Hey, Camp Fans!

It’s obvious from the name of our company that we have everything you’ll need and could ever want while you’re away at summer camp. If you’re sure to hit the trails at camp this summer, then you should check out our Hydra Packs from Camelbak for your hydrating ease!

We now carry the Hydrobak, the women’s Charm, and the Skeeter hydration packs to make staying hydrated extremely easy. Just fill the pack’s reservoir, throw it on your back, and sip through the tube at your leisure—hands free—while you hike the camp trails around you.

They Hydrobak is made with slit mesh and its reservoir will hold a liter-and-a-half. Along with the others, this technologically-advanced pack has all the proper air ventilation that keeps the load feeling light and off your back. These packs provide you with optimum comfort and breathability.

The women’s Charm is the perfect size for campers as well as camp leaders. The Charm’s shoulder straps are cut specifically to fit women of all ages. The straps are also lined with Velvetex lining for added comfort. Durable this women’s-specific pack is made of nylon and mesh with a one and a half liter urethane reservoir. Strap this camelback hydra pack on your back this summer!

With the Camelbak Skeeter, you’ll never be caught thirsty in the great outdoors again! This lightweight, mesh canteen is made for kids, ages 3 to 12. The Skeeter Backpack makes it easy to stay quenched on a hot hike—or a vicious game of Capture-the-Flag!

Camelbak’s kids backpacks also have perfected air ventilation and Quick Link System™ to give you absolute comfort and hydrating handiness.

Get your own camelback backpack to make hot hikes on a scorching day much easier to handle! Who knew staying hydrated could be so easy? Until next time, Campers.

- John

Hey, Summer Camp Fans!

Our last Employee Spotlight blog post talked about our Production Supervisor, Shirley who is in charge of our camp trunk manufacturing.

The thought with these Employee Spotlight blog posts is for you to get to know us better here at Everything Summer Camp, learn something about the people who work here, and to get a better understanding of who we are as a company.

For today’s blog post I stopped in Mark’s office and had a chat with him. Mark is the Vice President of Everything Summer Camp—not to mention a very happy guy now that his latest project (our new website) has recently launched.

As Vice President of the company, Mark’s job is to oversee many different aspects of the business with a primary focus on Everything Summer Camp’s Web site and Product Development. His job faces him with new challenges every day.

Knowing Mark, he wouldn’t have it any other way. “I like finding solutions that are innovative in helping campers get ready for camp—or help them while they’re at camp,” he says. He loves that his job brings something new to the table every day. 

He’s had the same attitude toward his work for all of the nine years that he’s been here, starting out in Purchasing and moving up to Lead Buyer; Mark has held a variety of positions before becoming the Vice President of the company.

His involvement in Product Development constantly yields improvements in our graphics for trunk decorating, iron on labels, nameplates, and other trunk accessories. He’s always got great ideas from his own time spent at summer camp when he was a kid at no-longer-operating Camp Wowitan.

Mark sometimes summarizes his job as creating other jobs in that he’s always looking for more ways that Everything Summer Camp can branch out and grow. But what he loves best about his job is the people he works with. “It’s fun coming into work,” he says.

That’s all for now, Camp Fans. Until next time. Thanks for reading.

- John

Hey, Camp Enthusiasts!

Parents, today I’m discussing a very important topic about summer camp: knowing whether your kid is ready for it or not. This can be a little tricky to figure out since there isn’t any exact answer or age I can give you for your camper. Everyone’s different. What I can give you is some pointers to figuring out if your kid is ready or not.SummerCampHandbook.com thinks that seven is a good age to start, so long as your child feels comfortable with it by that point. Maybe your child is an early bloomer and was ready for it just before turning seven. Maybe your child won’t be ready until middle-school. How do you know?

Usually it’s best to leave it up to your kid to mention any interest in summer camp. Kids know what’s fun and that camp is cool.

If you think summer camp would be a good idea, yet your kid hasn’t brought it up freely, see if there’s a reason that they aren’t interested. Whether the reason be related to anxieties about making friends at camp or concerns over leaving home, make sure to address your child’s issue and not simply encourage him or her to go. Camp can be your idea, but it’s got to be your kid’s decision.

Try having your kid talk to a friend who’s already been to camp or get permission to visit a camp while in session. Both are very effective methods of easing your child’s mind about a stay at camp.

If you’re concerned about homesickness settling in, a care package is always a great way to lift your kid’s spirit. Also, remember to write! Everything Summer Camp has stationery for kids and stationery for you to make writing letters home and to camp easy and convenient.

You can also get cool and colorful name labels at Everything Summer Camp that were featured in the News recently by Nola Baby. Every camp wants everything to be labeled so that what gets brought to camp returns home. It also helps the camps that provide a laundry service to make sure the right clothing goes to the right camper.

Once your kid has decided to go to summer camp, then you just have to know how long of a stay it should be. Luckily, your kid should have a big say on this one too.

As Chris Thurber recently wrote in his March 13 post on this blog about figuring out how long to stay at camp, it “should be largely up to your child. Ownership over the decision about how many weeks to attend camp goes a long way toward promoting good adjustment to the separation from home.”

That’s all for today. Good luck, Parents. As always, thanks for reading.

- John

Hey, Camp Fans! 

Looking for the right sleeping bag to take with you to summer camp? Then you’re in luck! Today I’m talking about a new sleeping bag we’ve started carrying at Everything Summer Camp: the Reactor™ 35 Mummy from Columbia.

This sleeping bag is excellent for taking out on the camp trail because you’ll only be adding an extra two pounds to your load! Imagine the advantage you’ll have just carrying less weight through the duration of a hike that lasts longer than just one day.

Don’t let its light weight fool you, though—the Reactor™ 35 Mummy is built to keep you toasty warm and give you the rest you’ll need for all the following events of the next day brings! How can a sleeping bag be so lightweight and yet, still deliver the warmth you’ll need on cool summer nights?

Well, Columbia uses its own thermal reflective technology along with heat-trapping Thermic MX insulation. Adequate for temperatures as low as 43° F and comfortable in 51°, the Reactor™ 35 Mummy certainly won’t let you down.

For added warmth and comfort, Columbia lines the inside of the Reactor™ sleeping bag with Omni-Heat®; what is Omni-Heat® you ask? It’s thermal reflective lining that’s designed to trap your body heat and recirculate it throughout the night. The lining does a great job at providing breathability too.

The Reactor™ sleeping bag’s shell is made of Omni-Shield®—a 100% nylon, 30D micro Ripstop fabric. It employs an innovative resistance to rain or condensation within the tent to ensure a good night’s sleep for you.

Another great part about the Reactor™ is the stash pocket on the side. It’s a reliable place to keep those things that you would normally keep at your bedside or close by like a container for eyeglasses or contacts, maybe your toothbrush along with a tube of toothpaste.

The Reactor™ can fit a six-foot person. It can also deliver a blissful night of sleep under the stars. Enjoy camping the right way in camping gear from Everything Summer Camp and thanks for reading!

- John

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