# Field Guides & Outdoor Skills

Quick-reference outdoor guides for Scouting America: knots and lashings, wilderness first aid, camp cooking, Dutch ovens, map navigation, and weather.

Welcome to the **Scouting America Field Guides**. Whether you are a new Scout practicing for your next rank, a Patrol Leader organizing a campout, or getting ready for a big backpacking trek, these guides give you quick, practical answers in the field.

Each guide includes step-by-step instructions, clear diagrams, and helpful pro tips.

## Outdoor Guides

### 🪢 [Knots, Hitches & Lashings Field Guide](https://scouting.university/scouts-bsa/field-guides/knots-and-lashings/)
Everything you need to know about ropework:
- **Core Knots**: Step-by-step instructions for the Square Knot, Bowline, Taut-line Hitch, Clove Hitch, Two Half-Hitches, and Sheet Bend.
- **Pioneering Lashings**: How to tie Square, Diagonal, Shear, Tripod, and Floor lashings for camp gadgets and towers.
- **Rope Care**: How to whip rope with cord or fuse synthetic ends with heat so they don't unravel.

[**Open the Knots & Lashings Guide →**](https://scouting.university/scouts-bsa/field-guides/knots-and-lashings/)

### 🩹 [Wilderness First Aid Guide](https://scouting.university/scouts-bsa/field-guides/wilderness-first-aid/)
How to handle outdoor injuries and medical emergencies:
- **Patient Assessment**: How to check an injured Scout quickly using the MARCH PAWS method.
- **Treating Injuries**: Managing bleeding, applying SAM splints to sprains and broken bones, and cleaning wounds.
- **Cold & Heat Emergencies**: How to build a hypothermia burrito wrap and treat heat exhaustion.
- **Calling for Help**: When to walk out, when to call Search & Rescue, and how to use satellite messengers or signal mirrors.

[**Open the Wilderness First Aid Guide →**](https://scouting.university/scouts-bsa/field-guides/wilderness-first-aid/)

### 🍳 [Camp Cooking & Kitchen Guide](https://scouting.university/scouts-bsa/field-guides/camp-cooking/)
Master your patrol kitchen and cook great camp meals:
- **The 3-Pot Wash System**: How to wash, rinse, and sanitize dishes in camp so nobody gets sick.
- **Dutch Oven Cooking**: How many charcoal briquettes to put on top and bottom for baking, simmering, and roasting.
- **Camp Stoves & Fuel**: How to safely use canister stoves and liquid fuel stoves in cold weather.
- **Food Safety & Bear Triangle**: Keeping coolers below 40°F and keeping food 200 feet away from your sleeping tents.

[**Open the Camp Cooking Guide →**](https://scouting.university/scouts-bsa/field-guides/camp-cooking/)

### 🧭 [Navigation & Weather Guide](https://scouting.university/scouts-bsa/field-guides/navigation-and-weather/)
Find your way on trails and read the weather:
- **Topographic Maps**: How to read contour lines to spot steep hills, ridges, and valleys.
- **Baseplate Compass**: How to take a field bearing, take a map bearing, and follow a bearing on the trail.
- **Declination**: Simple math rules to adjust between True North and Magnetic North.
- **Predicting Weather**: How to look at cloud shapes and wind direction to know if rain is coming.

[**Open the Navigation & Weather Guide →**](https://scouting.university/scouts-bsa/field-guides/navigation-and-weather/)

## The 10 Outdoor Essentials

> **Be Prepared! The Outdoor Essentials for Every Outing**
>
> Always pack these 10 essentials in your daypack before every hike or campout:
> 1. **Navigation:** Topographic map and a baseplate compass.
> 2. **Headlamp / Flashlight:** LED headlamp with extra batteries.
> 3. **Sun Protection:** Sunscreen, sunglasses, and a hat.
> 4. **First Aid Kit:** Bandages, blister moleskin, antiseptic wipes, and gloves.
> 5. **Pocketknife:** A clean, sharp folding knife (with your Totin' Chip card).
> 6. **Fire Starters:** Waterproof matches and fire starter tinder.
> 7. **Emergency Shelter:** A light emergency space blanket or small tarp.
> 8. **Extra Food:** Trail mix, energy bars, or jerky for an extra day.
> 9. **Extra Water:** At least 2 water bottles plus a water filter or purification tablets.
> 10. **Extra Clothes:** Warm fleece or wool layers and a waterproof rain jacket (never wear cotton in cold/wet weather!).

> **Tip**
>
> **Patrol Practice Tip:** Keep printed copies of these guides in your patrol chuck box and leader binder. Practice knot relays, compass courses, and mock first aid drills at patrol meetings to make these skills second nature!

> **Did You Know?**
>
> The skills in these four guides cover rank requirements from **Scout** all the way to **First Class**, as well as Eagle-required merit badges like *First Aid*, *Camping*, *Cooking*, and *Emergency Preparedness*.


- [Camp Cooking & Kitchen Guide: Stoves, Dutch Ovens & Clean-Up](https://scouting.university/scouts-bsa/field-guides/camp-cooking/index.md): How to cook great meals at camp: kitchen setup, the 200-foot bear triangle, 3-pot dishwashing, and Dutch oven heat charts.
- [Knots & Lashings Guide: Hitches, Bends & Camp Gadgets](https://scouting.university/scouts-bsa/field-guides/knots-and-lashings/index.md): A step-by-step technical guide to tying the core scouting knots, pioneering lashings, rope care, whipping, and fusing.
- [Navigation & Weather Guide: Maps, Compasses & Forecasting](https://scouting.university/scouts-bsa/field-guides/navigation-and-weather/index.md): How to find your way in the backcountry: reading topographic maps, using a baseplate compass, calculating declination, and reading clouds for weather.
- [Wilderness First Aid Guide: Handling Outdoor Emergencies](https://scouting.university/scouts-bsa/field-guides/wilderness-first-aid/index.md): A practical guide to wilderness emergency response: checking injured patients with MARCH PAWS, treating trauma, hypothermia wraps, and calling for help.