Hey, Cozy Campers!

Never left high and dry when it comes to cool ways of decorating the world around you, turn to Everything Summer Camp when you’re looking to spruce up your bunk area at summer camp as well as your bedroom at home! One of our latest additions to our bunk and bedding selection is the Twin Size Camp Quilt 2-Piece Set from Virah Bella which includes the quilt as well as a pillow sham.

Combining a great blend of patterns and natural as well as sporty images, there couldn’t be a better quilt for you to pack along for your summer camp adventure than this 2-piece Twin Size Quilt Set. Feel like changing things up in your bunk area?

The Quilt is reversible with a second great design on the other side! It comes with a matching pillow sham for your resting your head as well! But more than just an attractive piece to brighten your bunk area, this Quilt is made of half cotton and half poly fill with a microfiber shell to keep you snug as a bug on a cool summer night or these cold winter days.

Transform your camp bunk into a place that feels like home with all the comforts and charm of your bedroom and sleep tight under the quilted coziness! Campers will love spreading this over their own beds at home in the months before and after camp as well, drumming up their anticipation or calling back to a fond memory from the summer stay at camp.

Bring some outdoors fun to your bunk and pick up this 2-piece Twin Quilt Set and enjoy some nice nights. Be sure to check out all our other bunk and bedding options from mattress pads to pillowcases when you click right here. And, as always, thanks for reading!

- John

Hey, Hocketeers!

Little more than a year ago, I posted a very brief history of Ice Hockey. That post which focused more so on the skills we can acquire with this sport can be read when you click here. But for today, let’s take a deeper dive on the beginnings of Hockey. Who was the first person to take a long stick and small, round object out on a frozen pond or lake wearing thin strips of metal fastened to the bottom of their feet? Well, the answer isn’t quite so simple as just one person, though a man named James Creighton is often credited for the development of modern Ice Hockey.

We’ll get back to him in a few moments.

It’s believed by some scholars that hockey originated as a sport played on an unfrozen surface some 4000 years ago called Hurley. Archeological evidence points scholars to believe that minor variations of this game were played among the Ancient Aztecs, Egyptians, Ethiopians, Greeks, and Romans.

These early games continued on into the Medieval Period and spread across Europe where northern climates provided frozen ponds. Scotland called it Shinty. England called it Bandie Ball. And Ireland went with the name Hurly. They were all a little different but, essentially, the same game.  

These precursors to hockey made their way to North America by means of immigrants who journeyed to the Canadian land of Nova Scotia in the early 1800s. This game was loved in the area, but didn’t spread much until 1872 when our hero James Creighton moved from his hometown of Halifax, Nova Scotia and brought skates, sticks, and a basic set of rules to the much more populated mainland of Canada where it was finally dubbed Hockey. 

It didn’t take long for Creighton to organize indoor hockey practices at the Victoria Skating Rink in Montreal. After roughly a month of practice, the first indoor game of hockey was played on March 3, 1875. The game featured nine players from each team, including Creighton and his fellow class mates from McGill University. Folks typically played with a ball or often the stopper from a whiskey barrel.

To bring officiality to this spreading sport, Creighton presented the teams with a flat, circular piece of wood that he’d cut. It was the very first hockey puck. They’re made of vulcanized rubber nowadays, but the right cut of wood made for a great and unique component to the game of hockey.

Get out on the ice if you’re a hockey fanatic and enjoy getting some great shots past a goalie. As always, thanks for reading!

- John

Hey, Happy Campers!

Anyone who lives the Everything Summer Camp lifestyle knows life is an adventure! Hydro Flask is one brand that’s right there with us and glad to be with you every step—and sip—of the way. The only thing the folks of Hydro Flask love more than spending time in the Great Outdoors is helping others enjoy similar experiences out in the open wilderness.

With headquarters nestled in a literal Pacific Northwest wonderland known as Bend, Oregon, the folks who work at Hydro Flask are fortunate to be surrounded by the majesty of surrounding mountains, rivers, and lakes.

Taking after the best designer there is, Mother Nature who never adds anything needlessly, Hydro Flask keeps the minimalist logic we find in Nature’s work to create products that are strikingly simple and innovative in their shape, color, and general design.

More than any design award Hydro Flask has won, their Parks For All program is what they’re most proud of. Parks For All is a charitable program Hydro Flask created to benefit public green spaces and promote happier, healthier lives outdoors for all. To date, they’ve been able to support more than 122 nonprofits and donate over $1.9 million and still going!

Hydro Flask gear can replace single-use plastics like plastic water bottles, and to-go containers. #RefillForGood is the rallying cry of Hydro Flask’s to encourage everyone to make the switch and make a real difference for our world.

We echo that desire at Everything Summer Camp to see an end to mass disposable water bottles. Pick up a refillable Hydro Flask bottle for yourself when you click right here. We’ve recently added their 24 oz Water Bottle and 22 oz Tumbler to our store. Peruse the rest of our water bottles right here and, as always, thanks for reading, Camp Fans!

- John

Hey, Folks!

If our name didn’t already give it away, we’re all about summer camp here at Everything Summer Camp, your one-stop shop for kid’s gear for summer camp and a wonderful assortment of other camping supplies! Summer camp is a big deal to us. That’s why we work with more than 300 camps across the country. And we love shining our camp spotlight on those camps!

We’re swinging our spotlight eastward to the heart of Virginia, about a mile southeast of Charlottesville. Here we find Camp Friendship amidst the verdant forests of the southern East Coast. This is where a former Navy pilot named Chuck Ackenbom founded Camp Friendship back in 1966. The camp is still run by the Ackenbom family to this day.  

With many summer’s from his childhood spent in the Scouts, Chuck was inspired from a young age to start his own camp. After his service in the Navy, he turned his dream into reality and established Camp Friendship.

Camp Friendship offers great adventure activities like Archery, Challenge Course, Horseback Riding, Mountain Boarding, Wilderness Survival, Aquatics: Aqua Zumba, Canoeing, Fishing, Kayaking, Paddleboarding, and Water Polo. They offer great activities in art such as Arts & Crafts, Dance, Drama, Drawing & Painting, Dungeons & Dragons, Friendship Bracelet Making, Music Jam Sess, Pottery, and Zumba. And they also offer fun sports like Aerial Silks, Badminton, Basketball, Flag Football, Gymnastics, Mixed Sports, Soccer, Tennis, Ultimate Frisbee, Volleyball, and Yoga.

Since its heyday in the 60’s, Camp Friendship has grown from the two, small, original cabins (built by Chuck himself) to nowadays accommodating hundreds of kids. Nowadays, their cabins have bunk beds, electricity, and screened windows. The Junior Villages and Equestrian Village lodgings have their own bathrooms, while Senior Village cabins have bath houses just a short distance away.

Give Camp Friendship a closer look by checking out their website when you click here(https://campfriendship.com/campers/) and, as always, thanks for reading!

- John

Hey, Happy Campers!

We all love spending some time on the screen whether we’re playing Xbox or a game on a mobile phone. And now in these months of winter chill, screen time and gaming make for a great means of indoor entertainment. But, as much fun as this time can be, many camps disallow the use of electronic technology including smartphones, tablets, video games, and personal music players. Yet, summer camps manage to give kids a blast summer after summer…somehow.

Video games are great for reinforcing skills, enthusiasm, and providing challenge after challenge. Camp does the same thing but without any electricity. In real, natural settings, camp teaches campers about sports, art, friendship, and plenty more. Camp is about connecting with people and nature, not hiding your face in a screen.

Technological devices don’t align with the mission of most camps. If you’re tempted to bring electronics to camp, check your information packet first to be sure it’s allowed. But even if your does allow certain electronics, consider leaving yours behind for your time at camp. Enjoy nature, read a book, engage in outdoor activities, and talk with your cabin mates. 

Kids ought to use camp as a time to reconnect with nature. It will feel good to take a little break from screen time. Alanna G. wrote in to us back in 2015 to say, “Phones are a HUGE part of teenagers’ lives today. However, at Beber, there is a ‘no screen’ policy. So, there are no phones. From personal experience, it is so amazing to be without my phone and learn to appreciate the people that I don’t get to see every day. It also helps me define who I am as a person. I have learned so many new things about myself and others.”

Lastly, there’s a decent chance of electronics getting broken at camp. Don’t bring anything that would be expensive to replace. And if your camp allows electronics, remember to bring along the charger.

While there are definite benefits to learning online and playing video games, there are definite benefits to living in a quieter, based lifestyle, but you have to shut the screen off to discover them. Why not start now and go for a walk. If it’s too cold for that, maybe focus on an indoor project like drawing or writing. As always, Camp Folks, thanks for reading!

- John