Pro Tips: Packing
Preparing for camp can be stressful and at times overwhelming. But with over 95 years of experience, we have collected all the tips, tricks, and secrets to making getting ready for camp exciting and fun. In our blog series “Camping Pro Tips” we will be sharing our strategies and advice with you.
Packing can be a very stressful time for both campers and parents. Parents may find it hard to pack up for their kids because saying goodbye is so hard and campers may find it difficult because they have to pick what clothes to bring to camp and what to leave at home. Hopefully this entry in our Pro Tips blog series will help make packing an easy experience.
Packing with Your Camper
One of the biggest things we recommend for campers and parents is to pack together. When campers feel like they are the ones who packed their bags for their time away from home, they often feel a sense of accomplishment and ownership. They’ll have a good idea of what to expect in their duffels when they get to camp, and they will know where everything is as well. It makes the unpacking process much less stressful for your camper.
Organizing Your Duffel
In addition to packing with your camper, we highly recommend organizing what is in the duffel bags very clearly, so your camper can unpack very easily. Every camper is different and responds to different organization tactics. Some methods of organization that are very effective include having large, labeled gallon bags storing one type of clothing item, having an inventory list of each item (this also helps with repacking at the end of camp), or even drawing a map of some sort for your camper of where their items are in their duffels. The easier it is for your camper to unpack, the less likely something will be misplaced, and your camper will experience less stress while unpacking.
Being Prepared
Being in the Midwest in the summer, we know weather can change severely in mere minutes. Because of this, it’s very important our campers are prepared for all types of weather. It may be rainy one half of the day, dry and hot the other half, and drop to a chilly night, which leads to a lot of clothes being worn in one day. Make sure to send your camper up to camp being prepared for the weather – raincoats are a necessity at camp. It’s sometimes hard to not be shortsighted when packing for camp, but we encourage you to try and anticipate what your camper may need a few weeks down the road and pack accordingly – maybe you should include extra batteries for flashlights, or extra toothpaste or sunscreen.
Beware of Overpacking
At camp it is great to have everything you need to feel comfortable, but there may be some things you cannot bring due to limitations in space. In each cabin, campers will get a set of 3 cubbies they will use to store their belongings. It’s important all of their clothes are able to fit inside of those cubbies. After they are unpacked, all of the duffels go under the beds, and our staff instruct campers to leave things like extra sheets, towels, and items not needed on a daily basis (batteries, costumes, toys) in their bags under the beds, so they don’t take up the valuable cubby space. Our packing list has been refined year after year and is designed for 10 days’ worth of clothes, and works for our 2, 3, and 4-week sessions.
Although packing may be stressful for some, it excites others as it means camp is growing closer. We hope packing will be an easy experience for everyone and hope our Pro Tips help out. Stay tuned for more from our Pro Tips blog series.