Where do we get the uniform?
One of the first questions we all have!
You have likely already heard about the mission and the aims of Scouting. The methods of Cub Scouting are: living the ideals, belonging to a den, advancement, family involvement, activities, serving the community, and the uniform.
Cub Scout uniforms serve a dual purpose: demonstrating that a Scout is part of a team, and showing individual achievement (Scouts wear the badges they’ve earned). Wearing the uniform to meetings and activities also encourages a neat appearance and good behavior.
The uniform is a one-time purchase that is beyond the membership dues.
Financial concerns should never be a barrier to Scouting. We have some gently used items available or we can work with you to have your Scout earn their uniform. We want every young person to get the experiences and benefits of Scouting no matter their situation, there is no judgment here, please just let us know.
Cub Scout uniforms serve a dual purpose: demonstrating that a Scout is part of a team, and showing individual achievement (Scouts wear the badges they’ve earned). Wearing the uniform to meetings and activities also encourages a neat appearance and good behavior.
The uniform is a one-time purchase that is beyond the membership dues.
Financial concerns should never be a barrier to Scouting. We have some gently used items available or we can work with you to have your Scout earn their uniform. We want every young person to get the experiences and benefits of Scouting no matter their situation, there is no judgment here, please just let us know.
What is the uniform?
Here is a uniform guide with examples & costs. Here are examples of what each rank looks like for boys and girls.
Cub Scout uniform inspection checklist.
Webelos uniform inspection checklist.
Here is a document UNIFORMS with direct links to each item needed, for online purchase.
Cub Scout uniform inspection checklist.
Webelos uniform inspection checklist.
Here is a document UNIFORMS with direct links to each item needed, for online purchase.
Where do I purchase the uniform?
San Diego Scout Shop
The best way to get a uniform is to go to a physical San Diego Scout Shop location so you can try them on, as the sizes may not necessarily be what you think. The staff is also great about helping you assemble all the needed pieces by rank. Another good part about going there is that half of the patches you need will already be pre-sewn on the shirts: Flag, BSA emblem w/ World Crest, and Council shoulder patch. The San Diego Scout Shop is located at the council headquarters near Balboa Park, here is a flyer with location and hours.
Rancho Army-Navy Store
Since that is some distance south, another place you can go is the Rancho Army-Navy Store in Temecula. They are a licensed distributor for BSA and have a whole Scouting section. www.ranchoarmynavy.com/scouting for locations and hours.
Other Physical Locations
If you head a different direction, there is another Scout Shop in Laguna Hills, and a few others further into the L.A. area. Use the ‘Store Locator’ on www.ScoutShop.org for locations and hours.
SDIC Council Scout Shop request form
As an alternative, our local SDIC Council Scout Shop now has an online shopping request form for you to purchase any uniform related products online straight from their on-hand store inventory. You can select the items and they will gather, bag, and set aside your order for you to pickup in-store, contactless curbside, or have the items shipped directly to your home. They breakdown items by rank. The benefit of buying local is that some of the patches are pre-sewn on the tops. Support local and check it out.
ScoutShop.org
Uniforms, patches, handbooks, and other Scouting items can be purchased online through Scoutshop.org. Be mindful if you use the ‘uniform builder’, it can be misleading. It sometimes doesn’t show all options, is missing some items, or lists outdated items.
The best way to get a uniform is to go to a physical San Diego Scout Shop location so you can try them on, as the sizes may not necessarily be what you think. The staff is also great about helping you assemble all the needed pieces by rank. Another good part about going there is that half of the patches you need will already be pre-sewn on the shirts: Flag, BSA emblem w/ World Crest, and Council shoulder patch. The San Diego Scout Shop is located at the council headquarters near Balboa Park, here is a flyer with location and hours.
Rancho Army-Navy Store
Since that is some distance south, another place you can go is the Rancho Army-Navy Store in Temecula. They are a licensed distributor for BSA and have a whole Scouting section. www.ranchoarmynavy.com/scouting for locations and hours.
Other Physical Locations
If you head a different direction, there is another Scout Shop in Laguna Hills, and a few others further into the L.A. area. Use the ‘Store Locator’ on www.ScoutShop.org for locations and hours.
SDIC Council Scout Shop request form
As an alternative, our local SDIC Council Scout Shop now has an online shopping request form for you to purchase any uniform related products online straight from their on-hand store inventory. You can select the items and they will gather, bag, and set aside your order for you to pickup in-store, contactless curbside, or have the items shipped directly to your home. They breakdown items by rank. The benefit of buying local is that some of the patches are pre-sewn on the tops. Support local and check it out.
ScoutShop.org
Uniforms, patches, handbooks, and other Scouting items can be purchased online through Scoutshop.org. Be mindful if you use the ‘uniform builder’, it can be misleading. It sometimes doesn’t show all options, is missing some items, or lists outdated items.
What about patches? Do I need to buy patches?
If you purchase in-person at the Scout Shop, many patches are pre-sewn and included in the cost. If you purchase tops online, you will need to get all the patches separately and sew them on including the American Flag, BSA Fleur-de-lis, World Crest, SDIC Council patch, and Den #.
- Pack 787 will provide the red Pack #s to you, upon payment of your Pack dues. We have a nice single patch for this with our veteran unit marker. Check with your Den Leader, New Member Coordinator, or Cubmaster.
- Check with your Den Leader for your Den #, or if they have any extras, before purchasing the Den # patch. Den #s stay the same each year.
- If you can sew, great! Be sure to teach your Scout too, or learn together. Otherwise many of the military uniform shops or dry cleaners in our area will sew patches for minimal cost each.
- Every Scout handbook has a handy reference in the back of where all the patches go.
Uniform Considerations & Random Facts
- The official socks are optional.
- ‘Switchback’ pants means they zip off at the knees and convert to shorts, the good thing about these is a single purchase that can be worn year-round.
- A Scout is Thrifty: Pack 787 encourages the official bottoms, but we are flexible on those. If cost is a concern they can wear any similar dark blue shorts/pants, just make sure it has belt loops so they can wear their uniform belt (which holds all their adventure loops). Gym shorts or sweat pants are not appropriate to wear with a uniform.
- The websites don’t explain the difference in some shirts or bottoms, it’s basically different fabrics. This is one reason you may want to see them in person.
- Some parents say you should buy their shirts a bit big so the scouts can grow into them. Some say the younger ages end up drowning in their uniforms when they do that. Others who buy to fit, may end up buying the next size after a growth spurt and having to move all the patches over. This is why I encourage you to go try them on. You must decide what works best for your family, and how much you anticipate your young one to grow over the next few years.
- The blue button-down shirt and blue bottoms are worn from 1st grade (Tiger) to 3rd grade (Bear). At 4th grade (Webelos) they switch to a tan shirt and green bottoms, which they will continue to wear into ScoutsBSA.
- We do not advise Badge Magic or iron-on strips, they ruin the shirt if the patches are ever removed, for instance to hand down to a sibling or donate for future use.
- If you shop online ScoutShop.org, be wary of the ‘uniform builder’, it can be misleading. It sometimes doesn’t show all options, is missing some items, or lists outdated items. That is why we have gathered direct links to many of the uniform items in the google doc, to make sure you are getting exactly what you need.
Other Uniforms
Class B uniform
The Class B uniform is the Pack 787 T-shirt and rank hat. All other clothing doesn’t matter. This can be worn to all Scouting events until you get the full Class A uniform, or sometimes we specify it when we expect to get a little dirty or relax a bit during Summer activities. Your Scout will receive 1 Pack T-shirt upon payment of the Pack dues. The cost of the first shirt is included in the dues and each additional shirt is $12/ea. Check with your Den Leader, New Member Coordinator or Cubmaster.
Parents and family are also welcome to purchase a Pack T-shirt to show their support and be part of the team at Scouting events, they are $15/ea.
Leader uniform
If you have seized the fantastic opportunity to be a Leader, you are encouraged to eventually get a uniform yourself. Leaders in uniform help set the example for the Scouts, you will learn more about it in the training. Leaders wear the tan shirt, green bottoms, and green belt. Blue loops on the shoulder epaulets identify the Cub Scout program. Leaders have the same basic patches: Flag, BSA emblem w/ World Crest, and Council shoulder patch. Pack 787 will provide you the red Pack #s, a position patch, and a Pack T-shirt.
Adult leader uniform inspection checklist.
Feel free to contact us with any questions about uniform options or requirements.
The Class B uniform is the Pack 787 T-shirt and rank hat. All other clothing doesn’t matter. This can be worn to all Scouting events until you get the full Class A uniform, or sometimes we specify it when we expect to get a little dirty or relax a bit during Summer activities. Your Scout will receive 1 Pack T-shirt upon payment of the Pack dues. The cost of the first shirt is included in the dues and each additional shirt is $12/ea. Check with your Den Leader, New Member Coordinator or Cubmaster.
Parents and family are also welcome to purchase a Pack T-shirt to show their support and be part of the team at Scouting events, they are $15/ea.
Leader uniform
If you have seized the fantastic opportunity to be a Leader, you are encouraged to eventually get a uniform yourself. Leaders in uniform help set the example for the Scouts, you will learn more about it in the training. Leaders wear the tan shirt, green bottoms, and green belt. Blue loops on the shoulder epaulets identify the Cub Scout program. Leaders have the same basic patches: Flag, BSA emblem w/ World Crest, and Council shoulder patch. Pack 787 will provide you the red Pack #s, a position patch, and a Pack T-shirt.
Adult leader uniform inspection checklist.
Feel free to contact us with any questions about uniform options or requirements.
Rank Graduation
As Cub Scout Graduation approaches in May or June time-frame, you will need to obtain the uniform items of the next rank for your Scout. A big part of the ceremony, and one of the most meaningful to the kids, is them getting to change their uniform to the next rank (or "level up" as they might say). Scouts will be presented with the badge of the rank they have been working towards all year, they will then change their uniform to the next rank to symbolize that they are now in the next grade, and working towards that next rank. As their partner in this adventure, you the parents get to participate by removing their old hat, neckerchief, and slide, and then put on the new ones.
For the purpose of the ceremony, focus mainly on the hat, neckerchief, and slide. Any changes to shirts or bottoms can come later, we recommend visiting in-store to try those on. Handbooks for the next rank are not necessarily needed until the next Fall, but you can save shipping or a trip by including them in your order now.
For the purpose of the ceremony, focus mainly on the hat, neckerchief, and slide. Any changes to shirts or bottoms can come later, we recommend visiting in-store to try those on. Handbooks for the next rank are not necessarily needed until the next Fall, but you can save shipping or a trip by including them in your order now.