Troop 48 strives to keep Scouting as affordable as possible for families.  We also are strongly committed to the ideal that EVERY boy, regardless of a family’s financial situation, deserves to have the opportunity of Scouting.  If your family is interested in Scouting, and the cost of it is a concern (either due to short term or long term money concerns), please do not let that keep your son out of Scouting.  ALL of the finances of Troop 48 can be placed on a payment plan, and partial and full camping scholarships (err… camper-ships) are available for boys that need them.

Our Annual Dues

Our annual dues are currently being recalculated due to an increase in what we pay the National BSA offices, as well as a new fee that we need to pay the local Garden State Council offices.

Your dues cover:

  • BSA Registration & Insurance 
  • Garden State Council fees
  • Awards & Achievements earned in the year.
  • All Troop meetings (about 50 each year, with the exception a few off-site outings like climbing night, which may have an entrance fee).
  • One Scouts BSA Handbook.
  • Two Troop 48 t-shirts and one Troop 48 sweatshirt (these are worn to all meetings and camp outs… additional shirts and sweatshirts can be purchased from the Troop as needed).
  • Various uniform patches for the “Class A” dress uniform, including the numbers and council patch.
  • A purple Troop 48 neckerchief for the “Class A” uniform.
  • A subscription to Scout Life Magazine can be ordered for an additional $15

Your dues do NOT cover!

“Class A” Uniform:

The traditional BSA uniform is worn on special occasions, like our Courts of Honor and certain service projects (especially our Memorial Day flag placement ceremony).  The families are responsible for buying this, but it is NOT an immediate purchase concern when a boy first joins, and we may have a few shirts in the uniform closet for those that need them.

The uniform includes…

  • A tan short sleeved Boy Scout shirt.  These cost $30 to $40 per shirt, depending on which material you go with.  We HIGHLY recommend short-sleeved uniform shirts.
  • A Boy Scout neckerchief slide, which costs around $6.
  • Optional: A Boy Scout belt, pants, socks, or hat.  A full uniform costs around $200, and we in no way require any of these items (many of our Scouts do not wear any of these option items).  Regular dress pants or cheaper olive/green kacki pants work fine with the uniform (and are cheaper) for when we wear it, and your son is growing quickly anyway.

We recommend buying a little big, so that your son can use the same uniform throughout his Scouting career.

This can be purchased online at scoutstuff.org or save shipping and go to our local Scout shop at 693 Rancocas Rd, Westampton, NJ 08060.

Other Expenses

Our annual calendar is full of fun and adventure to the tune of at least one trip each month (usual cost per trip is $30-$40 with a $10 “early bird special” for those paying a week and half in advance).  How many trips and activities your son participates in will affect your total cost. Check out our schedule for what we are doing!  We also hold fundraisers to help offset some of the costs of Scouting so that your son can “earn his own way”!

If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to contact Scoutmaster Mike McCormick at [email protected].