Hey, Camp Packers!

As May brings the full swing of spring, it also elevates our anticipation for the fast-approaching summer camp season! Last Monday began our four-part series to share packing techniques for a successful summer camp experience! Get words of the wise, borrowed from ‘The Summer Camp Handbook,’ the comprehensive guidebook written by camp experts, Dr. Chris Thurber and Dr. Jon Malinowski.

Last week, I went over trunks and trunk alternatives such as suitcases, duffels, and backpacks. Now that you have an idea of what type of container your camper will be bringing to camp, it’s time to go over selecting the right gear for your summer camp stay. Thurber and Malinowski break camping gear down into major, manageable groups. Let’s take a look:

Clothing
I’m sure I don’t have to tell you to pack clothes (it’d be kind of weird if I did), so I’ll skip over all the shirts, the shorts, the pants, cozy hoodies, as well as extra socks and underwear that we have available on our site. As for our less obvious articles, you’ll certainly want a quality, 100% waterproof raincoat or a hooded poncho when things get wet at camp. If you’re spending time in the water, be sure to get quick-drying swim suits or trunks. And lastly, bathrobes, while optional, may provide more comfort than a wrapped towel after a shower.

Footwear
Footwear is extremely important at camp. You’ll need boots for hikes, boots for horseback riding, and boots for rainy days when the campgrounds are rendered messy and muddy. The same as boots, make sure you have the right kind of sneakers for the activities that you plan to do at camp. It’s typically a good idea to bring two pairs—a newer pair for sports (specific to tennis or basketball requirements) and an older pair for everyday wear.

As for sandals, they’re both useful and popular, though some camps required that all footwear have closed toes, to prevent injuries.  Remember, sandals are not meant for hiking or sports, despite the advertisements. Besides shoes, remember to pack a lot of socks and make sure that they are appropriate for the shoes you’ll be wearing. Pack thick wool socks for your hiking boots and crew-length, cotton-blend socks for sports.

Bedding
As it is for everything, a sound night of sleep is very important at camp. Your camp’s information packet should give you a good idea of what kind of bedding you need to bring whether it’s nothing at all (if the camp is supplying all the sheets, blankets, and pillows) or everything (if the camp supplies only a cot, bed, platform, or bare earth). We have a great selection of sheets, blankets, mattress pads, mattress covers, as well as pillows and pillowcases from which to choose. We also have a slew of sleeping bags for all different outdoor conditions. Check them out right here!

Toiletries
As for toiletries, you can check out our towels for washing and drying off after showering, or laying down in the sand! You can find great items like sunblock, insect repellent, lip balm, hairbrushes, and toothbrushes with travel holders all right here! And you can keep all these smaller items in the same spot with one of our many toiletry bags!

Headgear
Of course, headwear is great for a number of reasons. Bandanas and headbands are helpful to keep hair and sweat out of your face. The summer sun is blindingly beautiful—make sure to shield your eyes appropriately with hats or even better, sunglasses! Unlike sunglasses, however, hats offer the advantage of keeping ticks off your head. You’ll want to grab swim goggles too if you’re planning on spending time in the water! Other Gear
There’s a bunch of miscellaneous gear that’s mandatory at any camp: a laundry bag, flashlight, and water bottle. But we have a lot of other fun items that you might consider taking along as well—depending on your interests. We have books for quiet time, cameras (which may or may not be allowed at your camp), classic Jacks, playing cards, and so much more is here for your entertainment. Lastly, if you’re hoping to get letters back from your camper, it’s only smart to send them with stationery including pre-addressed and pre-stamped envelopes.

It’s a lot, but it helps to see all this gear broken up to provide organization and clarity. For a look that goes further in-depth of this phase and all other phases of packing and sending your kid to camp entirely, order ‘The Summer Camp Handbook’ for yourself. And be sure to come back next Monday for our tips and advice on labeling your gear and camp clothing! As always, thanks for reading.

- John

Every camp trip involves packing, and before deciding what to pack, you’ll have to decide what type of luggage you’re going use to pack your camp gear into. This leads to the question: which is better for camp, a trunk or a duffle?

The truth is that the right container for your camper could be a footlocker trunk, a suitcase, a duffel bag, or it could even be a large backpack. With the help of camp experts Dr. Chris Thurber and Dr. Jon Malinowski, we’ve compiled a list of tips for choosing the best luggage for camp.

How to Pick the Best Luggage for Summer Camp

The best place to start when trying to decide what type of container you will use for your summer camp trip is checking with the camp itself. Most summer camps will list suggested luggage solutions in their information packets, or even a preferred type of container.

If you don’t see any information regarding suggested luggage, you should call the camp to ask. Camp directors will know how much space is available for campers personal belongings and guide you accordingly.

Benefits of a Footlocker Trunk

Footlocker trunks are a long-time favorite because they are tough, compact and multi-functional.

Here are five additional benefits of having a footlocker trunk while at camp:

• Desk: A great hard surface to write letters home
• Game Table: For cards or other board games
• Chair: Additional seating for visitors from other cabins
• Step Ladder: Easily reach your top bunk
• Organization: Keeps clothes and gear neater than a suitcase or duffle bag

Footlocker Trunks are the long-lasting reliable choice for thousands of summer campers every year. In fact, at Everything Summer Camp our camp footlocker trunks last long enough to be passed down from one sibling to another, and are backed by a lifetime free repair warranty!

Soft Case or Duffle Bag for Summer Camp?

While hard trunks have the most to offer in terms of additional benefits, there are situations where packing for camp with a duffle bag or pop-up soft trunk is advantageous. Also, some summer camps specify luggage must be soft-sided for potential travel or luggage weight reasons. First and foremost, if your camp advises against hard trunks, do not bring one. 

Don’t hesitate to call the camp and talk to a director for luggage guideline clarifications, but if the information packet is specifically advising against hard trunks you should trust that they have a good reason.

Similarly, if your trip to summer camp involves a plane flight, it will be much easier to bring a pop-up trunk or duffle bag rather than a traditional trunk. If the camp cabins will have closets and drawers for campers then a duffle bag can be compacted for storage.

Additionally, If your camper will be doing long hikes, they will need to bring a day pack in the form of a duffle bag or backpack in addition to a footlocker trunk or a soft trunk.

How to Pick the Best Backpack for Summer Camp

Once you’ve decided between a footlocker trunk, pop-up trunk, or duffle, the last piece of luggage you’ll want to consider is a backpack.

There isn’t a summer camp we can think of that we wouldn’t recommend packing a backpack for. The problem is that there are so many backpacks out there, that it’s hard to know how to choose.

Here are two rules for finding the perfect backpack for summer camp:

• Go Big: A large backpack is your best option for long hikes. Remember: You can always leave space in a large backpack, but you can’t increase the capacity of a small backpack.

• Add Weight: If you’re going to a store to purchase your backpack make sure you add weight to the backpack while trying it on. Every backpack feels comfortable when it's empty, but you need it to be comfortable when it’s fully weighed down with gear.

The Smart Choice for Summer Camp Luggage

Hey, Swimmers!

You’re bound to get your fill of time in the water during your stay at summer camp. But as fun as swimming is, it’s also physically taxing—especially if you’re trying to develop your skills as a swimmer. Throughout April, I’ve been posting fitness tips and advice on Mondays to help you prepare your body for the rigors of summer camp. Today is the last Monday in April. I’ve held off posting about dry land exercises for swimmers until now because swimming is the most popular camp activity and I wanted to grab as much attention as I could!

I have a number of easy and free exercises to improve your swimming capabilities:

Squats
There’s no better exercise than Squats to help build the calf, thigh, and core muscles—exactly the muscles used in that kicking motion to propel yourself forward under water. Squats are easy; just stand with your feet at shoulder-width apart and, with your back straight and head up, bend at the knees until your thighs are nearly parallel to the ground. Then push yourself back up.

Shoulder Touches
Work your upper body strength with Shoulder Touches. Get into the position for push-ups, but instead of lowering and raising your body, shift your weight so you can hold yourself up with one arm and touch the shoulder of the supporting arm with your other hand. Ten of these should have you feeling pretty wiped.

Elbow Plank
Another great exercise for building upper body strength is to hold the position of an Elbow Plank. The Plank position is the same as the position to do a push-up only you support yourself with your elbows and forearms instead of your hands. It may not sound like much, but simply holding this position is exercise enough!

Leg Raises
You build up muscles in your legs and core with Leg Raises. Easy to perform, simply lie on your back and lift your legs to a 90 angle with the rest of your body. Then lower your legs within inches of the floor before going back up.

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Windshield Wipers
Similar to Leg Raises, Windshield Wipers help strengthen the same areas, but work different angles. Windshield Wipers are Leg Raises that move from side to side and never really touch the ground.

Diver Push-ups
The last exercise I have to share is the Diver Push-up. I can tell you how to do this one, but it’ll be a lot easier to just show you with this video. As you can see, it’s like a traditional push-up with a backwards element in which you pump your four outstretched limbs upward while lying on your belly.
To help give you a clearer idea of what these exercises look like, I’ve included this video link of a dry land workout routine that incorporates the majority of these exercises. The video is targeted at swimmers of an intermediate level, so keep in mind that his towel suggestion is certainly optional. Make a splash at summer camp and enjoy your time in the water.

- John

Hey, Camp Fans!

Everything Summer Camp is here to help pump you up. Well, we can give you a few tips anyhow. Summer camp is certain to be chock full of strenuous activities that challenge your stamina, flexibility, and strength. That’s why I’ve been posting about fitness every Monday this month—to help you do what it takes to see that you’re fit for the rigorous lifestyle of summer camp.

The first post covered a number of exercises that are helpful for multiple, traditional sports and other athletic activities at summer camp. Last week I gave helpful exercises specific to horseback riding.

Now let’s talk about rock climbing. There’s no better practice than actually climbing—no argument here. But even before practicing, there are great exercises you can do off the wall. There are a number of different ways you’ll want to have conditioned your body to be the best climber you can be. After all, climbing makes good use of all different parts of your body in all different kinds of ways. It breaks down like this:

Upper Body Strength
Climbing, of course, takes a world of Upper Body Strength to hoist yourself into higher and higher positions. Any kind of muscle-building exercises will work—push-ups, pull-ups (if you have a bar available), or weightlifting (if you have the proper weights) are great ways to build strength in your arms and shoulders. Even more intricate of an exercise are Hand Grips. These will help develop the muscles in your fingers for difficult-to-hold-onto-rocks.

Lower Body Strength
Sometimes when climbing, you’ll need your legs to make impossible strides upward and to push the rest of your body to the next point of pausing. Jogging is always a great way to build up those leg muscles. You’ll also want to incorporate some of the exercises we recommended for horse riding like Front Squats and Forward Lunges. Exercises like these are sure to sculpt your leg muscles for the job.

Flexibility
Stretches alone are a great means of training your body to be able to make far reaches and gliding steps. Sitting with your legs outstretched and touching your toes is one great way to extend the span of your stretching. For those with a chin-up bar available, you can practice what is called a ‘Deadhang’ in which you hold yourself up by your fingers. If you have a Finger-Board, that would be most convenient.

Rock climbing is fun, but extremely strenuous work. Make sure you’re ready for it when you head off to summer camp. Make sure to tune in next Monday to get great exercises for swimming and, as always, thanks for reading.

- John

Hey, Camp Fans!

With a fast-approaching camp season, Everything Summer Camp wants to help out. That’s why we’re giving tips on fitness for your camper every Monday in April. Camp is fun, but the activities can be strenuous—lots of camps will actually refuse a camper if they haven’t had a thorough physical examination to guarantee that their body is well enough in shape for the rough and tumble lifestyle at summer camp.

Last week I talked about general stretches and exercises you can do to help get yourself into shape for traditional camp sports and activities that will involve a lot of stamina, flexibility, and strength. But today’s post is all about conditioning your body specifically for horseback riding.

Of course, riding is a work out in itself, but the best way to develop your equestrian ability is to work on your fitness outside of the saddle. Here are five effective exercises to help build your core strength and suitability for riding. Watch the video at the bottom of this post to get a great visualization on how to perform these exercises. Experienced riders recommend 8-12 repetitions of each workout:

Seated Ball Squeeze
Work your inner thigh muscles by sitting on a chair, placing a kickball/soccer ball between your thighs, and squeezing the ball firmly for 5 to 10 seconds. This exercise builds your adductors—critical muscles for horseback riding.

Bridge with Ball Squeeze
This exercise is meant to strengthen a rider’s inner thighs, gluteus, and core muscles. The idea is to lie on your back and bend your knees with or without a ball between your thighs—then lift your buttocks off the floor and  squeeze the ball. You should hold this position for 8 to 15 seconds.

Forward Lunge
Excellent conditioning for the proper seat, this exercise works on your quadriceps, hamstrings, gluteus, abdominal muscles, and spinal erector muscles in your back. You can do practice this exercise with or without dumbbells in your hands. You should stand upright with your feet together and then take a large stride forward with your right foot until your left light is just about straight. Push yourself back to the starting position. And then repeat with your left foot.

Skater Style Lateral Lunge
For further conditioning, this exercise will have you looking like a speed skater. Stand with your feet wide apart and bend your right knee while touching your right foot with your left hand. Your back should be flat and your head up.

Front Squat
Lastly, give everything a once-over with this all-encompassing exercise. Simply stand with your feet at shoulder-width apart and, with your back straight and head up, bend at the knees until your thighs are nearly parallel to the ground. Then push yourself back up.

Check out this video to get a clearer ‘picture’ of how to perform these exercises. Be sure to tune in next Monday when I’ll be talking about how to prepare yourself for Rockwall Climbing and, as always, thanks for reading!

- John