Camping Merit Badge

Tips for Earning This Badge

• 1Track your camping nights from your very first campout — do not wait until you are working on the badge.
• 2The 20 nights go faster than most scouts expect with an active troop. Count every approved campout.
• 3The cooking, shelter, and knot requirements are tested — practice them at campouts, not just at home.
• 4This badge cannot be earned at a merit badge college. It requires actual nights in the field.
• 5Counselors want to see these skills performed at an actual campsite, not described in an office — save your demonstration for a real campout when possible.
• 6A common pitfall: scouts who camp plenty but never write down which nights counted. Keep a simple running list so you are not reconstructing years of campouts from memory.