Hi everyone,

Just thought I would tap into the well of experience and knowledge here at ETS.

I usually do a low cost, budget friendly gift for all the boys in my son's boy scout troop.

Two years ago it was a little fire kit. It contained some fat wood, char cloth, and jute twine.

Last year it was ranger beads. I really liked that one because the boys actually had to put it together so they were able to make it as much their own as their imagination allowed. I kind of got the feeling that some of the boys didn't really like it as much as I thought they would (I caught one of them swapping his unfinished project for one of the completed samples I placed at their tables for them to get an idea of what it might look like when completed). I guess because it wasn't an x-box or a new knife or some other insanely expensive gift they considered it to be lame.

I'd like to do something this year as well, so I am hoping for some awesome suggestions that are budget friendly as well as something fun for the boys to make as well. Maybe something useful they can use in their scout endeavors as well.

As always thanks in advance for your help.

kits are good; paracord bracelet.
New patches are cheap or go with a tiny button ( or solar) flashlight

Good idea that. Something that the scouts can make for themselves. There are plenty of tutorials on line for bracelets, zipper pulls/key fobs, kerchief slides (do scouts still wear uniforms?)

Paracord bracelets look like an accident about to happen. Like rings on fingers in a climbing situation, I can see the bracelet catching on something, with rather nasty results. Para cord is great stuff, but not hanging around on your wrist. Keep it in a kit where it will be ready.

I would suggest a Mora knife, but even at fifteen bucks a pop, they get to be pricey for the entire group; and of course, there are other issues as well surrounding fixed blade knives.

How about some training in fundamental outdoor skills - navigating by the stars, a brief introduction to roped climbing with an emphasis on safety - this is near and dear to my heart because I have retrieved way too many bodies of young men (mostly) who had gear and didn't have a clue as to how to use it properly, or were totally oblivious to the hazards and exposure which either killed or injured them. There are a lot of other skill topics, many of which might be more appropriate for your group.

Ultimately, skills and knowledge are more important than gadgets,

last year I gifted about 25 sets of Fenix E01/05 lights, Acme 636 whistles and P38 can openers... the cost of the flashlights might be too much, but the whistles IIRC were about $2.60 ea and the P38 (US Shelby) about $.34...

When I was a den leader in the scouts I went to the dollar store and picked up those mini plastic first aid kits, and some additional items, and had them construct their own kits. Add a $1.00 wally world bandana and there ya go. Have the kids go over how to use the items, when to use them, etc. I also got some moleskin for each, and chapstick.

Something practical, that supports an activity (camping or other), and if it involves them doing a craft all the better.

I have given compasses, first aid kits with additional components (as Barbakane describes), knot tying cards with string, small fishing kits (think survival fishing kit type).

I am wracking my brain for this year as well. I do not want to repeat something I have already done.

Signal mirror and a booklet with Morse code and flag semaphores?

There's a lot of history there with heliographs and heliotropes, and the myriad system of semaphores (i.e. Chappe). They are the big brothers to today's signal mirrors and flags.

http://www.prc68.com/I/MkVHeliograph.shtml

Based on my obsession, signal mirrors come to mind.

• budget friendly:
  
  If $10/boy is friendly, the Coghlan's model 9902 "Survival Signal Mirror" is 2"x3" glass with foam pouch (which is pretty much the best 2"x3" glass signal mirror on the market these days) can be had for $10 each at quantity 6 with shipping from Walmart, per this catalog entry: http://www.walmart.com/ip/8586955
  
  Or, for $7/boy, you can get the polycarbonate "Rescue Flash" mirror designed by Doug Ritter, here: www.ebay.com/itm/like/272019397847 The polycarbonate scratches easily, and isn't as bright, but it is more than bright enough (the flash is naked-eye detectable at 22 miles in my testing), much lighter than the glass, and shatterproof. The Rescue Flash is also sold at the official online BSA store here.
  
  This handy printable tutorial sheet goes well with these. Here's a photo of USAF Survival Instructor training Boy Scouts (using the StarFlash mirrors) as another view. In this photo, Coghlan's mirror the 3rd in the bottom row.
  
  If $10/boy isn't that friendly, the boys can make a pretty nice signal mirror with retroreflective aimer per the next bullet, though the mirror above has lots of nice features (like laminated glass for robustness, rounded corners for safety, and a lanyard hole to reduce the risk of dropping it) that are likely not going to be present in a home-made mirror.
• something fun for the boys to make:
  
  They could make signal mirrors - thousands of boy scouts have done so for the Operation On-Target event. I'd make the "red bullseye" retroreflective aimer type. In this photo, home-made mirror is at top right.
  
  There are lots of safety issues in making one - be sure to view the first video below if you want to pursue this project.
  
  The materials are pretty much any glass mirror, regular tape, plus 1 sq inch of red retroreflective truck tape - the Harbor Freight tape (online or store): HFT Item #97562: 2in x 12 in Red and White Reflective Strips, 10 Pk (currently $7) has enough red material for 120 signal mirrors - probably enough for more than your whole troop.
  
  You basically scrape a quarter-sized disk of the silvering off the back of the mirror, punch a 1/4" hole in a 1"x1" square of the red tape, tape the red tape on the back of the mirror, red forward, and you are done. Here's a couple of instructional videos:
  
  
  
  
  
  For more on making signal mirrors, including making the double-sided mirror type, See this web page.
• something they can use in their scout endeavors
  
  They should be carrying (and knowing how and when to use (and not use)) a signal mirror when out camping in any case.
  
  In terms of formal BSA recognition - showing that you know how to use a signal mirror is requirement 7b for the Wilderness Survival Merit Badge. Photo of signal mirror training at 2010 Jamboree

^^^^^
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