This section is from the book "Camping Manual For Troop Scouters", by Boy Scouts of America. Also available from Amazon: Camping Manual For Troop Scouters.
1. Below is a form that can be used to check your camp site, or any possible camp site.
2. You are to take this form and (as instructed) check your present camp.
3. This is done as follows:
(a) Consider its "location." Note that this word is followed by six possible degrees or conditions. "In City" is rated as "bad" while "Back woodland" is rated as "Perfect" with certain other possibilities In between. Down the first column you have major topics for consideration, each followed by six "degrees" of excellence.
(b) Agree upon how "Location" is to be rated and place a dot or mark under the proper quality. If on a "Farm," place a mark in this square. This is rated as scoring "6" on a basis of from 0 to 10. Proceed down the page in a similar way.
(c) Next, after all items have been marked, add up the total "score" for your camp site. Check the spaces you have marked and look up at the top of the chart to the figures above that space. There will be 12 of these to add. Record the total score in the space at the bottom of the chart. The total possible score is 120. How near did you come to having a "perfect" camp site?
(d) You can draw a graph of this by joining all the dots in the spaces with a line. Begin with the dot or mark opposite "Location" and draw a line to the mark opposite "Drainage", then to the mark opposite "Soil"., and so on. Do most of the lines lie to the right or left of the "good" column? Which represents the good camp? Where can you make improvements?
(e) Patrol Leaders and Patrols in your Troop will enjoy using this and it will be an excellent instructional device for them.
SCORE | 0 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 8 | 10 |
Item | BAD | POOR | FAIR | GOOD | EXCELLENT | PERFECT |
LOCATION | In City | Edge City | Suburban | Farms | Abandoned Farms | Back woodland |
DRAINAGE | Swamp | May flood | Drains slowly | Drains two ways | Drains three ways | Drains all ways _ |
SOIL | Muck | Clay or Gumbo | Rocky or loose gravel | Gravelly | Packing sand gravel under | Firm loam gravel under |
GROUND COVERAGE | Bare | Weeds | Grain Stubble | Hay Crops | Leaf Mold | Well grassed |
TREE GROWTH | None | Shrubs and bushes | Saplings | 20-30 Year second growth | 30-60 Year second growth | Forest Primeval |
TOPOGRAPHY | Steep | Flat | 12% slopes | 5-8 slopes | Gentle slopes | Gentle slopes |
WATER SUPPLY | None | Long carry | Short steep carry | Medium carry safe well | Short carry safe well _ _ | Uncontaminated clear! cold spring-short carry |
SWIMMING | SWIFT deep stream | Still deep stream | Safe depth stream | Lake, safe depth, clear land clean | Lake, safe depth, clear un con taminated | Lake, clear gradual slope, sand beach uncontaminated |
FUEL | None | Down soft wood | Down soft wood | Standing, dead soft wood | Standing dead hard wood fat pine branches | Opportunity to cut and rick hard-woods. Fat pine stumps |
PUBLIC | Vandals | Curious | Picnickers _ | Tolerant neighbors | Friendly natives | No one |
PESTS | Mosquitos | 'Other biting Insects | Poisonous Plants | Controllable flies | Few of anything | None |
TRANSPORTATION | Long hike by road | Long, hard hike | Long car ride *-nd hike | Short car ride and hike | Low cost ride and hike | Low cost auto ride to site |
(If the "ADVENTURE TRAIL" is used instead of "WIDE GAME") (The "Wide Game" material or suggestions follow this.)
 
Continue to: