Hey, Camp Fans!

Today I want to tell you about the one, the only, the founder of TruKid, Jennifer Adams Bunkers. This incredible entrepreneur had a dream and then made it a reality with nothing more than a considerate thought and her own hard work.

When Jennifer, a mother of six, mind you, discovered that two of her kids had gotten into her wrinkle cream and applied it to themselves as a joke, she got it in her head that a cream that’s used to wipe the wrinkles off your face probably isn’t the safest product for children to be messing with.

And that made her realize further that there wasn’t much on the market for children’s products for skin care, hair care, or baby-safe sunscreen. Since everything else that was out there was all filled to the brim with a bunch of chemicals that nobody can pronounce or had an unpleasant odor.

After that, she decided she would concoct skin and hair care products that weren’t only safe for children to use but fun for them too. Her one hundred percent natural, essential oils, shampoos, sunblock, and other products come packaged with educational activities that help teach your kids about taking care of their skin, the hair on their head, and the world they live in.

One might think that Jennifer must be Wonder Woman in her alter ego’s everyday disguise to be such an amazing entrepreneur and a mother of six. But really she’s just prone to handling stressful and chaotic situations. She’s doing something that she loves to do which makes it all worth it to her at the end of the day.

In the coming fall season, Jennifer intends to launch the TruKid Foundation™, an organization for kids, by kids to create a focus on charity work in the Bay Area. This includes product donations, outreach activities, and educational projects.

- John

Hey, Crazy Campers!

If you’re an avid reader of our blog and a frequent visitor on our website, then you may already know some of what I’ll be discussing in today’s post—like how Everything Summer Camp wasn’t always called Everything Summer Camp. The company used to be C&N Footlockers, named after Craig and Nancy Cornell.

Craig and Nancy founded C&N in 1987, manufacturing their classic trunks right out of the proverbial home-garage in Boyd, Wisconsin. There they made 380 black footlockers—all the same size—with unmatched, rugged construction. Along with excellent customer service, C&N Footlockers was sure to be a success.

As business picked up, they started offering trunks in more colors and different sizes. In need of more space for the manufacturing and storage of their trunks, they soon relocated. The business continued to grow and they relocated once again to a bigger building.

This final move was to the same building that we reside in today, although we've added on for even more space over the years! In the building’s factory is where every single C&N Footlocker is manufactured.

We remain modest people at Everything Summer Camp, but facts are facts and C&N Footlockers are truly the best camp trunks you can find. Made with unquestionably rock-solid craftsmanship, C&N Footlockers are built to last a lifetime.

Everything Summer Camp, the home of C&N Footlockers, now offers four different trunk sizes, twenty solid colors and a black trim option. We have create-your-own designs and dozens of designer pattern choices. We also offer lots of awesome trunk accessories that really optimize the use of your camp trunks.

A lot has changed since we got our start twenty-six years ago, but we’re still just as dedicated to making our trunks the same way we always have. That’s why we still brand every trunk we make with the C&N Footlockers emblem. Happy camping!

- John

Hey, Camp Enthusiasts!

From time to time on this blog I like to post about other companies with whom Everything Summer Camp is proud to do business. In March I talked about some great companies—Kamik, Woolrich, Crazy Creek, and Kelty.

For today’s post I want to talk about The Bug Patch—not the actual patch, but the company responsible for it, Quick Start Marketing, LLC. Last week, I posted about the way that the actual Bug Patch works (which pretty much necessitates a post completely on its own).

But in summary, it works by placing a uniform shipment of the B1 vitamin—thiamin directly into your bloodstream. The B1 thiamin then gets secreted through your pores as you sweat, which masks the odor of carbon dioxide that the bugs seem to like so much.

The bugs won’t even realize you’re around!

It’s a pretty clever idea that belongs to a Mr. Robert Borland. Robert’s Bug Patch works on a completely natural level. There’s no DEET or any other chemically-based activity happening underneath this natural insect repellent.

And The Bug Patch leaves you with no smell, no residue, no restrictions, no bugs! From ticks to mosquitoes to chiggers to gnats to black and yellow flies, the Bug Patch guarantees your protection from all of them for 24 hours using just one patch!

The Bug Patches have been awarded the National Parenting “Seal of Approval,” so you know that it’s a perfectly safe insect repellent for kids. This product is 100% natural and doctor recommended.

Robert started marketing The Bug Patch in 2004. And for the last nine years it’s really created a buzz since Quick Start Marketing, LLC was first founded in Robert’s garage.

The company has grown and expanded since then, now occupying larger facilities in Pinckard, Alabama where all of The Bug Patch’s packaging, shipping, and administrative functions happen. Everything Summer Camp is thrilled to be offering such an ingenious product as Robert Borland’s Bug Patch!

I think I’ll speak for everyone who uses The Bug Patch this summer when I say, “Thanks, Rob!”

Until next time, Campers.

Hey there, Camp Enthusiasts!

Today’s blog post will discuss another one of the great companies whose excellent products we offer here at Everything Summer Camp. The last time we discussed such a business was with Crazy Creek. We learned about the rainy, horrible night that gave Rob Hart the idea for the Crazy Creek Chair and his good friend John who now owns the company.

This blog post features one of the coolest brands to buy since 1952! Kelty has established itself as the affordable and reliable place to go for outdoor, camping gear. Whether you’re an experienced camp buff or a nervous novice, Kelty gives everyone the confidence to really experience an involvement in nature and not have to avoid it.

For a few years in the late-forties and early-fifties, a carpenter named Dick Kelty started making packs out of his garage at home. He sold them to his friends and nearly made seven hundred dollars in his first year of business. Dick made each backpack frame by hand and welded them. His wife sewed them.

Business grew rapidly. In 1953, Kelty’s sales tripled. The next year, they doubled. A couple years after that, Dick quit his carpentry business to work on Kelty backpacks full-time.

I guess you could say that Kelty was hot from the start. It wasn’t long after that that, Kelty packs were used exclusively in an expedition for the first American ascent on the West Ridge of Mt. Everest. A couple years after that, Kelty was used again by National Geographic for an expedition in Antarctica! In 1975 they were used for the American ascent of K2.

Over the years Kelty has started offering a wider range of family and camping products like Kelty sleeping bags, kids sleeping bags, clothing, luggage, and child carriers. They’ve also revamped products. In 1974, they introduced their first internal frame backpack.

Today, Kelty continues adding to and improving upon the camping gear they offer. Most recently, in 2013, they introduced the first inflatable tent, the AirPitch™ along with DriDown™, their natural, hydrophobic down that isn’t scared of a little moisture.

Everything Summer Camp is more than happy to be doing business with a company that loves to evolve as much as we do. Thank you, Kelty.

Until next time. Thanks for reading, Campers!

- John

Hey, Camp Buddies!

Today’s blog post shines the spotlight on another company whose excellent product we offer. Previously, we took a look at Woolrich, discussing the products they make, their early beginnings, and the company’s longevity.

This blog post features everyone’s favorite camp chair place: Crazy Creek which has been bringing comfort to the outdoors since 1987. A very good year as it was the same one that delivered the birth of Everything Summer Camp!

It all started on a dark and stormy night in Colorado when Rob Hart and his Outward Bound campers found themselves wet, glum, and sitting on fallen logs and tree stumps. Camping is hard enough with weather that agrees, but without that weather, camping wasn’t very comfortable.

Rob knew it didn’t have to be that way, but how? He knew he wanted something better to sit on, but what? You can’t expect to go camping carrying a lawn chair on your back!

But it wasn’t long until the idea came to him, based on an old wooden canoe chair that Rob’s grandfather used to use on camping trips. Rob went straight to work creating many different designs and prototypes until he had come up with a warm, dry, and cushioned seat.

This was something he could relax in after a long, hard day of roughin’ it!

After quickly hiring his friend, John Elsberry as his business manager, Crazy Creek saw great success from their product. It became famous the world over. Finally!—a lightweight, portable, camping chair.

John went on to leave Crazy Creek after seeing it to such success and started a business of his own, Business Support Services. Crazy Creek then thrived for nearly a decade.

Sadly, nine years after John left the company, Rob Hart died in a tragic skiing accident. Fortunately for Rob’s family, the strong business he had created continues to support them with the help of Rob’s good friend and old business manager, John.

John and his wife, made arrangements to buy the company and with the help of everyone else at Crazy Creek, they keep up the excellent quality and service that the company started 26 years ago.

Everything Summer Camp is proud to offer these comfy camp chairs that have started such a craze! Thank you, Crazy Creek! And, as always, thanks to you for reading!