Help and questions

There's no password to remember. Click Member sign-in, enter your email and click Email me a link. Open the email from Scout Ahead (hello@goscoutahead.com) and click Sign in. If the button doesn't work, type the code from the email on the sign-in page instead.

Check your spam or junk folder first. It can take a minute or two. If it's still not there, go back to the sign-in page and ask for a new link. If you've asked several times in a row, wait about an hour before trying again.

The link signs you in on whichever device and browser it opens in. If you read your email on your phone but use Scout Ahead on your computer, open the email on your computer, or use Scout Ahead on your phone. Links also expire after a while. If yours is old, ask for a new one.

No. You stay signed in on that device until you click Sign out. On a shared or public computer, always sign out when you're done.

No. Your garage and reports belong to the email you sign in with. Always use the same email address.

A list of the gear you own: your rig, boats, rods, bikes, power setup, dogs and so on. Every Scout Report uses it to tell you what to bring and what to leave home, so the more complete it is, the more useful your reports are.

A group of gear you pack together, like everything for paddling. When you add gear from the catalog, we put it in the right kit for you: a fly rod goes into your Fishing kit, a kayak into your Paddle kit. You can rename kits, add your own items, or make kits of your own.

A quick way to fill a kit. Pick a category, like Paddling, and click Add starter kit to add the usual items all at once. Then remove anything you don't own.

Under any kit, click Add your own item and type it in. You can also make a whole kit of your own with Make your own kit.

Gear you'd like to have someday. Click Add to wish list on any catalog item, or add something of your own. When an item on your list would help on a trip, your report will say so. When you get it, click Got it and it moves into your garage.

Those details answer real questions: will your trailer fit the campsite, will your solar keep up, can your rack carry both bikes. Fill in the ones you know and skip the rest.

Click Get your Scout Report, answer a few questions about your trip and click Send my request. Your request appears under Trip requests in My Reports.

One to four weeks before your trip is ideal. That leaves time to act on reservations and closures. Not sure of your dates yet? You can leave them empty.

We scout every trip by hand, so it takes a few days. Your report appears in My Reports under Upcoming trips. While we work on it, your request shows "Received", then "We're scouting it".

Yes, until we start scouting it. In My Reports, click Cancel this request, then send a new one with the right details. Once we've started, email us with the change.

Bring: pack this kit. Optional: worth it only in some cases; the note says when. Leave home: you won't need it, so save the space. The yellow bar at the top is our overall call, such as "Ready, with 2 things to sort out". The orange boxes are those things.

When you request a trip, tick Add an emergency page to my report. Your report will include a page you can print and leave in your rig: the nearest hospital and urgent care, ranger station, where you'll have phone signal, and your emergency contact. We save your contact to your profile, so you only type it once. Only you and the Scout Ahead team can see it.

No. Use it to plan. Conditions change quickly, so always check official sources, such as park and forest pages, river gauges and weather alerts, and use your own judgment on the ground.

After your trip ends, its report moves to Past trips in My Reports. Everything stays saved to your account.

One trip is $19 (one stop, up to 7 nights), or a 3-Trip Pack is $45, to use on one road trip or three separate trips. A Scout Membership is $49 a year and includes 5 trips, with extra trips $5 each. For members, each stop on a road trip counts as one trip, so a 3-stop road trip uses 3 of your 5. You'll always see the price before you pay.

Yes, any time. Your membership simply won't renew, and you keep any trips you've already paid for until the year is up.

Only you, and the Scout Ahead team who write your reports. Other members can never see your garage, wish list, requests or reports.

We use your trip details and gear list to build your reports. We don't sell your information.