Boy Scout Uniform Sashesr Sashes

ONLY BOY SCOUTS, VARSITY SCOUTS, AND SCOUTERS WEAR A SASH OF SOME SORT. ONLY YOUTH MEMBERS WEAR MERIT BADGE SASHES.

The sash is a particular item exclusive to the Boy Scout/Varsity Scout part of the BSA. In the past, male Explorers also wore special merit badge sashes. Today, only Boy Scouts and Varsity Scouts wear merit badge sashes; MALE Venturers and Sea Scouts may HAVE a merit badge sash but they are NOT permitted to be worn with the Venturing kelly green nor the Sea Scout white nor blue uniforms.

The Order of the Arrow, Boy Scouting's national honorary camping and service society, has three sashes which are worn during formal Order of the Arrow events, ceremonies, and activities and when PERFORMING SERVICE FOR OTHERS. The OA sash is NOT worn nor suspended from a belt during regular meetings, activities or unit/district/council camping events.

Perhaps the most frequently asked question dealing with sashes is the "wearing or suspending them from the belt" question. It goes typically like this:

I remember when I was a Scout (Explorer), that we got to wear our merit badge sashes suspended from the left hip side of the belt and the OA sash from our right hip side of the belt. I was told that "national doesn't do this any more". Is anything sacred any more?? Next thing they'll gonna tell me is that Scouts don't wear the 50-Miler patch on the uniform shirt!"

(As a point of clarification, no, the 50-Miler patch is never worn on the uniform shirt.)

The BSA NEVER AUTHORIZED the wearing of either the OA sash nor the merit badge sash from a belt. The sashes are intended to be WORN only during FORMAL EVENTS and ACTIVITIES, or in the case of the Order of the Arrow sash, only while participating in clearly Order of the Arrow activities or service.

The "wearing of the sash on the belt" thing was something handed down from older Scouters who couldn't catch the clue that the merit badge sash wasn't something to slug around week to week at the Troop meetings nor out in the wilderness; and that the carrying of the OA sash around everywhere takes some of the "mystique" out of the OA program.

If you have a few minutes, please visit the BSA's Order of the Arrow website for more information and background on the OA sashes and how they are to be worn.

Individual pages explain each element found here:

Order of the Arrow sashes
Merit Badge sashes
Where to Place Merit Badges
"Sashbacks" and OA Sashes

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