male leader uniform
| Shirt Front | Sleeves | Uniform Accessories |
Male Leader Uniform
Official Placement of Insignia
The basic rule is neatness.
Right Sleeve
U.S. flag. Den numeral, if applicable, is worn 2 inches below seam. If appropriate, the most recently earned Quality Unit Award is worn 4 inches below the seam.
Left Sleeve
Council emblem, badge of office, and unit numeral, if applicable. Badge of office centered 4 inches below shoulder seam, but if numeral is worn, it is centered below numeral is worn, it is centered below numeral and touching it. The veteran unit bar (25, 50, 55, 60, 65, 70 or 80 years) is positioned above and touching the unit numeral and also touching council emblem.
Right Pocket
One jamboree insignia worn above BSA or interpreter strip. Order of the Arrow lodge insignia worn on picket flap. Temporary insignia worn centered on the pocket. Nameplate is centered above the BSA strip or interpreter strip, if worn. If the Venture or Varsity strip is worn, it is centered above the BSA strip or interpreter strip.
Left Pocket
Service stars and medals. Embroidered knots in rows of three. If a medal or embroidered knot is worn, service stars are raised. Badges of rank are not worn by adults. The World Crest is worn centered horizontally over the left pocket and vertically between the left shoulder seam and the top of the pocket.
Shoulder Epaulets
Colored shoulder loops identify the area of Scouting:
- Blue: Cub Scouting
- Red: Boy Scouting (including Varsity Scout leaders in a troop)
- Blaze: Varsity Scouting
- Green: Venturing
- Silver: Council & District
- Gold: National & Regional
A Scouter should wear the color shoulder loop of the position in which he is functioning.
Uniform Accessories
Hats:
There are two styles: (1) visored cap; or (2) campaign hat. All troop members can wear one of the headgear chosen by vote of the troop/team. Varsity Scouts wear only the blaze and brown visored cap.
Neckerchief and Slide:
Insignia at back should be right side up and centered. Fold long edge over several flat folds to about 6 inches from tip of neckerchief. A tight fold prevents gathering around the neck and is more efficient than rolling or twirling. Draw neckerchief slide over ends and adjust to fit snugly. By vote of troop, ends may be left hanging loose or tied in a slip-knot. The neckerchief is optional to the troop.
Shirt:
Official long-or short-sleeve shirt with red, blaze orange, or green shoulder loops on epaulets. The troop/team may vote to wear a neckerchief, bolo tie, or no neckwear. In any case, the collar should be unbuttoned. The troop/team has the choice of wearing the neckerchief over the turned-under collar or under the open collar.
Belt:
Olive web with BSA insignia on brass buckle or official leather with international-style buckle or buckle of your choice, worn only if voted by the troop/team. Members wear one of the belts chosen by vote of the troop/team.
Socks:
Official olive-colored mid-calf-length socks with red tops worn with official shorts or trousers. (Long socks are optional with shorts.)
Shoes:
Leather or canvas, neat and clean.
Knots:
Many Scouters have asked about how to properly display knots on their uniforms. You may wear as many different knots as you would like (the uniform insignia committee in the past has recommended that not more than 15 knots be worn). However, you may only wear one of each knot. If you have earned the same knot more than once - for example, the Scouter Key and Commissioner Key, you would wear a single knot with two devices to denote multiple awards. There is no order of precedence as to what knot is worn in what order. You can wear them in the order of importance to yourself, the order earned, etc. To keep your uniform sharp, however, you should group the knots properly.
As a general rule, the knots should not be worn when the medal, medallion or device is worn. The knots are designed for informal, everyday wear by Scouts and Scouters including Professional Scouters.
The knots are worn centered on the left side of the uniform, above the left pocket and in rows of three with the bottom edge of the knot emblem(s) touching the top edge of the pocket flap. Subsequent rows of knots are placed above the initial set, in rows of three and again, at the discretion of the wearer. See the image below for proper placement of knots.
There is no order for wearing the knot awards. However, there is a proper way for each knot award to be displayed. The loop of the embroidered square knot that comes in front of the standing part is always to the wearer's right. Knots are worn with the distinguishing color (not white) toward the wearer's right.
Knot Device Pins
When an award is given to a Scout or Scouter that also has a related square knot, the knot may be worn by itself on the uniform or with one of the devices depicted below to indicate the program phase where the award was earned.
For example, a Unit Commissioner that earns the Commissioner Key (same knot as the Scouter Key) would wear the Commissioner device. If a Scout or Scouter earns a subsequent award represented by the same knot, the Scout or Scouter should wear a device for each program phase where the knot was earned (you do not wear multiple issues of the same knot) . For example, a Scout that earns a sequence of religious emblems as a Cub Scout, Webelos, and Boy Scout would wear the universal religious emblem knot and three devices -- one each for Cub Scouting, Webelos, and Boy Scouting.
     
 Actual size of these pins is much smaller. |