Left-handed smoke-shifter

During a scouting camporee, numerous boy scout troops are camping in the same field or forest or campsite. The troops set up tents in small colonies and nerby to other troops.

An amusing trick to play on a new scout (usually about 10 years old) is this. Pull them aside, show them the campfire, and say "The wind is blowing the smoke in all our faces, can you go to the nearby troop camped next to us and borrow a left-handed smoke-shifter?"

Now, the unsuspecting victim goes over and asks the other troop. Usually they're told by the troop "Ah, we lent it to the other troop accross the field." So they go there, and, guess what, they don't have it either. This continues for a while, and they either get tired and come back empty-handed, or catch on. It all depends on gullbility

This is known as a wild goose chase, and a good way to pull a fast one on a new scout. Usually they don't mind, because:
1. It's mostly harmless
2. They do it to the next newbie

Orange Julius tells me dehydrated water and jetwash also work as quests.

belgand says I'm informed by military friends that similar items include: a box of grid squares, rotor wash, liquid squelch, chemlite batteries, a few hundred feet of shore line, and HUMVEE keys. Of course, the clever scout when asked for dehydrated water bring back a handful of salt :)