Scout Skills

Uniform · Neckerchief

Neckerchief & Slide

The neckerchief is the triangular cloth worn around the neck with the field uniform, held together by a slide (or woggle). It's a troop choice, not a national one: each troop picks its own color and design, and everyone in the troop wears the same one, the same way.

Shape
Triangular
Chosen by
The troop
Worn
Over or under the collar
Fastened
Slide, woggle, or knot

How to wear it

  1. 1Get your troop's neckerchief — the color and design your troop chose.
  2. 2Roll it to the traditional width from the long edge toward the point.
  3. 3Wear it over or under the collar — whichever style your troop picked (everyone the same).
  4. 4Fasten it with a slide or woggle (official or handmade) or tie a friendship knot.
  5. 5Wear it with the field uniform for meetings and ceremonies (and, if you like, with non-uniform clothing to show Scout pride).

What's a troop choice

  • Color and design — each troop selects its own neckerchief, commonly by a youth vote; all members wear the same.
  • Over or under the collar — the unit picks one style so everyone matches.
  • The slide — official slides from the Scout Shop, or handmade handicraft slides, both allowed; or tie a friendship knot.

Notes

  • The point is that the whole troop matches — same neckerchief, same over/under style.
  • Pick one style unit-wide — mixing over- and under-collar looks sloppy.
  • Handmade slides are welcome — a neckerchief slide is a classic beginner handicraft; official ones aren't required.

Going deeper

  • The troop picks the neckerchief. Color, logo, and style are a troop decision — usually voted on by the scouts — so a neckerchief is a badge of your troop.
  • Over or under — but pick one. Both are allowed; the only rule is that the whole unit does it the same way.
  • Make your own slide. A handicraft slide (carved, beaded, cast) is a classic first project and is perfectly allowed.

Official source

Scouts BSA Uniform → Guide to Awards and Insignia — Scouting America →

Neckerchief rules are paraphrased and should be verified against the current Guide to Awards and Insignia. Whether a troop wears neckerchiefs at all, and the color/design, are troop decisions.