What’s up, Campers?!

At Everything Summer Camp, we’re the home of C&N Footlockers so, of course, we pride ourselves the most on our traditional (as well as our innovative Designer) trunks. And we’re also proud to offer our Wheel Away System—the easiest way to transport your camp trunk.

These large, 4″ PVC wheels are a revolutionary solution for summer campers who have struggled with a fully-packed footlocker. But camp trunk transportation isn’t the first thing that the wheel has revolutionized! Let’s take a look at the origins of this round invention!

Contrary to popular opinion, the wheel was not invented with transportation in mind. It wasn’t invented by cavemen either. It was the ancient Sumerians, actually—one of the earliest civilizations in recorded history—and they invented it roughly 3500 BC.

The first wheels were flat disks made of either wood or clay that was left out to bake in the sun. If not for transportation, what were these wheels used for? They were potter’s wheels—rotated by hand and used for shaping clay into rounded pieces of cookware, vases, and other pieces of ceramic art.

The wheel was very useful in the world of pottery, but it would be another 300 years until people realized the full potential of this invention. Wheelbarrows were one of the first wheeled vessels which then gave way to a flood of coming inventions on wheels.

The plow followed soon after the wheelbarrow, but it wasn’t until the wheel found its home underneath a chariot that the transportation train started moving. Wheels have been used for purposes besides transportation since 3000 BC like converting energy in watermills and creating a delightful ride as a Ferris Wheel, but transportation is still its main thing.

Wheels started as objects made of clay and wood, but nowadays, they’re commonly made from rubber as we see on our motor vehicles and bicycles. Some other modern wheels are made of hard plastics like skateboard wheels as well as the removable beauties that pop on and off of our Wheel Away System. Let it roll! And, as always, thanks for reading!

 - John

Hey, Camp People!

Lots of folks who were once summer campers like yourselves have gone on to become celebrities whose names are popular in our very own households. I’ve written about nearly 100 famous folks so far who have roots in the summer camp community. Another name to add to our ongoing list is Leonard Cohen. 

He was 10 years old when he set off for his summer camp stay at Camp Hiawatha near Montreal. There he had a fine time in the mid 1940’s running around among the Canadian wilderness and enjoying friends that were his age. And even back then, Leonard had taken an interest in writing.

Born and raised in the Canadian town of Westmount, Quebec, Leonard, throughout his life, would become a singer, songwriter, musician, poet, novelist, and painter. And, though he is most known for his musical career, he aimed to be a poet and novelist from his days as a teenager until his early 30’s. In fact, he didn’t do anything with music until he turned 33 years old.

He completed his elementary and high school education throughout enrollment in three different schools—the Roslyn Elementary School, Herzliah High School, as well as Westmount High School. He was very involved in extra-curricular activities in his later days of high school and he developed a great interest in studying music as well as poetry.

By 1951, Leonard started college at McGill University, where he became president of the debate team. He also won the Chester MacNaghten Literary Competition for his poems “Sparrows” and “Thoughts of a Landsman.” He published his first poems in a magazine by the spring of 1954. Around this time, he also taught himself to play acoustic guitar and he formed a folk group called ‘Buckskin Boys’.

Things went on this way for more than ten years, using writing for his main source of income and playing music for fun. But Leonard, becoming increasingly discouraged with his low income as a writer, decided one day in 1967 that he would move to the United States in an attempt to pursue a career as a folk music singer/songwriter.

Consequently, Leonard’s writing started to diminish with fewer publications and long gaps between them as he concentrated more and more of his energy on writing and recording songs. Networking with other big names of the time like Lou Reed and David Bowie, Leonard discovered a certain amount of marketability for his own music and it wasn’t long until he created an image and a name for himself.

With his own roots in summer camp, patience and desire brought Leonard Cohen a life of fulfillment that the world can now enjoy. What will grow from the roots you stretch at summer camp? As always, thanks for reading.

- John

Hey, Camp Fans!

We’re shining our Everything Summer Camp summer camp spotlight on a quality brother/sister camp, very much deserving of a feature—today we’re taking a look into the world of Camp Ridgecrest for boys as well as Camp Crestridge for girls, situated up high in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina.

Basking in the charm of the summer season, Western North Carolina’s climate tends to see warmer temperatures that rarely exceed the mid-80’s—perfect for fun outdoor activities and incredible trips through the beautiful wilderness. Both Ridgecrest and Crestridge are treated to their own private lakes, awesome facilities, and comfortable cabins.

From Bedlam Ball (soccer with eight goals) at Ridgecrest to the Night of Chaos (a race of organized mess of chaotic events) at Crestridge, there is an incredible amount of fun waiting for you at these camps.

The camps have many shared activities like Archery, Riflery, Soccer, Basketball, Volleyball, Horesback Riding, Guitar, and Crafts. The camps also offer exclusive activities like Sewing, Gymnastics, and Needlework at Crestridge as well as Chess, Paintball, and Rocketry at Ridgecrest. And both camps come together to participate in Carnival—giant, inflatable rides and games of skill where you can win awesome prizes for your cabin.

Each camp has their own welcoming and atmospheric dining hall and both campgrounds have cool, rustic buildings, fun facilities, and accommodating cabins. Crestridge campers are provided with the luxury of internal bath amenities while the boys at Ridgecrest use the private cabin bathhouses complete with shower stalls, toilets, urinals, and sinks.

Growing opportunities and great fun are happening each and every summer at Ridgecrest and Crestridge. Look in to either of these camps to see if they’d be a good match for your son or daughter and, as always, thanks for reading!

- John

Hey, Camp Folks!

Here come our latest Sleeping Bags from Kelty to expand our selection of this quality brand. The Tru.Comfort Kids 35° and the Tru.Comfort Kids 20°. Very affordable, grab these quality summer camp sleeping bags to help deliver the best rest for your camper. Both of these mummy bags are made to give you great comfort—it’s in the name—but they provide different temperature ratings for camps of different climates.

Kelty Tru.Comfort Kids 35° Sleeping Bag
The Tru. Comfort Kids 35° Sleeping Bag will give your camper a night of sleep like they’re own bed at home! It has a 35° temperature rating and it’s filled with 28 oz. of CloudLoft™ Insulation. Designed to keep your camper snug as a bug, the built-in, two layer, mummy-fit blanket provides perfect temperature control for a sound night of sleep—no tossing and turning at camp in this Sleeping Bag.

Kelty Tru.Comfort Kids 20° Sleeping Bag
If your camper is staying in a location with a cooler climate, go for this sleeping bag with a 20° temperature rating. Tested to stand up to temperatures as low as 20° Fahrenheit, this bag is given a eight more ounces of CloudLoft™ Insulation than the 35° bag, coming in at 36 oz. On top of its basic construction, it boasts a built-in, two-layer, mummy fit blanket for easy temperature control. Tru. Comfort Kids makes for happy campers.

These sleeping bags are serious about sleep and they’re here to keep you as cozy as you can be during your summer camp and overnight trips into the wilderness! A good night of sleep makes for a happy camper, so once you know what kind of temperatures your camper will be seeing at night, get one of these bags for your kid’s comfort! Check out the Tru. Comfort Kids 35° Sleeping Bag right here and, to see the Tru.Comfort Kids 20° Sleeping Bag, click here. Enjoy your sleep at summer camp and, as always, thanks for reading!

- John

Hey, Footwear Folks!

Here at Everything Summer Camp, we love discovering the stories and histories behind the businesses with whom we work. And we love sharing those stories with our faithful customers and Blog followers. Among the excellent brands that make up our assorted footwear department, Chaco is one of these footwear companies whose shoes we are very proud to offer.

Constructing superior footwear for avid fans of the outdoors creates a very fulfilling life for the folks at Chaco. They believe their products enable people to grab hold of an enriched lifestyle that they achieve through travel, exploring their community, and going on adventures. And we believe so too.

Founded in 1989 in the village of Paonia by a Colorado river rafting guide named Mark Paigen, Chaco Footwear established a factory and immediately started manufacturing sandals, shoes, boots, and other outdoorsy accessories for folks who like roughin’ it.

They quickly separated themselves from forgettable footwear brands when they came out with their iconic Z/Sandals—designed for full adjustability and unrivaled traction on land as well as water. With this release and a continued application of simplicity, versatility, comfort, and durability, Chaco redefined themselves as leaders in performance footwear.

Kids have a tendency to go rough on their footwear—especially at summer camp. But Chaco has their recipe for premium footwear down to a science at this point. That’s why we have their Kids Z1 as well as the Kids ZX/1 Eco Tread Sandals from Chaco’s Z collection. We also offer the Kids OutCross Sport Sandal—an amphibious animal you haven’t seen the likes of before.

Check out Chaco’s innovative features that these sport sandals are sporting and get your reliable footwear and shop the rest of our excellent footwear selection on our main site. As always, thanks for reading!

- John