Can we still order from AAFES?

[stitchmom]

Maybe it's one of those YMMV type of things!  I've found CAP to be a lot more expensive and we were kindly given a ton of stuff like uniforms.

[kwe1009]

Maybe it's one of those YMMV type of things!  I've found CAP to be a lot more expensive and we were kindly given a ton of stuff like uniforms.

A complete Boy Scout uniform runs over $160 (not including shoes and tons of sewing).  Annual dues depends on your location but in my area seem to be $100 and up.  Summer camps start around $250 and go up from there.  First year cost: at least $510

In my wing annual dues for cadet is $40 and encampment is $170.  The required uniform used to be free but with the Curry voucher it is now mostly free.  BDUs can be found for $50/set and up.  First year cost: about $330 (plus shoes/boots).

If you are talking about the costs to participate in ES or an NCSA, that really doesn't count since that is purely optional.  I spent over $1500 just to send my son to Jamboree.  That was basically a campout so you can't compare that to a flight NCSA where the cadet learns how to be a pilot.

[stitchmom]

I didn't know there was more to the uniform than the Class A Shirt.  He was kindly given a Class A shirt, a t-shirt with a logo, and a book. He wears either shirt with jeans and sneakers.

Our summer camp is about the same but the camp has scholarships up 1/2 and our troop offers scholarships too for the community service they do. They do a fundraiser in the fall.

I bought a sleeping bag at the thrift store for $8 and it cost me $5 to wash and dry it.

For summer camp the only thing I had to purchase was the usual outdoor toiletries and a folding camp chair $12 at the drug store.

They go on weekend camping trips and there is usually a $10 or $15 food expense.

I need to buy a bag for his sleeping bag.

The biggest expense in scouts has been taking the sleeping bag, pillows, and weekend clothing to the laundromat trying to get that "cabin scent" out of them.   


For CAP
Dues are about the same as scouts

We were kindly given the uniforms and  a scholarship for encampment.

For encampment I had to purchase
18 specific color/style t shirts ($60)
black exercise shorts ($15)
8 pairs of black socks ($15 - had to buy two 6 packs)
dress socks ($6)
alteration + ironing ($18)
moleskins ($5)
dark colored blanket ($5)
leather gloves ($10)
It would be even higher if I bought the uniform dress shoes.
usual outdoor toiletries

Not counting the gas to and from and items I bought incorrectly that were washed before I knew.     Definite learning curve there!

Wow huge expense but that is awesome your scout went to Jamboree. 

[kwe1009]

Unfortunately it rained the entire time he was there but he still had a good time.  If the troop is following BSA rules, then your scout must be in full uniform (including BSA socks and pants) when he meets a Board of Review for rank advancement. 

[SAREXinNY]

I went to the 1997 Jamboree...and I still remember it.  I'm sure my parents weren't thrilled with the cost, but it was an experience I will never forget.  I earned my Eagle Scout, and that is obviously something I'm very proud of.  Honestly though, I feel CAP offers a lot more to young people than boy scouting does (just a personal opinion, having been involved with both).  I just wish the public and employers were as familiar with "Mitchell" or "Spaatz" as they were with "Eagle Scout."  It's something I still have on my resume twenty years later...

But I digress....AAFES...