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by Bob Geier
Whatever we do, it should be aimed at learning on the part of the boys, not on efficiency. It's important to understand that in our case, it was the boys who made all the decisions to change from the "old way" to the "lightweight way" over the years. They decided to dump chuck boxes, they decided to abandon big dining flies (well, actually, they just stopped using 'em), they chose to get rid of the propane gear. I submit that if it's not possible within a troop for the boys to experiment and to change he way the troop works, then we aren't really doing youth leadership, we're just faking it.
I don't think using gear that's efficient and flexible has much downside in terms of our goals. Each boy our way ends up doing more cooking of different meals, but for fewer people. They do less cleaning overall, but they do some cleaning every meal. I see a lot more baking with our setup than I ever saw with propane, but our guys aren't very good fire-builders.
The biggest issue is opportunity cost. Can you learn teamwork lugging gear around? Sure, I guess. The real question is "Can you learn teamwork better if you used that time for something else?" like rigging a low-ropes course together, or navigating/backpacking up a ridge with hikers of different skill and endurance. Lightweight gear has allowed our 11-year-olds to backpack on skis 2 miles into a snow camp... lots of teamwork needed, lots of leadership demanded.... the patrol method in spades.
We rarely bring cans, and only when "plop" camping. We sometimes bring coolers (one SMALL one per patrol) when "plop" camping; we have them anyways. We also have some small plastic cooler-like boxes for foodstuffs in areas where there is a known critter problem.
Remember we live in the north. Got all the refrigeration we need for half of the year anyways! Refrigeration is only needed for "live" meats/proteins in any event.
Our guys tend to design and run their own high adventure stuff. Last time we were at Philmont was '91 or '92, and we ran with the small cook groups. Eight is way too big; the Philmont packaging back then was for four. If it's changed, that's too bad.
Why the grouping of 4 per stove? The biggest reason is that it is more consistent with Leave No Trace, particularly in undeveloped sites. Eight people create a lot of impact on one spot over a weekend.
Second reason is speed and efficiency. Two groups working in parallel get meals done faster, and you double the number of guys who get experience cooking. Even if they're cooking as a patrol, different guys are doing different parts of the meal (teamwork...). Pot size stays manageable (3-liter), bake pan makes a perfect "generous" amount in one round, etc. Particularly in the winter, trying to cook larger amounts gets exponentially harder as the stove is working uphill against the elements. (That's another reason for the lightweight gear; propane is really frustrating in the deep cold).
If you're thinking about experimenting, I'd encourage it! I'd suggest taking your PLC or Venture Patrol and trying it with just them for a bit, then let them make changes as they see fit. It helps you to build a cadre of boys with experience to ease into the transition for the younger guys.
See Also:
Lightweight Troop Equipment
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