Hole in my Pack Activity

paper and pencil for each patrol or scout.
Lots of camping items you might find in your pack.

Place items along one side of a trail. Make some obvious, others a bit more difficult to see, depending on the age of the scouts. Write a list of all the items in the correct order so none are forgotten.

Emphasizes observation and memory.
Can be used along with a Leave No Trace event or caring for the environment.

The activity leader tells everyone that she went for a hike and discovered she had a hole in her pack when she returned. All this stuff has fallen out along the trail and it needs to be found.

The leader has everyone follow her in single file down the trail. Scouts stay on the trail, but search for items quietly. The leader should walk at a fairly slow pace. Scouts can only walk forward, they can't go back down the trail to check on missed items.

At the end of the trail, each patrol leader is given paper and pencil. Each patrol needs to make a list of all the items they saw and list them in the correct order seen, from first to last.

When all patrols are finished, compare their lists with the correct one to find the winner.

As an alternative, you can ask the patrols to arrange the items from most to least important for a backpacking trip.