Figure 1.--Several individual American Scout troops adopted a red beret beginning in the 1970s This is a Texas troop at Philmont Scout Ranch in the mid- to late-1970s. These scouts are well uniformed with berets and the basic 1940s-70s uniform. I assume this is early in the beret era, because some of the Scouts appear to have the the metal belt loop activity badges.

The traditional Boy Scout hat was the lemon-squeezer hat designed by Lord Baden Powell. Scouts wore these hats for decades. This hat was adopted by the American Boy Scouts when the organization was initially established. It was worn until the 1940s when American Scouts tried several different caps before deciding on the current baseball cap. Berets have never been the official American Scout headgear, but they have been worn by a number of Scout groups, especially in the 1970s and 1980s. Beginning in the 1940s, American Scouts experimented with different caps. The most popular was the campaign cap worn by most Scouts during the from 1940s-70s. Other styles experimented with included a fatigue cap. There was also a red winter cap with ear flaps for cold weather activities. The BSA introduced an optional red beret as part of the Improved Scouting Program (1972). This was part of a major overhaul of badges and other insignia, replacing many two color patches with multicolor versions. The Scout Handbook (eight edition, 1976-79) pictured Scouts wearing blue neckerchiefs and the red berets. Some American Scouts have worn red berets. While never the official headgear of American Scouts, quite a few individual groups selected it, especially during the 1970s-80s. The red beret has proven less popular in the 1990s and is now less commonly worn. They haven't made any since 1990 I think. I don't know of any place that sells official BSA berets, but there are plenty of places that sell generic berets in various colors. I've seen troops that buy berets and put BSA pins on them. I think this is probanly not technically correct for troop headgear, but some troops still do it. The red berets may still be available from a local trading post or Scout Shop, however they are not listed in the official BSA catalog. I'm not sure why the BSA discontinued them. One Scouter claims that the BSA discontinued the red beret because the Guardian Angels were buying them and cutting off the patch to use the beret for their own purposes. I don't know if there is any truth to this. Perhaps they just became less popular with the boys. The beret had a snappy look, and boys bow prefer the grunge look. Finally American Scouts in 1980 settled on the current baseball-style cap which has proven popular with the boys.

The 1910s

The traditional Boy Scout hat was the lemon-squeezer hat designed by Lord Baden Powell. Scouts all over the world wore these hats for decades. This hat was adopted by the American Boy Scouts like Scouts in many countries when the organization was initially established. It was so widely worn that it became a virtual symbol for Boy Scouting.

The 1920s

Most Scout groups as they were established in the 1910s adopted a uniform very similar to the original Boy Scout uniform, including the Baden Powel lenon-squeezer hat. At the Scouts became more established, many Scout associations decided that they wanted a more national look. Some of the French Scout associations at the same time began replactging the tradutional hat with the beret. Of course in France and Belgium, the beret was a traditional style of male headwear. Just the opposite was the case in America. The beret in the 1910s became a major headwear style for girls and young women. It was also worn by little boys in the 1920s and 30s.

The 1940s

Events in Europe changed the image of the Beret. Some military groups adopted the beret as part of their uniform. The units involved were elite units. This trend continued after the War. Also the beret generally went out of style for women and girls, although the Girl Scouts wore green berets. The traditional Baden-Powell hat was worn worn until the early-1940s when American Scouts began to use a variety of different cap styles. The BSA tried several different caps. The most popular was the campaign cap worn by most Scouts during the from 1940s-70s. Other styles experimented with included a fatigue cap. There was also a red winter cap with ear flaps for cold weather activities.

The 1960s

Quite a number of Scout movements around the world were wearing berets as part of their uniforms. This was not only in France and other countries where the beret was traditionally worn, but countries like Britain and closer to home in Canada. At the same time, there was increasing disatisfsction with the campaign cap which was not a practical item.

The 1970s

The BSA introduced an optional red beret as part of the Improved Scouting Program (ISP) (1972). The beret as this gime was widely worn by many foreign Scouts, especially in Europe. The ISP was part of a major overhaul of badges and other insignia, replacing many two color patches with multi-color versions. The red beret did not address the practicality problem with the campaign cap, but it did add a splash of color to the otherwise rather drab mono-chrome Scout uniform. The Scout Handbook (eight edition, 1976-79) pictured Scouts wearing blue neckerchiefs and the red berets. Some American Scouts have worn red berets. Berets have never been the official American Scout headgear, but they have been worn by a number of Scout groups. This was primrily in the 1970s and 1980s. It was entirely an optional matter. A relstivelt small percentage of Scout groups chose the berets. And we only see red red berets. It had to be a group choise. Individual Dcouts could not chode the beret ion their own. We are not sure how popular the choice was with the boys. Generally it was the Scout groups tht placed an emphasis on smart uniforming thst chose the berets.

The 1980s

We continue to see Scout units wearing the red beret in the 1980s. The BSA adopted a brand new uniform (1982). The new uniform included the current baseball-style cap which has proven popular with the boys and is still widely worn. Some units decided to continue to use the red beret as an option. We continue to see the red beret beuing worn through the mid-1980s. It seems to have gradually declined in popularity as we do not commonly see it by the end of the decade.

The 1990s

The red beret has proven less popular in the 1990s and is now less commonly worn. They haven't made any since 1990 I think. I don't know of any place that sells official BSA berets, but there are plenty of places that sell generic berets in various colors. I've seen troops that buy berets and put BSA pins on them. I think this is probably not technically correct for troop headgear, but some troops still do it. The red berets may still be available from a local trading post or Scout Shop, however they are not listed in the official BSA catalog. I'm not sure why the BSA discontinued them. One Scouter claims that the BSA discontinued the red beret because the Guardian Angels were buying them and cutting off the patch to use the beret for their own purposes. I don't know if there is any truth to this. Perhaps they just became less popular with the boys. The beret had a snappy look, and boys bow prefer the grunge look.