Hey, Camp Fans!

We’re going all out this season to get the best in gear, clothes, and other camp supplies so your kids can get the most out of their summer camp experience. Ever expanding our shop, we’ve recently brought on an abundance of new apparel from Columbia. I don’t have enough space to go through all of the newly added items on this post, so I just picked three to discuss for today:

1.) the Zero Rules Tee, 2.) the Rain-Zilla Rain Jacket, and 3.) the Bora Bora Booney.

So much more than just a t-shirt, the Zero Rules Short Sleeve Shirt helps keep you cool while you’re having your fun in the sun. Designed to deliver Omni-Shade sun protection of UPF 30, the Zero Rules t-shirt keeps you comfy with Omni-wicking technology as well as sweat-activated cooling so that the more active you make yourself, the cooler you become.

Get a great workout in this shirt and stay as comfy as you are when relaxing. Available in a Men’s design as well as a Women’s V-neck.  Summer’s hot—doesn’t mean you have to be. Cool off with Zero Rules

Make the best of a rainy day with a Rain-Zilla Rain Jacket from Columbia. After all what’s more fun staying perfectly comfortable and dry while stomping around in a wet world? You’ll be like an unstoppable monster destroying whole cities stomping those puddles!

When you puddle it up with this protection, you’re untouchable. King Kong’s got nothing on you with this waterproof fabric on your back. And warm microfleece lining inside, the Rain-Zilla Jacket is perfect. Available in boys and girls designs.

Your boon companion at camp, take the Bora Bora Booney with you when you make your trips out on the lake. Available as the Bora Bora II and Jr. sizes, protect yourself out on the water with THIS fishing hat!

Stylish and protective, this high-performance fishing hat from Columbia combines UPF 50 and an Omni-Wick sweatband to keep you feeling cool and to keep sweat from getting in your eyes. It also blocks 98% of the harmful UV rays from the sun.

Check out all of our great Columbia products right here and, as always, thanks for reading.

- John

Hey, Soon-to-be-Campers!

As we’re all getting prepped for the fast-approaching summer camp season, I’m sure the thrilling anticipation and excitement has charged the air around your home. With the school year coming to a close, impatience intensifies and we’ve all got summer camp on the brain. So, to join in the anticipation for camp, throughout the month of May, I’ll be posting about the Five Goals of Summer Camp.

Noted in their preparatory guidebook, ‘The Summer Camp Handbook,’ Drs. Chris Thurber and Jon Malinowski explain what the five goals of summer camp are and why we should know them. So, what’s the first goal?

Have Fun!

This first goal is never a problem as camps are pretty much founded on having fun. It’s every kid’s first priority and any good camp’s first priority, so it works out pretty well. The director and cabin leaders at your camp are likely very skilled people who know how to make some fun out of even the most mundane activity—like tidying the cabin or gathering firewood.

You might be thinking, “My kid? Have fun cleaning? I don’t think so…”, but stranger things have happened. You’d be surprised what kind of influence a fun, positive example can have on your kid. Summer camps have been successfully working their magic for generations!

But good cabin leaders making a boring time fun is just the tip of the fun iceberg at summer camp. Skilled staff members may be able to make fun out of nothing, but camp offer a vast variety of fun activities, equipment and facilities, as well as peers. With an abundance of new people to meet and a hundred fun things to do and places to see, summer camp was made to show kids a FUN time!

Tune in next Tuesday to read about Goal #2 of summer camp: Improve athletic, artistic, and intellectual skills. And, as always, thanks for reading.

- John

A Long Time Ago, in a Blog post Far, Far Away

Today is National Star Wars Day. May the Fourth be with you. Today is a good day to celebrate these movies that started a revolution in the movie-making industry. Celebrate with this Blog post and watch these fantastic films today. More than just movies to many, many people, Star Wars lives!For as long as I can remember, I’ve been watching Star Wars. If you DON’T know it, it’s the story of Luke Skywalker, a key member of the Rebel Alliance who helps in the stand against the evil, oppressive Empire a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away…

That’s how the original trilogy goes, anyway. With older brothers and my dad—an avid science fiction fan—who cherished these movies, it was pre-decided for me that I would love these movies as much as they did. And I do. It was my DEStiny! Anyway, I found it amazing that three movies that started in 1977 were still able to generate so much excitement in my youth.

When the films were rereleased as the Special Edition, the Star Wars world was all abuzz. Not so much longer after that, the prequels came out which generated an incredible amount of enthusiasm and anticipation. And we live in exciting times right NOW as a new trilogy is being filmed.

That’s right, if you haven’t heard the news yet—here it is!—Star Wars is coming back and the first movie of the new trilogy is being released on December 18 of 2015! And, despite a largely disappointed crowd of Star Wars fans after the release of the prequel movies, these new films are getting Star Wars fans excited again.

Bringing back a surprisingly great number of the original Star Wars cast including Mark Hamill (Luke Skywalker), Carrie Fisher (Princess Leia), Harrison Ford (Han Solo), and many more, these movies are set to take place some time after ‘The Return of the Jedi’ (the last film in the original trilogy).

Get excited and click the link to watch the really cool Star Wars trailer below (if you haven’t already seen it). Happy Star Wars Day and, as always, thanks for reading.

- John

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ngElkyQ6Rhs

Hey, Camp Fans!

An essential item that can be found on everybody’s packing list for summer camp is a reliable flashlight! As the Everything Summer Camp Flashlight Collection proves, sources of light come in all different shapes and sizes. After all, we’ve got the standard Handheld Flashlights, Digital Flashlight Clocks, Lanterns, AND Headlamps.

For those who are fed up, fumbling around with flashlights, Princeton Tec suggests that, in the fashion of a mining helmet, you simply wear a lamp on your head. For the last 40 years, Princeton Tec has managed to pave the way in the lighting industry by continuing to drive their technology forward thanks to their hard work, innovative thinking, and biomimicry—breakthroughs in technology inspired by the natural world around us.

The fearless team at Princeton Tec isn’t afraid to travel the planet by ocean, by air, by bike, or by foot in order to achieve the best possible understanding of the environment they’re attempting to brighten. Whether it means scaling mountains or walking on the ocean floor—Princeton Tec is either there or planning a trip for it.

Recently making the sixth addition to our assortment of available Princeton Tec Headlamps, the SYNC Headlamp can now be found among the others here at Everything Summer Camp.

This Headlamp floods the night with piercing light. With settings for high and low flood, red LED, spot beam, and dual beam (for when the night goes pitch black). The Princeton Tec Sync Headlamp will burn for 75 hours at a powerful 90 Lumens. Casting a beam a maximum of nearly 200 feet, make the night bright with the Sync wrapped around your head.

Very durable and water-resistant, the SYNC Headlamp comes with the 3 AAA batteries it takes to run. Check it out for yourself right here. As always, thanks for reading.

- John

Hey, Camp Fans!

A big part of summer camp is sleeping under the stars when your adventures take you too far from your cabin. Falling asleep in the great outdoors is certainly a magical experience, assuming you have the proper gear, that is. If you expect your camp outings to stretch through the night, then you’ll need to make sure you’ve got all the right gear.

Before you embark on your woodsy hikes this summer, make sure you’ve got the right backpack for the job. We just started carrying FOUR, NEW backpacks from Kelty. Check ‘em out:

1.) The Kelty Dobler, with a spacious main compartment, provides a padded sleeve that can fit a laptop of 17” or provide safekeeping for any maps and books that you bring along. The Dobler is also equipped with a bungee system on the outside for times when you need to carry a little more than you can fit inside.

2.) The Kelty Bueller, like the Dobler, boasts a large interior that includes a padded sleeve to offer safekeeping of maps or books that you don’t want bent. This mid-sized day pack also features a hydration sleeve (reservoir not included) as well as a convenient external water bottle pocket so hydration is always at your fingertips.

3.) Sling the Kelty Yukon on your shoulders. This external-framed brute won’t have any trouble packing everything you need when you head out on those long, scenic treks. Fully-armed with a reservoir sleeve (reservoir not included), mesh water bottle and other zippered side pockets, and a sleeping bag compartment, the Yukon is ready for camp.

4.) And last, but not least, the Kelty Redwing can fit everything you need to hit a full day on the trail. Top and Side Panel Loading, it has a large front pocket featuring an organizer so you can keep your camp supplies and various, smaller items neat and orderly on your adventures. With space galore on the inside, it’s outside also offers a convenient water bottle pocket and zippered side pockets. Hydration compatible, but reservoir not included, Kelty’s got your back with the Redwing Backpack.

Be prepared on your adventures this summer with one of these choice backpacks from Kelty. And, as always, thanks for reading!

- John