Planning a camp is a tough job but can be very rewarding. It means that you get to choose exactly what activities to do, what food to eat and, as far as possible, what you will be sleeping in, how long it will be and where it will be.

There are a lot of things that need to be considered though such as:

• Location and Layout
• Food
• Personal Equipment
• Group Equipment
• Activities
• Cost
• Marketing
• Risk Analysis
• Contingencies
• Weather
• Length of the camp
• Availability of people
• Responsibilities
• Rules and Regulations
• etc.

What starts off appearing as something simple, quickly becomes very complicated and quite a headache. This guide is designed to tell you what is involved and how to tackle it. Don't forget, Leaders are always on hand to give you any help and advice that you may need (they need to be consulted anyway, so don't leave them out of the planning!).

Location and Layout

Camping plays a big part in scouting. A lot of time and effort can be put into a camp so it is important that things are done right. The location and layout of a camp is important to the experience it provides. There are essentially two types of campsite. The first is on a organised site. These sites have well kept grass and permanent facilities, like toilets, running water, often a shelter and even showers. Then we have what is known as a green field site. This is basically exactly as it sounds; it is just a field with no fixed facilities.

Leaders must hold a permit to camp and their experience determines where they can camp.

There are a number of factors to consider when planning where to camp:

• The purpose of the camp, and what the theme of the camp is (e.g. survival camps will need suitable natural resources).
• The time of year and duration will affect the place (a long camp is not so good on a green field site and in winter you may want warm showers).
• Transportation to the site and cost of the site need to be considered (if the site is 300 miles away and costs £100 a day it would be a very expensive camp and probably no one would attend!).

The site will require:

• Safe drinking water
• Low flood risk
• Level ground for tents
• Cover from weather (e.g. Wind)
• Accessibility
• Natural hazards must considered like large trees

The layout will always vary depending on the theme and facilities available. First aid, stores, water, leaders tents all need to be central. Details of where things are kept should be known by all in case of emergencies.