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Pioneer a clothes drying rack

Learn about fuel efficiency as you swap your tumble drying for a pioneered clothes drying rack suitable for camps or home.

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You’ll need

  • Lengths of rope suitable for lashing
  • 4 long or medium poles for A-frames
  • 2 medium or small poles for A-frame bases
  • 15m of manila rope or similar, per each drying line

Before you begin

  • Use the safety checklist to help you plan and risk assess your activity. There's also more guidance to help you carry out your risk assessment, including examples.
  • Make sure all young people and adults involved in the activity know how to take part safely.
  • Make sure you’ll have enough adult helpers. You may need some parents and carers to help. 
  • This is a great activity to run during an online session. Check out the advice on using Zoom and other popular digital platforms and the guidance on being safe online.
  • Find alternative items such as chopsticks or skewers and string to create a smaller version at home to practise the techniques.
  • If using skewers, find ones that are blunt on both ends.
  • If making smaller version, remind everyone that they won't be able to hang any clothes on them as they won't be strong enough.
  • Take steps slowly, show how to do each lashing on the call and give time for everyone to have a go before moving onto the next step.
  • If needed, split this activity into two, and give everyone time between the calls to practise their lashings before building the drying rack.


Planning and setting up this activity 

  • Before building, check the ropes and spars are in good, useable condition.
  • Adapt the project’s size to those building it. It should be suitable for two people to lift, move and use safely.
  • Make sure everyone has sturdy, closed toe shoes on
  • Check that ground you’re building on is firm, stable, level and hazard-free. 

Running this activity 

  1. Ask the group how they dry clothes at home. They may use a tumble dryer or air drying, such as a clothes rack or washing line.
  2. Explain that tumble dryers use lots of energy and cost more to run. Air drying can save around £55–£60 a year on energy bills. Washing at 30°C or lower is better for the environment and helps clothes last longer too. As a group, brainstorm some other things people can do at home to reduce their energy usage. Some examples might include turning down the heating thermostat 1 degree, turning lights off when leaving the room, not leaving appliances on standby, only boil the kettle with the amount of water needed, etc. 
  3. Explain that you're going to build a clothes drying rack using pioneering poles. This’ll be useful for drying clothes and towels at camp and could be done at home too. 
  4. When you're ready to start building, begin by making one of the two A-frames that’ll hold up the rack.
  5. Take two poles of the same length.
  6. Tie them together at one end using a shear lashing.
  7. Pull the other ends apart to form an A shape.
  8. Lash a third pole across the bottom using a diagonal or square lashing to make it stable.
  9. Make a second A-frame in the same way.
  10. Check that both A-frames are the same size and shape.
  11. Set up the main support rope, which will hold up the A-frames and act as the highest drying line. Try to use 15m of manila rope, or another long rope if needed.
  12. Lay the A-frames on the ground where you want them to stand. Leave a gap between them, as the distance between the A-frames will be the length of the drying rack. Make sure there's plenty of space for hanging clothes or towels.
  13. Take two thinner poles and place one about 3m away from the outer side of one A-frame. Do the same on the other side. If you want a larger drying rack, you can make this distance longer.
  14. Drive the two thinner poles (called pioneering stakes) firmly into the ground.
  15. Tie the long rope to the top of one A-frame using an open-ended clove hitch where the two main poles meet.
  16. Repeat this on the other A-frame.
  17. Stand up one of the A-frames and pull the rope tight to the nearby stake.
  18. Tie the rope to the stake using a taut-line hitch or trucker's hitch. Make sure it's tight to hold the A-frame in place. 
  19. Repeat this with the other A-frame to stand up the full drying rack.
  20. To add more drying space, you can tie extra ropes lower down.
  21. Attach one end of a rope to the A-frame using a clove hitch or two half hitches. 
  22. Tie the other end to the nearby stake using a taut-line hitch. 

Reflection

This activity put your skills with lashings to the test. Getting the techniques right was the difference between having dry clothes or having to use a wet towel the next day! How did you work together to make sure all of your lashings were tight enough to hold securely? This table would’ve been very difficult to build alone, without someone to hold up the A-frames and hold together the parts you were lashing. Having someone check your lashings as you went would’ve saved time too. 

Pioneering isn’t about speed. It’s about building something safe and useful. You can take your time and start again if you need to. Once you’ve got your drying solution ready, you can set about solving the problem of wet clothes and towels both at camp and at home.

Safety

All activities must be safely managed. You must complete a thorough risk assessment and take appropriate steps to reduce risk. Use the safety checklist to help you plan and risk assess your activity. Always get approval for the activity, and have suitable supervision and an InTouch process.

You must run your activities in line with the Safeguarding Code of Conduct for Adults (Yellow Card) and report any concerns to the UK HQ Safeguarding Team.

Poles and long objects

Be careful when moving poles or long items. Take care if the ends are sharp. Have appropriate supervision for this activity.

Heavy and awkward objects

Never lift or move heavy or awkward items alone. Ask for help or, if possible, break them down into smaller parts.

Outdoor activities

You must have permission to use the location. Always check the weather forecast, and inform parents and carers of any change in venue.

To make this activity easier, you could try making a model of your rack using smaller poles before starting the full scale one, so you can perfect the design and practise your lashings. 

  • You can adapt your pioneering project’s design and materials to make sure it’s accessible for everyone. For example, use thicker rope or string for easier handling and knotting, or consider a smaller scale with bamboo canes or dowel sticks. 
  • Everyone should take on a role that suits them too, such as tying the knots, moving or holding the poles, or reading the instructions. 

All Scout activities should be inclusive and accessible.

Cubs Pioneer Activity Badge
Scouts Pioneer Activity Badge
Explorers Pioneer Activity Badge
Explorers Pioneering Activity Badge

If you want to learn more ways to be fuel efficient, check out our other activities from the Gas Distribution Networks