Wash tubs
>
> Yes, I know I could go buy most of this stuff new, but we're just
trying to
> save $$ in the troop treasury. I did call www.scoutstuff.org and they
will
> not just sell parts.
>
> So, please email me if you can help or have other suggestions.
>
> YIS - Eric
> emaes@provide.net
>

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Received on Wed Sep 5 05:17:10 2007