Scouting Alert: Show Up at Jamboree With a Rad Stargazing Camping Setup!

Twenty thousand scouts. Forty thousand acres of West Virginia mountains. And one of the most spectacular dark skies on the entire East Coast.

The 2026 National Scout Jamboree runs July 22 - 31 at Summit Bechtel Reserve in Glen Jean, West Virginia. Most scouts will spend those 10 nights zipping into a conventional tent, pulling a solid rainfly over their heads, and missing the whole show happening above them.

Those scouts will be missing one of the biggest show at the annual Jamboree: a sky full of stars! The crystal-clear mesh of the Sky View stargazing camping tent, however, provides astro-curious scouts an unmatched view of the cosmos. And it will change how they think about camping forever. 

Here is how your scout can show up at the Jamboree with the most talked-about campsite and maybe even fast-track earning that Astronomy Merit Badge.

The Sky Above Summit Bechtel Reserve Is Spectacular. Use It.

The Summit sits deep in the New River Gorge with no major cities close by. On a clear night, the sky is dark. With a Bortle Scale of 2-3, than means the Milky Way will be on full display. And here is the part that almost nobody knows: the new moon falls on July 19, just three days before the Jamboree starts. That means the first nights at Summit Bechtel Reserve will have nearly zero moonlight. Perfect for identifying planets and constellations, and spotting the occasional meteor and satellite zipping overhead.

It is, in short, prime stargazing season. On 40,000 acres of private mountain land with 20,000 of your closest friends.

The scouts who take advantage of that will have a Jamboree story worth telling for friends when they return home.

Step 1: Bring the Right Tent

Let’s cut to the chase, shall we? A scout campsite is a statement. At a Jamboree, thousands of scouts walk past every setup. Make your scouts the one they stop at, scratch their head in wonder over, and ask to see how clear the mesh is and how that cool orange rainfly deploys from INSIDE the tent to keep a scout dry should the sky bring a random shower at 3am.

A Sky View Tent does exactly that.

Astronomically Clear Mesh: Our tents are built with 18x18 weave polyester mesh that is far clearer than standard tent mesh. When a scout wiggles into their sleeping pad and look up, there is no rainfly cutting them off from the sky. No condensation fogging the view. Just stars, planets, constellations, and the Milky Way overhead from inside your sleeping bag.

The Sky View XL Gen2 has a 90-inch by 90-inch base with 55-inch peak height. That’s plenty of room for two scouts lying flat and catching a view of the cosmos when briefly waking up at night to shift sleeping position. 

If one of West Virginia's legendary summer thunderstorms rolls in, the patent-pending internal rainfly deploys in about 9 seconds without anyone leaving their sleeping bag. 

Other scouts will come over to ask what that tent is, how it works with a rainly inside the mesh. They’ll look a little confused until the see the rainfly zip along the internal track and deploy in seconds. They’ll not realize what they’re missing until they see how clear the view is from inside the tent. Scouts with the Sky View Backpacker or XL will be rocking the coolest gear in camp.

Order now and give your scout time to do a test setup at home before July 22. Parents who buy a Sky View Tent before the Jamboree will receive a discount when they fill in their contact information and child’s troop number. Visit our scouts stargazing camping tent page here for details.

Step 2: Bring a Telescope Worth Talking About

Two great options for Jamboree scouts. One is a tech powerhouse. One is a classic that costs about as much as a good pair of hiking boots. Both earn serious credibility at a star party.

ZWO Seestar S50 Smart Telescope — The Tech Powerhouse

Price: ~$549 | Weight: 5.5 lbs

The Seestar S50 is a complete observatory in a package smaller than a shoebox. It integrates a telescope, camera, tracking mount, autofocuser, astronomy filters, and tripod into one unit. Connect it to your phone via the Seestar app, tap a target, and it finds, tracks, and photographs it automatically. Galaxies. Nebulae. Star clusters. The Moon. Jupiter's moons. All of it on your screen in minutes.

Battery life runs approximately 6 hours, which will last well past midnight. And with Guest Mode, other scouts connect their own phones and see exactly what the telescope is capturing in real time.

That is a Jamboree star party right there. No planning required.

For the BSA Astronomy Merit Badge observation session — which requires 10 or more celestial objects observed with a telescope — that a single night’s worth of stargazing in that part of West Virginia.

Best for: Scouts who want astrophotography, want to share the sky with the whole troop, and are serious about the Astronomy Merit Badge.

Celestron C70 Mini Mak — The Affordable Classic

Price: ~$120–$150 | Weight: 2 lbs

The C70 is a 70mm Maksutov-Cassegrain spotting scope with 700mm of focal length and a built-in zoom eyepiece that reaches 75x magnification. It comes with a tabletop tripod and fits in a soft carrying case smaller than most water bottles.

It will reveal Saturn's rings. Jupiter's cloud bands. The craters of the Moon. For a scout seeing any of those for the first time, that moment is unforgettable.

It accepts standard 1.25-inch eyepieces too, so it grows with your interest in astronomy long after the Jamboree ends.

Best for: Scouts who want their first real telescope at a price that doesn't require a fundraiser.

Which one is right for your scout?

Under $150 and want to see planets and the Moon? Celestron C70 Mini Mak. Up to $549 and want astrophotography plus a built-in star party for the whole troop? ZWO Seestar S50. Can't decide? The C70 handles visual observing, and the Seestar handles the photos. Some scouts bring both.

Step 3: Get Serious About Your Astronomy Merit Badge

The Jamboree runs 10 nights. Here is what your scout can realistically complete right there at Summit Bechtel Reserve:

Moon sketches (Requirement 6): Sketch the phase and position of the Moon at the same time and place for four nights within one week. The Jamboree gives you 10 nights so have your scout bring a waterproof notebook and a pencil. 

Night sky identification (Requirement 4): Scouts must identify 10 constellations, at least four in the zodiac, plus eight conspicuous stars. West Virginia's dark skies will make this a breeze, weather permitting. Download Stellarium before your scout leaves to make it easy to learn the summer sky constellations: Scorpius, Sagittarius, Aquila, Cygnus.

Observation session (Requirement 9): While at the Jamboree, have your scout plan and complete a session with a telescope covering 10 or more celestial objects. With a Seestar S50 or a C70 Mini Mak and dark skies, this is one evening's work. All your scout needs to do is log every object in their notebook.

Host a star party (Requirement 9b): Why not have your scout plan and host a star party for their troop or another group? There are some 20,000 scouts at the Jamboree. Using the Sky View Tent as home base, your scout can point a Seestar at a galaxy, activate Guest Mode, and invite whoever walks by. Requirement complete. Friends made.

Your Jamboree Stargazing Pack List

✅ Sky View Tent (XL Gen2 for groups)

✅ Red headlamp — never white light after dark

✅ Stellarium or SkySafari app — download and learn it before leaving

✅ Waterproof notebook and pencil for observation logs and moon sketches

✅ Star chart for mid-July East Coast skies

✅ ZWO Seestar S50 or Celestron C70 Mini Mak

✅ USB-C power bank for extended Seestar use

✅ Warm layers — mountain nights get cold after midnight even in July

The Night Sky Is Waiting

The Jamboree happens every four years. Most scouts attend once.

The zip lines and river rafting and rock climbing will be incredible. But some scouts who come home from Summit Bechtel Reserve in August will remember something quieter. They'll remember lying inside a Sky View Tent at midnight, watching the Milky Way stretching across an incredibly dark West Virginia sky. They'll remember the moment a real galaxy appeared on the Seestar's screen.

Help your scout show up with the most rad setup in camp. The universe is waiting. And it rewards the scouts who come prepared.

Here is your Special Scouting Offer

Scout troops receive a discount with a troop number. Visit our scouts stargazing camping tent page to claim your discount.

Order now to receive your tent with enough time for a test setup before July 22.

Shop our Sky View Backpacker stargazing campaign tent NOW!

Need a tent that fits four scouts? Shop our Sky View XL stargazing camping tent NOW!

Related reading on SkyViewTents.com:

• Why Sky View Tents Are the Best Tents for Scouts Earning Merit Badges

• How to Start a Dark Sky Movement in your Community

• Stargazing Camping Tents: An Emerging Category of Camping Tents

Disclaimer: Always check official scouting guidelines for approved gear at the 2026 Jamboree before purchasing.