Vol. 7, No. 4

A POCKETFUL OF SCOUTING

In this Issue: • Pick A Pocket • Pocketknives • Scout Swiss Army Knives • Registration Cards • Wallets • Hike Meters and Collapsible Cups • Carabiner/Knife Clip Watch

A pocket might not seem the largest space for carrying things, but when it is Scout stuff, you’d be surprised what a pocket can contain. On a hike, a camping trip, or at a unit meeting, what’s in your pockets can give you the tools you need to get the job done, whatever that job might be.

PICK A POCKET

Uniform pants and shorts all have one thing in common. Pockets. Those of the 1940s through 1960s had button-down pocket flaps with red trim that served no purpose other than stylish appeal.

Cargo pockets provide room to carry half of the Scout Ten Essentials – map and compass, small first-aid kit, flashlight, sun protection, and a few snacks for trail food. You can also stow those in a day pack, but you’ll probably want that most basic of essentials where you can get it easily – your pocketknife.

POCKETKNIVES

More Scouts have owned and appreciated pocketknives than any other essentials. They are easy to use, comfortable to carry, and versatile. Many manufacturers have made knives for Scouts. Remington had display cases showing a variety of knives “For Boy Scouts, Tourists, and Campers.”

Other firms included Camillus, Ulster, York, Kent, and United. The names were usually stamped on the tang - the base of a knife’s largest blade.

A name you’ll see on many BSA knives is Victorinox. That’s the company famous for Swiss Army knives.

SCOUT SWISS ARMY KNIVES

The Swiss Army knife has been around since the 1890s when Swiss cutlery manufacturer Karl Elsener developed a knife to be issued to members of Switzerland’s armed forces.

His idea was to build a set of tools into a knife that could be easily carried and used at a moment’s notice. An early design included a sharp blade, can opener, awl, and flathead screwdriver.

As the knife found success, Mr. Elsener renamed his company Victorinox – Victor in honor of his mother Victoria, and inox, a French term referring to stainless steel. The Swiss cross and shield have made Victorinox an emblem recognized around the world.

Wenger, another Swiss company, was Victorinox’s competitor for nearly a century, and the only other firm authorized to make knives with the Swiss Army name. Victorinox was known for the “Original Army Knife.” The Wenger emblem was a Swiss cross without a shield. Wenger’s motto was “Genuine Swiss Army Knife.”

Wenger merged with Victorinox in 2008. Before that happened, though, Wenger manufactured the largest Swiss Army knife ever made. Weighing more than two and a half pounds, it had 87 tools and won a spot in the Guinness Book of World Records.

The largest Scout knife made by Victorinox has sixteen tools, including a toothpick and tweezers. There’s an Eagle emblem on the handle.

There are also Swiss Army knives embossed with the emblems of Boy Scouts, Cub Scouts, Venturers, and Sea Scouts. Those and several special use Scout knives are made to the same exacting standards of Victorinox knives since the 1800s. See them all at www.scoutstuff.org.

REGISTRATION CARDS

Everyone joining the BSA receives a membership card suitable for carrying in a pocket. Scouting also offers a card of the same size with the Scout Oath, Law, and Motto.

Early BSA member documents were four cards riveted together. They included a calendar, registration information, the Scout motto and slogan, and an image of Scouts in action.

The next generation of cards had no rivets and could be folded into thirds. Each card was protected by a heavy paper envelope featuring an advertisement for Boys’ Life magazine “Edited by Scout MEN Who know Boys.”

Subsequent membership documents were single cards with images borrowed from BSA Handbooks, posters, and other artwork.

Whether carried every day or stowed in a drawer with other keepsakes, a membership card can be a treasured memento of exciting times with the Boy Scouts of America.

WALLETS

Scout wallets are just right for carrying membership cards, notes, and whatever else you want to keep handy. Each is embroidered or embossed with a Scouting emblem.

Make a wallet of your own with a BSA wallet kit. You’ll find it and the wallets above at www.scoutstuff.org:

HIKEMETERS AND COLLAPSIBLE CUPS

Meant to be carried in a pocket, the 1913 Scout Hikemeter was a pedometer that counted steps and calculated distances walked. A tiny compass embedded in the back of the case could be used to show the way.

Another piece from the past is a metal cup that collapses down to pocket size. Its lid is embossed with Scout emblem. In later years, the collapsible cup reappeared in plastic.

CARABINER/KNIFE CLIP WATCH

If you think ingenuity in pocket items is a thing of the past, think again. The Carabiner/Knife Clip Watch, from www.scoutstuff.org, combines a surprising number of tools in a compact unit. Slip it in a pocket or use the carabiner to clip it to a belt loop and leave your pockets free for everything else you’d like to take along.

Carabiner/Knife Clip Watch • Stainless-steel and aluminum case with an integrated spring clip • Quartz analog Miyota movement Small stainless-steel knife blade • Scissors • Side-mounted compass • Ultra-bright LED microlight

(This edition of the Be Prepared Newsletter was developed and written by Robert Birkby, author of the current editions of the Boy Scout Handbook, Fieldbook, Scout Stuff, The Conservation Handbook, and Eagle Scouts: A Centennial History.)