I get questions all the time about where I should put a patch.  Sometimes, I don’t know and sometimes (yes it happens) I’m wrong about where I thought a patch should go.  But the good news is that there is a place you can turn to so you definitively know – that’s the Boy Scout Insignia Guide.

Recently a question came up about where you should put the “Trained” patch on your uniform.  It definitely goes on the left sleeve, but what if you have a pocket?  As (correctly) pointed out to me by some of the boys, it goes on the pocket flap on the left pocket sleeve if you have one of the newer shirts.  If you don’t have a sleeve on your left pocket, then you put it below your Badge of Office.

How about patches on the right side of the uniform like the Totin’ Chip?  Can you wear that on the flap of your right pocket?  The answer to that is a resounding, no.  The right pocket flap is reserved for Order of the Arrow pocket flaps.  But you can wear a single “temporary” patch on the right pocket, itself.  But choose wisely because you can only wear one temporary patch at a time.

Be extra careful, too – not everything that looks like a patch is really a patch – can you say 50 Miler and Mile Swim awards?

For more information on where to put those patches, check out the BSA’s Guide to Awards and Insignia web page.