I have 3 sons who have all been Scouts at some stage. I was a Beaver Scout leader myself for 8 years and my middle son is currently volunteering as a Scout leader. So I thought it would be fun to collect a set of vintage Scout and camping patent prints for him.
These fun retro patent prints would make a fabulous decoration for a Scout Hut. They would also look great in mancave or log cabin. I think I will use these patent prints to cover some notebooks and give them as gifts.
When researching and curating this collection of Scout and camping patents I tried to cover the essentials for outdoor Scouting and camping. These include shelter in the form of a tent, a pocket knife, water canteen, flashlight, and compass. I’ve also included a few extras that would be handy too.
Did you know that there are Scouting groups in almost every country in the world? The country with the biggest number of Scouts is Indonesia followed by the US. Scouts in Libya actually played an important role in the liberation of the country. When the country had descended into chaos, Scouts were the only uniformed organization trusted by the people. They got involved with tasks from administering first aid, cleaning streets and cooking for the rebels.
Patent Prints of Camping and Hiking Stuff
Having been involved in Scouting as a family I really appreciate the good it can do for the individual members and society as a whole. Even though camping is a big part of Scouting, I do have a confession I’m not that keen on camping. The rest of my family love it so I just “shut up and put up!” I don’t want to be a kill joy.
I hope you enjoy these retro patent prints. Not only would they look good on the wall but you could also print them onto anything like a t-shirt, travel mug or mouse mat. All you need is to download the prints to your online photo printers of your choice.

The downloaded patent prints will be of a higher resolution. Just click on the title of the print you want and it will open in a new window on your browser. If you then click on the image you can save it to your computer.
The Vintage Patent Prints
1. Tent Patent 1891
No camping or Scout expedition would be complete without a tent. This vintage patent print looks like a classic A-frame tent. This tent is very similar to the Shelter-Half / Pup tents used in the first world war.

2. Knapsack – 1924
What I love about this patent print is that the man carrying the

3. Pocket Knife – 1877
Pocket knives (also called penknives or jackknives) date back to the iron age. This vintage pocket knife looks very much like a traditional Scout/Camp knife.
“The traditional camper or scout knife has four tools: a large drop point blade along with a can opener, combination cap lifter/slotted screwdriver, and an awl or punch. Many other combinations of large and small drop point blades, saw, etc. are also considered camper/scout knives.”

4. Pocket Compass Patent Print
One of the items on the essential lifts for Scouts, hikers and survivalists a compass.

5. Canteen Patent 1894
Canteens are essential for hikers and campers for carrying water. The outer bag both protects the canteen and provides insulation.

6. Flashlight Patent Print – 1936
We call them torches in the UK. The invention of first dry cell battery in 1897 and the tungsten filament lamp in 1904 led to the development of the first flashlights. These days most flashlights use LED bulbs.

7. Sleeping Bag Patent Print – 1898
Even though the zip was first revealed at the Chicago world fair in 1893, the modern zipper wasn’t in designed until 1913. That is probably why this sleeping bag patent uses buttons rather than a zipper.

8. Canoe Patent Design
I know that a canoe is not essential camping equipment, but as Scouts, my sons enjoyed many canoe expeditions and camps. As canoeing is a big part of Scouting, I decided to include it in this collection of patent prints.

9. Hurricane Lamp Patent – 1894
We still use hurricane lamps on our camps, they can be noisy though!

10. Interchangeable Woggle
No Scout uniform is complete


If you liked these patents, don’t forget to check out some of my other patent art posts. I have a wonderful collection of vintage camera patents that would also look great framed.
Seasonal patents include the Halloween patents, and Christmas ornament patents.
Cecilia
Tuesday 16th of April 2019
What a fun assortment! These take me back to my son's scouting days. Thanks for sharing at Vintage Charm!
claire
Tuesday 16th of April 2019
Thank you 😊
Brian Hilbert
Friday 12th of April 2019
These are great. Thanks for posting.
claire
Saturday 13th of April 2019
Thank you 😊
Audra @ Renewed Projects
Wednesday 10th of April 2019
I wish I had a cabin in the woods to hang these in!
claire
Thursday 11th of April 2019
Me too, or a cottage in the Fjords!