# Select patrol campsite

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

*1. Camping and Outdoor Ethics*

> **1c.** On one of these campouts, select a location for your patrol site and recommend it to your patrol leader, senior patrol leader, or troop guide. Explain what factors you should consider when choosing a patrol site and where to pitch a tent.

Selecting a campsite is one of the most critical decisions on any outdoor trip. A site that looks idyllic in warm afternoon sunshine can quickly flood in a midnight storm, expose tents to high winds, or place your patrol directly in the path of falling branches or wildlife.

## The Key Factors for Choosing a Patrol Campsite: The 4 W's

When evaluating potential patrol campsites, assess these primary factors:

### Water & Drainage
- **High, Gently Sloping Ground:** Pitch on slightly elevated, well-drained ground. Never set up tents in depressions, gullies, dry creek beds, or low valleys where rain pools or flash floods occur.
- **200-Foot Water Buffer:** Following Leave No Trace, select a site at least **200 feet (about 75 adult paces)** away from lakes, rivers, streams, and natural springs to protect sensitive riparian habitats and allow wildlife free access to water.

### Wind & Weather
- **Natural Windbreaks:** Position your camp where natural features—such as a small ridge, boulder outcropping, or dense stand of mature trees—break strong prevailing winds. Avoid wind tunnels (such as canyon mouths or narrow mountain saddles).
- **Sun & Temperature Management:** In cold weather, look for a spot that catches early morning sun to warm tents and dry condensation; in hot weather, choose a spot with afternoon shade.

### Widow-Makers & Overhead Hazards
- **Look Up Before Unpacking:** Thoroughly inspect the tree canopy above every tent site. Avoid dead trees, hanging dead limbs ("widow-makers"), trees with heavy fungal rot, or leaning trunks that could snap and fall in wind, snow, or rain.
- **Lightning Exposure:** Avoid pitching on exposed mountaintops, open ridges, or directly under the tallest solitary tree in an open field.

### Wildlife & Camp Layout (Zoning)
- **Camp Kitchen Separation:** Position the cooking and food storage area at least **100 to 200 feet downwind** from all sleeping tents.
- **Animal Corridors:** Avoid placing tents directly across game trails or near animal dens.

![Overhead spatial diagram of a patrol campsite showing tent placement distances from the water source, trail, kitchen area, and latrine](https://ik.imagekit.io/doulacoop/tr:w-1376/su-assets/scouts-bsa/ranks/second-class/guide/patrol-campsite-layout?v=4b5282a7)

## Where to Pitch Individual Tents Within the Site

Once the patrol site is chosen, select specific spots for individual tents:
1. **Durable Ground:** Choose established tent pads, compacted dirt, or gravel. Avoid trampling live vegetation, delicate moss, or wildflower patches.
2. **Clear the Pad:** Remove loose pebbles, pinecones, and sharp twigs by hand without digging up the soil or cutting tree roots.
3. **Check Slope and Sleeping Direction:** Pitch tents so your head will be slightly uphill from your feet when sleeping inside.

## How to Present Your Recommendation

Walk the area, evaluate the terrain against the criteria above, and present your recommendation to your Patrol Leader, Senior Patrol Leader, or Troop Guide:

- **Point out the exact perimeter:** Show where patrol tents, the dining fly, and the kitchen station should go.
- **Explain your rationale:** Explicitly state why the spot is safe (good drainage, no widow-makers overhead, sheltered from wind) and compliant with Leave No Trace (200 feet from water, established durable surface).

> **Be Prepared! The Spot That Looks Perfect**
>
> You find a flat, grassy clearing that looks ideal for the patrol site — but it sits in a shallow dip below the trail.
>
> - **Check the drainage**: Look for signs of standing water, matted-down silt, or dry channels leading into the clearing.
> - **Look uphill**: If runoff from surrounding hills will funnel directly into the dip during a rainstorm, walk away.
> - **Choose higher ground**: Pick slightly higher, well-drained terrain, even if it has a gentle slope. A dry tent is far better than a flooded one.

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- Previous: [Recite Leave No Trace principles](https://scouting.university/scouts-bsa/ranks/second-class/guide/req1b/index.md)
- Next: [Explain when to use a fire](https://scouting.university/scouts-bsa/ranks/second-class/guide/req2a/index.md)