Uniform

What is the uniform and why is it important? 

Wearing uniforms has been a method of the Scouting movement from the beginning. Decades of experience show uniforming to have many benefits, including these:

  • Equality. The uniform represents a democratic ideal of equality. Boys and girls from various cultures and different economic levels wear the same uniform and cooperate as equals.
  • Identification. The uniform identifies a boy as a member of the Cub Scouts. Badges on the uniform tell other members that he belongs to their den, pack, and council. The uniform itself identifies a good citizen to the entire community.
  • Achievement. The uniform displays badges and other awards so the accomplishments of each Cub Scout can be immediately recognized.
  • Commitment. Wearing a uniform is a constant reminder to each Cub Scout of his commitment to the ideals and purposes of Cub Scouting: duty to God, loyalty to country, and helpfulness to others.

For these reasons, among others, all parents should emphasize to their Scouts the importance of wearing the correct and complete uniform on all suitable occasions.

Class A? Class B?

Class A uniforms are the standard navy (Tiger, Wolf, Bear, Webelos I) or tan (Webelos II / Arrow of Light) BSA uniform. Unless specified by the Cubmaster or your Den Leader, Scouts should plan to wear their Class A uniforms to all Pack and Den meetings.

Class B uniforms are the pack supplied T-Shirt. These can be worn for activities such as camp outs, hikes or other physical activities.

Where do I buy?

Uniforms can be purchased in-person or online at a Scout Shop. We recommend shopping at the Potawatomi Area Council Scout Shop to support our local Council.

Questions on what to buy? Reach out to your Den Leader for help in ordering the correct patches and equipment.

What do I need to buy and where do all these patches go?

Lion Uniform

Lion Scouts (Kindergarten) wear a Pack supplied Lion T-Shirt. Scouts may also optionally wear the yellow neckerchief and slide and the Lion hat.

Navy Uniform

Scouts wear the Cub Scout navy uniform when they are Tigers (1st grade), Wolves (2nd grade), Bears (3rd grade) and Webelos I (4th grade) so size it up accordingly.

If you buy your uniform from the Potawatomi Area Council Scout Shop, it will have a number of patches already sewn on it. These include the World Crest & Ring, American Flag, and Potawatomi Area Council shoulder patch. If you buy a uniform from the Scout Shop website it will only include the American flag. You will need to add the council shoulder patch, World Crest Ring Emblem and World Crest Scout Emblem yourself.

Additional patches required are the red ‘6’ and ‘8’ numerals placed under the council shoulder patch on the left sleeve and the Den number placed under the American Flag on the right sleeve. Your Den Leader will let you know your Den number. For a small fee the Council Scout Shop can sew these on for you.

All of the other patches are earned by your Scout as they achieve the different ranks and are included in your pack dues.

In addition to the uniform shirt, Scouts will need the navy belt and may optionally add the hat for their rank, neckerchief, and shorts/pants. The Pack has neckerchiefs that can be borrowed for the year if you don’t want to buy your own. You’ll need a neckerchief slide which can be bought or made at home.

Tan Uniform

Scouts in Webelos may begin to wear the Tan uniform. We recommend that Scouts wait to wear the Tan uniform until they have earned their Webelos rank. For most Scouts this means they transition to the Tan uniform in 5th grade. If you’re outgrowing your navy uniform in 4th grade, talk to your Den leader before you go out and buy a larger navy uniform.

Similar to the navy uniform, the tan uniform will have the World Crest & Ring, American Flag, and Potawatomi Area Council shoulder patch as well as the Pack numerals (68) and Den number.

New to the Webelos uniform is the Webelos Colors and the epaulets. Webelos earn pins, not belt loops, and they place them on the colored ribbon on their right sleeve. Webelos wear blue epaulets on their shoulders to identify themselves at Cub Scouts. When the Scout crosses over into a Troop, they will replace the blue epaulets with green epaulets to signify they are part of a Troop.

Help, I’m still confused!

Talk to your Den leader and they’ll be happy to make sure you have everything needed. We’re here to help.