Category Archives: Free Stuff

StakeYourClaim Blog New

Enter daily for a chance to win one of four tents

1 October 2012

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Your tent serves as a home away from home. It withstands bad weather, late-night setups, curious insects … the list goes on.

But plenty of Scouters still use the same tent from their days as a young Scout. It’s time to upgrade—with help from Scouting magazine. And, as of Oct. 15, we’re adding another tent to the list of prizes, which means we’ll be selecting four (instead of three) winners.

In October, four winners will take home a brand new camping shelter in the STAKE YOUR CLAIM GIVEAWAY, featuring four of our favorite tents: the L.L.Bean Microlight FS; the Kelty Salida 2;  the Easton Hat-Trick 2P; and the Big Agnes Burn Ridge Outfitter 2.

One winner will get to stake his claim by choosing the winning prize. The second runner up will choose from the remaining three tents, and the third runner up will choose from the remaining two tents; and the fourth runner up will take home the final option. Read more about the tents in the STAKE YOUR CLAIM GIVEAWAY.

You can enter to win daily, starting today! And use the “Tell-A-Friend” entries to share the giveaway with friends and earn extra entries. Contest ends Nov. 1.

Good luck!

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In September’s GOING UP! GIVEAWAY, 4,078 entries were received and we randomly selected one entry as our winner.

This entry belongs to Mark DeBonville, a committee member of Troop 188 in the Western Colorado Council. He’s won a pair of EVOLV climbing shoes, a Black Diamond Vector helmet, a Petzl starter kit, and Julbo sport glasses. Congrats, Mark!

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Lowe’s nails it! Helps pay for Eagle Scout service projects

24 September 2012

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Update Feb. 21, 2013: I have learned that the grant is not available for 2013.

Consider it giving back to those who give back.

Lowe’s, the home-improvement giant with more than 1,700 stores, has teamed up with the BSA and local Scout councils to give selected Eagle Scout candidates a $100 prepaid gift card to be used toward their service projects.

Any Life Scout still in the planning phases of a construction-based Eagle Scout service project is eligible. In other words, if the Scout’s project requires supplies from, say, Lowe’s, it’s eligible.

Your local councils will actually award the money, and councils will get a certain number of awards based on a percentage of their three-year average for Eagle Scout Awards earned.

Here’s what you need to know:  Continue reading »

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A Toast to 20K: Winners announced!

18 September 2012

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As we mentioned last week, the Scouting magazine Facebook page has accumulated more than 20,000 “Likes”—a cause to celebrate with free gear!

In seven days, the TOAST TO 20K GIVEAWAY received 559 entries.

Below are the 20 readers who’ve been randomly chosen as winners of a 32-ounce wide-mouth Nalgene and an exclusive Scouting magazine sticker that only the contest’s winners will receive.

The winners:  Continue reading »

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Sharing the ‘Likes’—enter to win

10 September 2012

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Over at the Scouting magazine Facebook page, we’ve reached 20,000 “Likes.”

Which means it’s time to celebrate!

(You don’t “Like” our page? You’re missing out!)

In honor of this milestone, we’re giving away 20, 32-ounce Nalgene bottles in the TOAST TO 20K GIVEAWAY. Each bottle comes with its own custom Scouting magazine sticker.

We’re kicking things up a notch with this contest. The more you share the contest with others, the greater the chance you have of winning.

How’s that work? It’s simple: After completing your contest entry, you’ll receive a “Tell-A-Friend” referral link. Click to share this link on Facebook, Twitter, or via e-mail.

With each new entry received using your referral link, you’ll earn 10 extra bonus entries to the TOAST TO 20K GIVEAWAY.

Enter now for a chance to win. Contest ends Sept. 17 at midnight.

Good luck!

Going Up! Giveaway Blog

Enter daily for a chance to win rock-climbing gear

4 September 2012

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Ever watched a group of Scouts tackle a rock-climbing wall?

They make it look so easy!

Now, as an adult, we can try to shimmy up a rock-wall in a nimble nanosecond — but let’s just say it’s a lot tougher than Scouts often make it look. (We’ll chalk it up to their youth.)

But that doesn’t mean adult leaders can’t join in the rock-climbing fun. We’re here to give one Scouter an extra boost on his or her way to the top: the GOING UP! GIVEAWAY.

One Scouter will win a bundle of excellent rock-climbing gear suitable for a beginner and/or intermediate climber. The gear includes: a pair of EVOV climbing shoes, a Black Diamond Vector helmet, a Petzl starter kit, and Julbo sport glasses. Total prize package is $365.

Read more about the GOING UP! GIVEAWAY gear selected by our gear expert, Stephen Regenold (of TheGearJunkie.com) featured in September-October 2012 issue of Scouting magazine.

Enter now for a chance to win this rock-climbing gear package. And don’t forget: Your odds of winning increase the more you enter, so be sure to enter daily. Plus, use the “Tell-A-Friend” link that’s displayed after your entry—by sharing via e-mail, Facebook, or Twitter—and you can earn up to one entry per friend who enters. The contest ends Sept. 30.

Good luck!

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And, the winners of the August CUT ABOVE GIVEAWAY are …

Grand-prize winners of a Gerber Mike Horn knife:

    • Rob Terry of Stillwater, Okla.
    • Bowman Ching of Sunnyvale, Calif.
    • Mat Greenfield of Lehi, Utah
    • Brennan Toomey of Maple Valley, Wash.
    • Jay Lash of Vinton, Iowa
    • Chad Nabity of Grand Island, Neb.
    • Courtney Evans of Fredericksburg, Va.

Runners up, receiving a Gerber Steady multitool:

    • Mike Rupp of Nixa, Mo.
    • Jeffrey Spurlock of Pleasan View, Tenn.
    • Kristy Bosworth of Mesa, Ariz.
    • Rebecca Hayes of Bonaire, Ga.
    • John Cary of Thaxton, Miss.
    • Christina Muller of St. Louis, Mo.
A Cut Above Giveaway

Enter daily to win one of six knives

1 August 2012

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When your job is to help prepare youth for life, you’ve got to make sure you’re prepared for anything, too.

And a good knife is an essential part of being prepared, whether at a campout or at a Scout meeting.

In the CUT ABOVE GIVEAWAY—held from Aug. 1 through 31—you can enter to win an all-in-one Wenger Swiss Army Mike Horn knife ($175) that will go to one grand-prize winner. Designed by a world-famous explorer, you can bet this knife will be ready for anything you throw at it.

Five runners-up will receive a Gerber Steady multitool ($64). The Steady is equipped with two knives, a screwdriver, pliers, and more—plus, the device attaches to your phone or camera to serve as a tripod for taking photos. Read more about the knives in this giveaway.

Enter now to win one of six great knives. And don’t forget: Your odds of winning increase the more you enter, so be sure to enter daily. On Sep. 3, we’ll randomly select six winners and announce them here at Bryan on Scouting.

Good luck—enter now!

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Drumroll, please … here are the winners of the PLACE TO HANG GIVEAWAY:

  • Grand-prize winners of a Hennessy Hammock “Scout” — Tanya Lindenberg, a Tiger den leader in Lindenhurst, N.Y.; Melissa Jurcago, committee chair and mom of three Scouts in Brunswich, Ohio; and Jeremy Kelone, committee chair and father of three Scouts in Bridge City, Tex.
  • Runners up receiving an Eno “SingleNest” or Grand Trunk “Single” hammock — John Eberhardt, a Scoutmaster and Cubmaster in Sammamish, Wash.; Tracy Bess, mom of two Webelos in Belle, W.Va.; Daniel Butcher, a Cubmaster in Hewitt, N.J.; Mike Gutzat, an assistant Scoutmaster in New Castle, Del.; Randy Possehl, a Venturing Adviser and assistant Scoutmaster in Ellicott City, Md.; Randy Hortman, an assistant Scoutmaster in Omaha, Neb.; and Chris Mott, committee member and father of an Eagle Scout in Yorba Linda, Calif.

These winners were selected from 10,582 entries. Congratulations!

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Liquid gold: Check out these 10 winning hydration slogans

23 July 2012

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We know in graphic detail what happens when “happy mountaineers” use the restroom.

What we don’t know, until today, are other clever ways to remind Scouts — and ourselves — to remain hydrated in the great outdoors.

That’s why last month I asked Scouters like you to send in your best hydration slogans.

In all, I received 157 submissions. I made an initial cut, removing slogans that weren’t Scout appropriate or didn’t follow the contest rules. I sent the 85 remaining to Richard Bourlon, hydration hype-man (and BSA health and safety guru).

Here are Bourlon’s selections, in no particular order: Continue reading »

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Enter daily to win one of 10 hammocks

2 July 2012

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We’ve all been there: waking up in a haze of discomfort after sleeping on a rocky, uneven surface in a tent. It’s not pleasant.

Derek Hansen says it doesn’t have to be that way. Instead, he says, try sleeping in a hammock. Hansen, a Scoutmaster and longtime “hammock enthusiast,” breaks down all you need to know about hammock camping in his new book, The Ultimate Hang: An Illustrated Guide to Hammock Camping.

Find two suitable trees, adjust the tethers and the nylon hammock, and you’ve got yourself a one-way ticket to a good night’s sleep—on a campout, no less!

Still skeptical? Read through Hansen’s article “Ten reasons why you should try hammock camping” on Scoutingmagazine.org.

And to get you started on this latest endeavor, you can enter to win your own hammock in the PLACE TO HANG GIVEAWAY, ending July 31. Continue reading »

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Happy mountaineers: Create a hydration slogan, win a limited-edition water bottle

29 June 2012

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Fewer than 100 of these water bottles were produced, and they aren’t sold in stores. Win one of 10 I’m giving away by entering below!

“A happy mountaineer always pees clear.”

That simple, off-color rhyme does its job by reminding Scouts, Scouters, and other outdoor lovers about the importance of proper hydration.

It stems, of course, from the fact that urine color is an excellent indicator of your hydration level.

Face it: It’s easy to forget about drinking water when you’re having fun in the sun with your pack, troop, team, or crew. By the time you feel thirsty, you’re already dehydrated.

That’s why you should consult this BSA-produced heat index and urine color chart (PDF), which can be printed and distributed to the members of your unit. It’ll tell you how much water you need and whether you’re dehydrated.

Another great way to keep hydration in mind? A catchy slogan.

Think you have one? If so, you could win a limited-edition water bottle! Read on to learn how.  Continue reading »

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Enter daily to win one of three gotta-have backpacks

1 June 2012

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Who’s going backpacking this summer? (Yep, I’ve got my hand raised, too!)

After you’ve collected the essentials—like a great stove, sturdy boots, a lightweight tent—did you remember the most important item for a long-distance trek? … a comfortable backpack?

We’ve got your back. Literally. This month, we’re giving away three—yes, three!—backpacks in our GOT YOUR BACK GIVEAWAY, starting June 1 and ending June 30.

The prizes include: A Deuter AIRCONTACT backpack ($270) for the first-place winner; an Osprey Atmos backpack ($240) for the second-place winner; and a Columbia SilverRidge Weekender backpack ($120) for the third-place winner. The first-place prize will also include a MSR Pocket Rocket stove, a Tilley Outback Hat, and a SnowPeak “Snow Miner” headlamp, too! (Read more about the prize packages.)

Your odds of winning increase the more you add your name to our pool of entries. So, enter daily through June 30. And don’t forget: You can tell others about the giveaway using the referral link displayed after you enter. You will receive one extra entry for each friend who enters the contest using your link.

The winner of the GOT YOUR BACK GIVEAWAY will be announced the week of July 1 (along with a new July giveaway that you don’t want to miss!).

Good luck—enter now!

Gordon Strawn, a Scoutmaster from Las Cruces, N.M., won the May 2012 JUST ADD WATER GIVEAWAY. Gordon reports that his troop will use the water-filtration gear during their trip to Philmont next year. Congrats, Gordon!