Cheep Cheep

[Archr]

Or is it cheap?

I'm a dad of five (3 boys, 2 girls) and we love camping. With seven of us, I need to look for cheap. What drew me here is a post on homemade cookware. I saw a few other posts in the forum called Gear for Under $100 (or something like that). I want to be a part of this!

I am from a small town in Iowa.

I work with troubled youth as I go to school again to get my teaching certificate to teach math. I am also deeply involved in cub scouts and boy scouts. As a scouter, I have a little training and experience--not a lot, but a little--none in true wilderness.

However, the troop is gearing up to go to the boundary waters in 2013. We will do a smallish trek in the summer of 2012 (perhaps backpacking). For those trips in particular, I am looking for lightweight, reliable, cheap, easy to build and use, compact gear. Free would be better than cheap. If someone would pay me to haul away this ideal gear--that would be best.

In short, I am an inexperienced, ill-prepared novice that wants to improve on all three counts.

Other relevant interests include food prep, recipes, coffee, and general survival skills.

[Winter]

Well, welcome to WSF. As far as freebies go, I can't help ya BUT, I can point you at real cheap.

You can often get 20 surplus military canteens for $20. 3 surplus backpacks for $20 is also doable. I run alot of surplus when I go out.

It's rarely compact and rarely lightweight.

[DOGMAN]

How big is your troop? I might have some old gear, I'd be willing to donate (tents, stove, cook sets etc..) if your interested. This is heavily used, beat-up stuff that is still functional and has some years of use left it is just getting too beat up looking to use in my outfitting business.

Are donations to a scout troop tax deductable?

[Archr]

How big is your troop? I might have some old gear, I'd be willing to donate (tents, stove, cook sets etc..) if your interested. This is heavily used, beat-up stuff that is still functional and has some years of use left it is just getting too beat up looking to use in my outfitting business.

Are donations to a scout troop tax deductable?

Seventeen boys and several grown-up volunteers make up our very active troop (we do at least 15 outings or activities a year). We are a little weak in most equipment. We have a trailer and we are pretty good on tents. Stoves and cook sets are a particularly weakness in our inventory.

Thanks for an astonishing welcome.

[Archr]

Well, welcome to WSF. As far as freebies go, I can't help ya BUT, I can point you at real cheap.

You can often get 20 surplus military canteens for $20. 3 surplus backpacks for $20 is also doable. I run alot of surplus when I go out.

It's rarely compact and rarely lightweight.

What are your favorite outlets for military surplus. In Iowa, military surplus seems to have become popular enough that it is no longer a sweet deal. I'd be all over mil surplus except where weight is a factor.

[crashdive123]

Hello and welcome. There are several DIY projects kicking around here that might be good for you to learn and then pass that along to your Scouts in the form of projects that they can learn and do themselves. Kids learning the value of making things that are useful is always a valuable lesson.

[Rick]

Archr - Since I don't know what town you are in I can't give you anyone close to you but google military surplus Iowa. Find the stores near you and ask ALL of them if they could donate one or two items to your troop. They can write off the donation at the end of the year. Maybe a large one will donate more. Just remember they are probably being asked by a LOT of troops.

Remember, too, that military surplus, especially things like packs, were made for bigger troops not smaller troops.

Now, don't stop there. Google sports stores Iowa and hit them up, too. Same thing, ask if they could donate one or two items.

Also, ask your council if there are any recently defunct troops and find out who the leader was. Then, call the leader and see if they have any of the equipment left over he could donate to your troop.

It's a lot of foot work but no one said cheap is easy. Of course, I'm both but that's another thread altogether.

[DOGMAN]

So, are dontations to a scout troop tax deductible?

So, Archr the stuff I have (cooksets and stoves) are heavy-duty canoe-tripping/ car camping type stuff. Not stuff you can carry on your back. Is this appropriate for the troops needs?

[Sourdough]

Welcome to the forum.

[Archr]

So, are dontations to a scout troop tax deductible?

So, Archr the stuff I have (cooksets and stoves) are heavy-duty canoe-tripping/ car camping type stuff. Not stuff you can carry on your back. Is this appropriate for the troops needs?

I sent a PM on that detail. I would think a donation to a scout troop is tax deductible. Rick seems to think so too, to that makes it virtually unanimous. If a letter of receipt should be useful, I will have one run through the committee. My understanding of such things is that the estimation of true market value is left to the one who is claiming the tax exemption.

Most of our camping is in fact out of our trailer. Probably twice a year on average, we would be carrying our gear on a significant trek.

In short we would be interested.

I just looked and found your email on the topic. I will take it up there. Thanks for the consideration.


@crashdive123
So true. I tend to do that with my own three scouts. I will look for opportunities to involve the whole troop in DIY homemade gear projects.

@Rick
I can't look at your avatar when I read your post. It makes me laugh.

I will work on a project to do just that. As I used to say, "No asky, no getty."

[Sarge47]

Welcome to the Wolf-Pack! Rick would know best about Scout supplies being a Scoutmaster himself, as is FinallyMe, and PGV Outdoors! There are more around, but their names escape me at this time. As a former Assistant Scoutmaster, just let me say that there is a wealth of material on making gear in the older Boy Scout Manuals and Fieldbooks. If you can find any, check them out! Good luck, stay safe, and always, Be Prepared!

[Sarge47]

Also check out "Freecycle" in your area. People giveaway things to thos e who ask if they have them to get rid of. It may help:

http://www.freecycle.org/

[Rick]

Dogman, you should be able to write off the donation at year end through your business. You will have to pay taxes on the assessed value (I think) but you can write it off. I wrote off some stuff last year that I donated for advertising. I'm pretty sure I had to pay the taxes on the wholesale cost. It's beyond yesterday so I don't remember.

[hunter63]

Hunter63, saying hey, and Welcome.
Good luck on your quest.....just asking around will find more like minded people.