The best place to start thinking about what to take on a trip is of course the Boy Scout Handbook (you’ve got one, right?) But the Handbook can only provide general ideas — you need to customize your personal checklist to the what you’re doing, the area you’re doing it, and the weather you’re likely to encounter. Troop 119 has put together an excellent checklist for hiking and camping in New England, and an additional list for winter camping. These should give you some additional ideas.
Once Scouts and their parents have thought about what gear they need, the question comes up of how to get it. One way to get outdoor gear is via the Scout Stores of the BSA. However, while some kinds of specifically Scout gear (like uniforms) are best obtained through the Scout Stores, a lot of other gear — clothing, sleeping bags, tents, and so on — can be obtained from other sources. There’s absolutely no requirement to be outfitted with official Scout gear, and most of Troop 160’s Scouts are not.
Four good local sources for equipment are EMS, REI, L.L. Bean, and Hilton’s Tent City. Since their Burlington store closed, the closest EMS outlets are in Cambridge and Boston, in addition to others in New England; they also has a good web site. REI has stores in Reading and Framingham, in addition to many others nationwide. They also have a good web site, with a special section for reduced-price deals. L.L. Bean just opened a store in Burlington (Sept. 2006). Hilton’s has an interesting selection of gear that covers a lot more than just tents, including a particularly good selection of quality backpacks and outerwear.
One nice thing about both REI and EMS is that they rent quite a variety of gear. This can be really helpful if you only need something occasionally (snowshoes, perhaps), or if you aren’t sure which item to buy (like a winter sleeping bag). It’s a lot cheaper to try out a few possiblities than to buy something that turns out not to be what you need.
Another source of equipment on the web is Campmor, which often has some very good deals. Don’t overlook Play it Again Sports in Stoneham for good used gear.
WATER BOTTLES. Recently (10/07) there has been some controversy about various kinds of water bottles, particularly the Lexan Nalgenes and similar types. Here is a Scoutmaster Minute on the subject, including links to other articles. Here is an update (4/08) with more on the subject.
COLD WEATHER CAMPING. Since Troop 160 camps year-round, we need to pay special attention to gear for cold weather camping. This page has a compilation of links pulled together by Flintlock District giving some useful information.