Camp Prep 101: Packing

After more than a century, we’ve gotten pretty good at helping families prepare for camp. We’ve seen every trend and innovation in the camping industry over the years and have all the tips and tricks down to a science at this point. Each year we try to help families with some advice in areas such as packing, labeling, letter writing, etc. This year, we’re sharing our knowledge with everyone with our Camp Prep 101 blog series, and our first lesson being the Basics of Packings.

Packing With Your Camper

Including your camper is the best way to start the packing process. It allows your camper to see exactly what they are bringing to camp, which helps a great deal when they unpack on the first day. Thinking ahead, sending your camper with a list of all their packed belongings is a great way to avoid lost items. Your camper can use the list at the end of their session to help make sure they pack all their belongings back up. You can use our packing list as a reference for your own lists.

Folding

Campers (and some parents) might not believe this, but folding actually makes packing easier! Folding clothes reduces clutter and saves space inside the duffel bags, making the whole packing process easier. Once your camper arrives at camp, they can take the nicely folded clothes and place them right on their shelves. Packing also sets a good example for campers before the summer and will help encourage them to keep their belongings neat and organized throughout their time at camp.

Extra Organization

If you’re looking to optimize the packing process even further, we recommend packing your camper’s folded clothing directly into clear plastic bins or large Ziploc bags (such as all pairs of socks in one bin/bag), and placing these into the duffel bag. On the first day of camp, your camper can place these bins right onto their shelves, making the unpacking process super easy. It’s also a great way for them to keep their belongings organized throughout the summer. For reference, each camper gets 3 shelves, and they each measure approximately 26″ wide, 11″ deep and 11.5” tall.

Pack the Right Amount

Packing the right amount is actually harder than it seems, and over-packing is a common pitfall for families and staff alike. There’s limited space in the cabins, and campers only get 3 shelves (measurements above) for for clothes and necessities, and a space under their bed for the empty duffels and any extra belongings. Every year we update our packing list with the right amount of each item to help ensure you’ll be successful when packing.

We hope these tricks will help make the packing process nice and easy for everyone. Learn these, and you’ll be camp prep experts just like us. Stay tuned for the next entries in our Camp Prep 101 series and get ready for summer with us!