Angus,
I guess I am qualified to answer as I have an interest in flashlights and in Scouting (about 30 years).
Scouts (and other young boys) have a natural interest in flashlights. So just about anything you get for them will work out.
While they are generally a lot more expensive, I do agree that LED flashlights are best for youth as they run much longer on a set of batteries than do standard lights.
My recommendations would be to get each of you:
Photon Micro Lights (they are available in versions 1, 2, & 3)
A Princeton Tech Attitude LED Light.
I base this on, again, the LED thing, and the versatility.
The Photon Micro Lights are very versatile. I carry both a Photon II and III. The III goes on a neckchain where I can always find it. It is waterproof to 1 foot and has a two mode pressure swtich which allows you to either run it momentarily as long as you press the switch or you can leave it on by pressing the other part of the switch. It comes in a variety of colors. And it has 6 modes of light, 3 steady dim, medium and bright, and 3 flashing slow, medium, and fast. So it can be used as a small flashlight, marker light, or flasher. This would meet the needs of a flashlight and marker light so you can see your Scouts.
The Photon II is not waterproof, (You could use a Photon II as described below, but I found that switch manipulating was difficult) but it has a small switch on the housing allowing you to turn it on and leave it on. (Or you can just squeeze the housing for momentary light). I carry one on my key ring. But, On the back of the housing (the side opposite the switch, I placed the sticky side of a 1/2" dot of velcro. On the brim of various caps (Scout cap, fishing hat, etc) I placed the soft side of the 1/2" dot of velcro on the underside of the brim in the center near the front edge of the brim, but with the bulb just back from the edge of the brim. (I remove the keyring which comes with the light when I do this) The switch is then facing down. When I need light to see, I just reach up and slide the swtich on. Instant "head" aka hat brim light! Since the light is under the hat brim it is protected from rain. I can walk a trail with it, handle fishing tackle at night, read, see well enough in a tent, etc. You could put other soft side 1/2" velcro dots elsewhere (vehicle sunvisor, inside a tent, etc), for more versatility. Works VERY well.
The Photons operate on Lithum coin type cells that are relatively inexpensive.
The PT Attitude is the best small hand held light I have found. Operate on 3 standard AAA alkaline batteries. I made a leather belt pouch for mine and have attached a lanyard to it to prevent loss. With the Lanyard you can wear it around your neck. While it costs about $20, the LEDs run much longer on a set of batteries than standard lights do.
I think that the combination of these two would be good for what you are looking for. (Try the hat brim thing with the Photon Micro Light II. It works very well!)
