Outstanding. I might have picked a white fauxton over a red one.

Frisket beat me to upgrading the candle to a tea light, possibly add a 4x4 and a couple of betadine wipes to the FAK, and double the amount of duct tape

do they carry any tools?....a small pair of needlenose pliers saved a lot of burned fingers when I was that age

Replying to the comments so far.

Haertig, the kit was mainly designed for the bears and webelos based in part on their list of ten essentials. Luckily it was the same for the bears and webelos. With the addition of the wolves and tigers (their leader says they are “done” i.e. done with the book but doesn’t seem to understand it is still her responsibility to do other activities with them) I need to reevaluate what items they will carry based on THEIR essentials, which are different from the bears and webelos.

I wish there was room for a better candle but unfortunately space is at a premium in the kit. The magic candle was the best compromise for the kit given the confines of the space. As it is I am afraid the kit will be too large anyway and get left behind, which is why I want to make it mandatory to have it to go on any outdoors adventure with the den/pack.

Rich, I wish we had the sparklites in the kit but alas my meager budget didn’t allow for them. It is one of the upgrades I am going to suggest tho. And I think we will pass for now on the firecrackers in their kits lol.

Chaos the fauxtons are black (the only color that fit the budget unfortunately). I would have liked a brighter color though. I was wondering if I could suggest adding some strips of brightly colored tape to increase visibility if dropped.

Les, there might be room for more duct tape, which the kids can do on their own, but there’s no room left for the additional medical supplies I am afraid (tho I will certainly try ). Would the betadine wipes be better than the alcohol prep pads?

The bday candle would be preferred for it's size and ability to stay lit when windy or wet. In a kit this compact I think it's a good choice.

Can you give the measurements for the container? Is it larger/smaller than a Altoids tin? If it's close enough you might be able to shave a few more shekels off your kit cost (which is already phenomenal, nice work).

Also subbing cotton balls in petroleum could be subbed for Tinder Quiks, which, I think I've read, break down after time.

I don't know where you got the black ones but check out this DX page. http://goo.gl/b0H4o

Related - You might encourage sewing on of reflective strips to their backpacks - easier to see ( for both searchers and cars)

Mark... the alcohol wipe would help in fire starting...the betadine wipe could in a pinch be used for water purification and diluted to make an irrigation solution for deep laceration, in addition to a topical antiseptic... the pads are about the same size, and the betadine/iodine is probably longer acting as topical antiseptic (and you can see it has been applied) ...about $4/100 from Chinook Medical

An excellent kit for kids who may not normally have anything with them. I have trouble getting our scouts to carry their essential gear.

How loud is the whistle? Seems like it is a rather cheap one. I understand about wanting to keep the kit cheap, but this is one signaling item that shouldn't be overlooked.

inexpensive paramedic shears here

at american science and surplus: $2/each. they often have inexpensive lights and occasional other treasures. Rubber chickens. Heavy duty swivel casters. Geiger counters.
If they had apartments for rent in their Chicago store, I would live there.
Somewhere in the archives here there is a long discussion of survival knives in which someone, Susan IIRC, presents avery convincing argument that the shears are more effective than knives in most respects.

I think you've got a really great kit going their for your Scouts. But I do have to wonder, as haertig pointed out, if this kit doesn't extend way beyond the skill level of a Bear or Webelo to use effectively?

My experience with kids this age is limited, but having sat in on some of the meetings and helping out sometimes, I was a bit surprised at the number of things kids this age don't know how to do (not saying the scouts I've seen represent all scouts, but they seem like pretty typical 8 and 9-year-olds to me).

Like - watching these kids earn their whittling chips was an eye-opener - three cut fingers in two sessions (soap bar and then balsa wood)...one boy who didn't know cutting edge of the blade from the spine, etc...they've got their whittling chips, but they have a ways to go before I'd call them safe, let alone proficient, with a knife.

I think the "Hug-a-Tree" program, which Doug and others have praised here, is really valuable and viable, for this age group and even younger. For those purposes, I'd trim the gear to mirror, whistle, orange bag (and show them how to tear open a hole for their face), the Fauxton, a water bottle and then, perhaps, the water purification tablets, and maybe a protein/snack bar.

For the times I've taken my son camping, starting when he was 5, I made a "Hug-a-Tree Pack" for him (and my daughter) that they were to have on them every time they stepped outside the clearing where the tents were. It's a small fanny pack that has a .5-liter water bottle, whistle, plastic poncho, Heatsheet blanket, and an LED flashlight. Nothing fancy, but nothing they couldn't figure out how to use. And, we would practice in our yard. "OK, we're camping and you realize you're lost...what do you do?" And the answer was stop, find a tree and wait there. "Oh no, it's raining, what do you do?" Put on the poncho. "Oh no, you're cold, what do you do?" --wrap up in the blanket. "How do you get found?" --blow on the whistle in groups of three. We practiced several times before going camping, they always had their bags with them, and they remembered the following winter what they were supposed to do.

The stuff you've got in there is a great basis for improvising for a lot of possibilities...but I think at this age, the kids are still learning how to do some simple things in the most straightforward way (carry with them/put on appropriate clothing to the conditions, get inside a bag they have along as shelter) rather than turning a bag and some string into a lean-to shelter. Not saying kids that age can't do any of this stuff, just that my take on the skills of kids this age leans toward simpler the better, the fewer variables for them in how to use what they have, the better.

Anyhow, more items in the kit aren't a negative, and if you can get the boys the skills to utilize the things you've included, all to the better.

Dave