Sea Scout Uniforms

If you are new to Sea Scouts, the uniform choices can be daunting and the whole thing seems needlessly complicated. You may be wondering how it got to be that way, and what you can safely ignore to simplify your life. The original Sea Scout uniforms, back in 1912 when Sea Scouts BSA came into being, were just variations on the Boy Scout uniforms of the day. Over the years, Sea Scouts adopted modified US Navy uniforms. With the Sea Scout centennial in 2012, as Sea Scouts was on its way to becoming a mainstream organization within BSA, it made sense to create a uniform that was easier to obtain, more “Scout-like” yet which retained the maritime tradition that is our heritage. This was the origin of the Official Sea Scout Uniform, formerly called the New Century Universal Uniform. It is designed to be easy to obtain anywhere in the country, to use insignia readily obtainable from BSA National Supply, and to be more obviously a part of the BSA family.

The Official Sea Scout Uniform

The Official Sea Scout Uniform is designed for wear by youth and adults―male and female―and serves as both dress and work uniform. The garments are commercially available work clothing similar to Dickies® work shirts and work pants.

The Official Sea Scout Uniform differs from the legacy uniforms in that the uniform is substantially the same for both youth and adults. It is also not an imitation of any Navy uniform. It consists of dark navy pants and shirt. The standard quotes some specific Dickies part numbers, but also says “similar to” – that gives you some flexibility in finding garments that work for you. Dickies are ubiquitous and can be found at almost any place that sells work clothing or can be ordered online and will serve well for most people. You can also substitute garments from other sources as long as they have a similar appearance. For example, 5.11 TacLite Pro shirts look similar to the Dickies equivalent, but incorporate ventilation so may serve better for those in warm climates. Like with the other uniforms, the basic insignia includes SEA SCOUTS BSA above the right pocket, a flag patch and world crest, a council strip, and ship insignia (unit numbers under the council strip or a ship patch on the right sleeve or both). As with the other uniforms, youth wear badges of rank on the left pocket, and all wear round position patches on the left sleeve (just like all other BSA uniforms). Youth wear either dark navy baseball type caps (with Sea Scout logo) or the white “dixie cup” caps. Youth can also wear neckerchiefs, or a “tar flap” which works like a neckerchief but looks like the flaps on the back of the legacy dress white or dress blue uniforms. Adults can wear either the baseball caps or a combination cover. Choices of cap (for youth and adults) and neckerchief or tar flap are unit options, meaning that everyone in the unit needs to do it the same. One key aspect of the Official Sea Scout Uniform is that you can use it as both a work and a dress uniform – like the BSA field uniform from other BSA programs.

Fact Sheet

Insignia Guide

Frequently Asked Questions

Where can we obtain a uniform?

The garments are commercially available work clothing similar to Dickies® work shirts and work pants. The can be obtained locally at a retailer or online. You can also Purchase the Official Sea Scout Uniform at SG Trading Post. All of the insignia needed for these uniforms is available from BSA National Supply – you can order either via your local Scout shop or from ScoutShop.org. Select from Uniform Accessories, Emblems, or Pins and Medals on the lefthand side.

Other sources for the uniform can be found in the publication The Official Sea Scout Uniform: Alternative Sources.

The uniform is hot or otherwise unsafe on a vessel, what should we do?

Yes, we agree, in hot climates, the dark blue can be pretty warm, but you can minimize that by using shirts made of breathable, wicking fabrics. More realistically, you are probably going to sail in an activity t-shirt anyway. SG Trading Post stocks customizable Sea Scout tees, jackets, polos, hats, sea-bags and more to assist a ship in getting outfitted for adventure.

Can we wear a legacy uniform?

Yes, for ceremonial purposes only, but not for normal wear. For ships that continue to wear the legacy Sea Scout uniforms refer to the Sea Scout Manual for proper wear. Sources for these uniforms can be found at Uniforms and Accessories.

Still have questions?

This page is intended to provide an introduction and a summary (not the complete details) – the Sea Scout Manual is the definitive source for exactly what comprises each uniform and for what goes where as far as insignia.