Hey, Camp Preppers!

Today I want to tell you about our simple and great return policy here at Everything Summer Camp. We want to make sure that you’re confident in purchasing everything from our sturdy camp trunks to a simple flashlight.

We want to make sure that you’re happy with your purchase. That’s why we have a simple and easy, no-hassle return policy. If you need to return something just give us a call at 1-800-535-2057.

If you’re returning something within 60 days of making the purchase, then you’ll get full credit for the cost of those products. This credit can be a credit issued to your credit card or in-store credit. Also, so long as you are within 60 days of the purchase date, you hold the right to return any product for any reason at all.

If you want to return a product or multiple products between 61 to 120 days of having made the purchase, then you’ll still get full credit for the cost of those products that you’re returning. However, at this point we will only provide you with an in-store credit that you can redeem on any future purchases.

Also, after the 61 to 120 day window, all products that you want to return must be returned in new, sellable condition. If you need to return a product that is not in new condition please call us and we will try to resolve the problem. These instances are handled on a case-by-case basis.

Finally, after 120 days we do not allow returns anymore. This does not mean that you are out of luck. We sell quite a few items that have lifetime or 1-3 year warranties and we will work with you to help you take full advantage of those warranties. At all times, Everything Summer Camp is willing to put your satisfaction in front of everything else.

Care Package Care

Receiving a package is a fun tradition at summer camp. When it comes to camp care packages here are a few things to keep in mind. Care packages themselves grab children’s attention; what’s inside matters less than the fact that they are receiving a package. The package itself says, “I’ve been thinking about you and I love you.” They are part of a summertime ritual in which millions of families participate.

I said “matters less” not “doesn’t matter.” Remember that camps have rules against contraband. Most camps don’t allow food care packages because they attract ants and critters, some of which are large, like sweets, and rhyme with share. Cookies, cakes, and candies also spoil children’s appetites for healthy camp food, so save it all for the first day home. Most camps also don’t allow dangerous items or electronics. (Yes, parents have tried to ship fillet knives for tackle boxes, fireworks for the Fourth of July, and even cell phones for late-night check-ins.) Camps are ethical environments where following community rules is highly valued. Parents would be wise to set a good example by following care package guidelines.

So, what’s fun to include in a safe, legal, and healthy care package? Keep in mind that camp is about connection. Your son or daughter will be making lifelong friends, so send gear that facilitates connection. Solitary electronic games are about the worst thing to send, but non-electronic games that help young people play together include:

• Frisbees® and other flying disks
  
• Camp Talk Cards (for terrific conversation starters)
• Checkers, Chess, Go, Mastermind, and other portable board games
• Mad-Libs® and other group word games
• Wildlife identification books (great for nature walks)
• Paper airplane and origami how-to books
• Uno® and other card games (as long as there is no betting involved)

You can find many of these items or something similar in our Travel Games for summer camp when you click here.

Send age-appropriate sports and hobby magazines, literary and science publications, and newspaper clippings. Interesting printed media get shared and traded at camp, but steer clear of magazines and comics with sketchy, sexualized, or violent content.

You also might include an item or two that your child doesn’t have to share, such as:

• A Novel
• A T-shirt
• A Puzzle
• A Baseball Cap
• Photos of the Family
• A Small Stuffed Animal
• Visual Art Accessories
• A Blank Scrapbook or Journal to Start at Camp

Just remember: Providing the camp experience for your son or daughter already shows how much you care. You care about their growth and development. You care about their happiness. And you care about their out-of-classroom learning. Seen in this light, care packages are completely unnecessary. In fact, most overnight campers don’t receive care packages. Feel free not to send one. Instead, tell your children how much you love them in a newsy, upbeat, handwritten letter. A couple letters a week is plenty enough to sustain a meaningful connection with home. And if you can’t resist the temptation to send something more, keep it modest.

Enjoy the summer!

Dr. Christopher Thurber

Hey, Camp Fans!

Today I’m going to talk about one excellent company with whom Everything Summer Camp is proud to be working alongside, Mint. Go ahead and shop online at Everything Summer Camp where you can find great quality, Mint products like laundry bags and hanging toiletry bags for great, affordable prices!

Mint is a company, like many companies (and like Everything Summer Camp), that has evolved from another company. That original company was called the Flying Circle Bag Company.

This company started on a family ranch about twenty years ago by, Joy and Jim Chittim. They sold military bags as well as a line of bags for kids—the latter being the department that Christi Chittum eventually came to run.

After taking a break to have her baby, Christi began another full-time job as a mother for the next three years. At that point, Christi got back to business with the kid’s line side of the Flying Circle Bag Company only this time she called it Mint. Ready to put her creativity to good use along with a bunch of great ideas, Mint was well on its way to the next level of business.

Today, Mint sends out their very own Mint boxes to over six thousand retail storefronts and Web-based businesses throughout the United States as well as international locations like Hong Kong, Singapore, Israel, the United Kingdom, and Toronto. All along the way, Mint has continued to see a loyal following, growth, and success.

It takes the dedicated, hard work of about a dozen people to keep Mint running smoothly and every one of them appreciates the work they do with us at Everything Summer Camp.

That’s all for today, Summer Camp Fans! Until next time.

Hey there, Campers!

Did you know that well over a hundred of our favorite celebrities have spent at least a summer or two at summer camp? I’ll bet you’re just about ready to camp out all night and party every day! Well, Gene Simmons was when he was your age!

That’s right! Today I’ll be telling you about the amazing Gene Simmons from Kiss who went to Surprise Lake Camp in Cold Spring, New York. Surprise Lake Camp (SLC) was founded in 1902 and seems to have frozen time in that spot since it first started. The site is beautiful, the people are good, and the program is great!

Look what it did for Gene Simmons—the popular rock star from the hairband era! Along with Kiss, Gene Simmons has sold more than 100 million albums worldwide! Few people know that Gene was actually born Chaim (pronounced Hi-um) Witz in 1949, Israel.

It wasn’t until he was eight-years-old that he, along with his mother, Florence, immigrated to Queens in New York City. As they both began to blend into the United States, Chaim had his name changed to Eugene Klein which later became Gene Simmons.

Before beginning his musical career, Gene went to summer camp (obviously) and had a number of jobs throughout the New York City area as assistant to an editor for Vogue Magazine as well as a sixth-grade instructor on the Upper West Side.

When Gene did get involved with his first band, he got very into it. Lynx, then renamed The Missing Links was Gene’s first band. It didn’t last very long. After that he formed The Long Island Sounds. In Community College, Gene joined a new band—Bullfrog Bheer. The band recorded a demo but never got much further than that.

In the early 70’s, Gene formed the rock band Wicked Lester with Paul Stanley which produced one album that never got released. Still unhappy with their band, Wicked Lester did not survive. But after that Gene and Paul Stanley set out to form the ultimate rock band.

After finding Peter Criss and Ace, Kiss was formed. A true rags to riches story, Gene was never afraid of a little hard work and persistence which ultimately led to one of the most popular rock bands of all time.

Thanks for reading, Campers! Till next time.

Hey there, Boys and Girls!

Today I want to talk to you about one of Everything Summer Camp’s coolest and, personally, my favorite product—LidSkinz. We like the idea of kids creatively expressing themselves as much as they can, so we’ve recently improved our LidSkinz designer tool so that when you personalize your own LidSkinz cover exclusive to your own camp trunk, the possibilities are limitless.

When it comes to trunk decorating LidSkinz from Everything Summer Camp are by far one of the coolest ways to get your trunk all dressed up for the summer camp season. We print the full color vinyl decal here in our graphics shop and then roll protective laminate over the LidSkinz. By the time we’re done with it the top of your camp trunk is more durable than paint!

So get excited about it! Sit down with our new and improved designer tool and express yourself! This is your chance to top your footlocker with our abundant collection of cool colors, fancy fonts, illustrious icons, big backgrounds, and personalized text. The possibilities are limitless!

Our shipping department then undoes the top hardware of your camp trunk and peels the non-stick backing of our LidSkinz material to carefully place it on the top lid of your camp trunk. We then ship you your camp trunk in the mail as usual but with a stunning graphic for a face!

Remember, if you’ve already purchased a C&N Footlocker from Everything Summer Camp last year—it’s okay! We’ll ship you your LidSkinz safely in the mail along with easy-to-follow, step-by-step instructions so that you can apply the LidSkinz to your camp trunk by yourself (or maybe with your Mom and Dad).

So, slap some skin on your trunk this summer!