# Lash a camp gadget

Part of the First Class guide: [Introduction & Overview](https://scouting.university/scouts-bsa/ranks/first-class/guide/index.md)

*3. Tools*

> **3d.** Use lashings to make a useful camp gadget or structure.

This requirement puts the foundational lashings from [requirement 3c](https://scouting.university/scouts-bsa/ranks/first-class/guide/req3c/) to practical use in the field by building a useful, durable structure for your patrol campsite.

## Practical Camp Gadget Ideas

- **Camp Washstand / Basin Holder:** A stable tripod made with a shear or tripod lashing, reinforced with three crossbars near the bottom joined by square lashings to hold a water basin.
- **Camp Table & Bench:** Two A-trestles (shear legs with diagonal cross-bracing) supporting parallel stringers, with a tabletop secured using **floor lashings**.
- **Patrol Tool Rack:** An A-frame rack with horizontal crossbars to keep axes, shovels, and saws off wet ground and safely stored in camp.
- **Campsite Gateway & Sign Frame:** Upright staves supporting a patrol sign, braced with diagonal lashings to prevent racking in the wind.
- **Dish-Drying Rack:** A raised rectangular frame with small floor spars allowing plates and utensils to air-dry cleanly away from dirt and critters.

## Structural Integrity: Building for Stability

1. **Triangulate the Base:** A three-legged tripod can splay out under weight if the legs are on smooth ground. Always add three horizontal crossbars near the bottom connected with square lashings to lock the leg geometry in place.
2. **Floor Lashing for Surfaces:** To create a solid platform for a table or rack, lay floor spars across two parallel stringers. Secure them using a continuous floor lashing (looping a bight over each floor spar on the inside and outside of the stringer, finishing with a clove hitch).
3. **Inspect and Re-cinch:** Camp gadgets settle after hours of use. If a joint begins to wobble, inspect the **frapping turns** first — retighten the fraps or retie the joint if the wood has shifted.

> **Be Prepared! A Lashing Loosens After Heavy Rain**
>
> Natural fiber ropes expand when wet and contract as they dry, while synthetic ropes stretch under sustained load.
>
> - **Check frapping turns** periodically during multi-day campouts.
> - **Snug the clove hitch finish** and add an extra half-hitch if the tail has slipped.
> - **Disassemble completely** at the end of camp: untie every lashing, coil all ropes neatly, and store dry spars off the ground.

> **Tip**
>
> Take a photograph or make a quick sketch of your completed camp gadget in your Scout handbook or patrol log to document your design for your Scoutmaster conference.

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- Previous: [Tie 3 lashings](https://scouting.university/scouts-bsa/ranks/first-class/guide/req3c/index.md)
- Next: [Complete orienteering course](https://scouting.university/scouts-bsa/ranks/first-class/guide/req4a/index.md)