This is how you organize the inside of a troop trailer

By Bryan Wendell | April 27, 2017

In Troop 101, even the layout of the troop trailer follows the patrol method.

Everything in the 6-foot-by-12-foot trailer is organized by patrol. That means each group of Scouts is responsible for its own stuff.

Patrol gear goes on the right side. Every patrol box, tent and cooler bears its patrol’s name: Ninja, Cobra, Jaguar or Shark.

Troop gear goes on the left side. Labels indicate exactly what belongs: spices, paper towels, garbage bags and more.

The troop is part of New Jersey’s Monmouth Council. Troop 101 Scoutmaster Peter Grasso has read my other blog posts about troop trailers and thought it was time to share what he and his Scouts had come up with.

“Over the years I’ve seen your articles highlighting various trailer designs and always said that we had to send you pics of our trailer,” he writes. “Well, I finally got around to doing it.”

The facts

The trailer is 6 feet wide and 12 feet long. It was designed to support a four-patrol troop.
Everything is easily accessible, labeled and laid out to support the patrol method.
Each patrol has a patrol kit contained in a 24-gallon Rubbermaid ActionPacker container, as well as four tents and a lantern.
Troop equipment includes Dutch ovens, water jugs, frying pans, etc. and a kit for the adult patrol.
The front of the trailer has a two-burner and a three-burner Camp Chef stove.
There is plenty of room for fire buckets, axe yard equipment, staves, flags, coolers and dry boxes.
The patrols’ shelves are not flush against the wall. Hidden between the shelves and wall are six folding tables, one for each patrol and two for the adults. These tables, when unfolded, have a metal extension for the Coleman stoves which are part of the patrol kits.
The Troop 101 budget contains a provision to update each patrol’s equipment every four years. That means Troop 101 can update a single patrol every year.