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I'm looking for a recommendation. My daughter is going to attend a 3 day scout sleep away camp for the first time this summer! She is so excited!
I need clothing labels and stuff labels. I've googled it all, but I'm looking for a "personal experience" recommendation here. No one I know has ever purchased any, apparently.
Also, if anyone knows of a great "camp stuff" website where I can order a personalized mess kit (just the serving pieces, she won't need cookware) in a mesh bag, I'd appreciate it.
I've got the "what to bring" list, but I'd also welcome practical advice too - what not to bring, what's missing from the lists, etc.
I always used just regular generic type sew in labels, available online or at a fabric store, or just wrote on stuff with a sharpie or laundry marker.
I've never seen a personalized mess kit, so I can 't help you there.
If you think scouting is something your DD might stay with, she'll probably get a lot of use out of a regular mess kit, one with the pot and pan. We picked up ours at the local boy scout shop. Inexpensive and compact, throw in a metal spork and you're good to go. Sometimes you can find good sets at yard sales or thrift stores. Aluminum Mess Kit (http://www.scoutstuff.org/BSASupply/ItemDetail.aspx?cat=01RTL&ctgy=PRODUCTS&c2=CAMPING &C3=CCOOKING&C4=&LV=3&item=24026&prodid=24026 - broken link)
Hints:
*Use old stuff whenever possible. I can't tell you how many pairs of shoes, jeans, etc. were ruined at camp. Part of that may have been due to the red clay soil here, but still, stuff is going to get stained or lost. Towels and socks always manage to disappear even when they're labeled, lol.
*Throw in a couple pair of cheap flip flops or water shoes to wear in the shower or around the cabin.
*Mesh carryall for the bathroom items is a must IMO.
My daughters troop went so far as to make a terrycloth soap bag that could be hung from the shower. No more dropping the soap and it doubled as a washcloth. This is the general idea. http://www.maidofshade.com.au/tap_soap_sm.jpg
*What not to bring -candy, sweet smelling lip gloss, anything that might attract ants or other bugs to the cabin or tent. Anything that you don't want to have to replace. I've seen girls bring stuff like Ipods, Nintendo handhelds, etc. and get very upset when they get lost or broken. I never let my DD take that kind of stuff.
Don't laugh at this last bit, but if your DD has a stuffed animal or lovey, a favorite picture of you, or anything that might help her get through a little bit of homesickness, pack that too. She might worry about what the other girls think, but I've found that a lot of the girls bring a "friend" from home. My DD carried hers to camp with her for years.
Good luck and I hope your daughter has a good time!
When our kids went to camp I just wrote their name on the tag in the clothing with a permanent marker. I wouldn't bother with getting sewn in labels for a 3 day camp. The sewn in labels are more appropriate for a summer long camp where their laundry will get done in a central laundry facility.
You can find the mess kit at Walmart or Target in the camping section. Don't go all out for a 3 day camp. If you want the personalized mess kit as a memento, fine, but you can just take a nail and scratch her name into it if you need to have it marked for identification. You can also put a dot of nail polish on each piece to identify it as hers.
Can you post the list so people can give you the yes or no on what to bring.
Needed:
Medications/Prescription
T-shirts & shorts
White T-shirt to tie dye
underwear
swimsuit
open-weave, mesh bag for trips to pool/lake
towels & washcloth (2 of each)
pants & jeans
poncho or rain coat
Long-sleeve shirt
Sleepwear
Light jacket or hoodie, sweatshirt
Sleeping bag or twin size sheets (2) & light blanket
Small pillow & pillow case
Sturdy shoes/sneakers (2 pair)
Ankle-covering socks (worn at all times)
Ponytail holders for long hair
Hat or bandana
Mess kit (or fork, spoon, bowl, plate) in mesh bag
Drinking cup with handle
Flashlight with extra batteries and bulb
Toiletries (hairbrush, toothpaste/brush, deod, soap, etc)
Sunscreen & Insect repellant (bagged and labeled with camper’s name, counselors to dispense as needed)
Small backpack to carry items around camp
Water bottle (essential)
Do not bring:
Cell phones
Halters, bare midriff, tube tops, tank or spaghetti strap tops
Aerosol cans of anything
Jewelry
Valuables: iPod, radio, cd player, gameboy, Nintendo DS
Suntan oil
for horseback riding participants:
1-2 pairs of jeans or long pants
knee socks or ankle socks
1 pair of boots/sturdy shoes with defined heel (already BROKEN IN)
The "tips" page suggested labeling clothing and many of her shirts, shorts and all of her underthings are tagless, which is why I want to order some labels... but there are so many companies out there, I don't know who to choose! (Especially considering how expensive some are - are you paying for quality or just being scammed?)
The "personalized" mess kit - she'll be using it for years. We've been doing scouts for 3 years, but even if she drops, she'll probably continue with the camps - she LOVES horses, and I've got her signed up for a horse camp this year. In the previous years, she's gone to day camps - starting next year, if it goes well this one, she'll be gone for 5 days, then 7, then 2 weeks. Anyway, I'm hoping to find one "pre-stamped" so to speak.
I ordered her an "autograph pony" from ebay and I'll get her a GS journal too - she keeps one at home (something I encouraged during all our vacations, starting with crayons and drawing pictures of what they saw) but I don't want her to take her "real" one.
I LOVE the "soap bag" idea and I'll bet she will too! Thanks for that one!
There was NOTHING about how to pack it all, though they did say she has to manage to get it from the bus to the camp site - almost a mile hike. I was thinking of a footlocker on wheels... she weighs all of 60lbs herself. I'm guessing her stuff is going to weigh at least half that amount! Walmart sells one for $50 that she could then use when she flies out to her Grandparents this summer too (big summer of firsts!)
They're starting a new "email" program this year... they'll print out the messages each morning and give them to the girls, then the girls can respond at night. They'll have a "trading post" for snacks & trinkets and a scheduled time each day to go there... I've put $20 on the account for those 3 days, and they suggest that for these short camps, you put together care packages ahead of time and drop them off with the counselors... not sure how that's going to work though now that we've signed her up for the bus. (I read a little blurb where an older girl wrote that although the bus was expensive, camp really starts on the bus... the girls that miss it will miss a lot)
I never got to go to camp as a kid... and I'm SO JEALOUS of her! But just reading about all the stuff they'll do and everything she has to be responsible for had me tearing up - and I'm not a mom that got upset on the first day of kindergarten! But I feel like she's going to come back from this a different person - not my "baby" anymore. My son is older (10 - she's 7) and will attend day camps & VBS, but has no interest in "sleep away" camps.
Oh, and for more information about this particular camp...
she'll be staying in a cabin with about 15 other girls - adults are not allowed to sleep under the same roof with the girls. All their meals (except one) will be served buffet style in a dining hall. They each have to provide their own plates, bowls, cups, flat ware, etc, then wash it all out themselves after each meal.
She'll leave early on a Tuesday morning, then we'll pick her up after 5pm on that Friday.
The labels I used to order were pre-printed with their name and are iron ons. It's been so long I have not bookmarked the site. They look like fabric Avery labels about a 1/4" wide and you just peel them off the paper and iron them on. It was not that expensive either.
Just about any sports section will have a mess kit. Wal-mart has a little aluminum cooking/mess kit around here for about ten bucks that I've used to feed the whole family, in a pinch. They also have just single cups/plates/silverware and small mesh bags to throw them in.
As far as labels we've always just use a sharpie on the inside of the hem, or the back neck-line.
That's a whole bunch of stuff for a three-day camp.
On the flashlight, you can get an LED flashlight that is small, lightweight, and won't need battery replacement.
If you get a pack with wheels, make sure they are BIG wheels, or it won't roll over rocks.
As for packing, here are two tips.
Roll everything. It will fit tighter. Roll the clothes together into "use" packs. So you roll up underwear, socks, then shirt, and roll them all in the pants. That's one day.
Send gallon ziplock bags for the clothes. As the clothes are dirtied, they go into the ziplock, rolled up as tight as she can. That way it is easy to see which clothes are clean and which are dirty, and it keeps the funk down.
Since she needs to bring a sleeping bag, get one that rolls up tight, and a backpack luggage that it can be attached to. Some rolling luggage have straps to strap things to the top while rolling it around. Some packs have a lower section for attached a bedroll.
Don't send a full-size pillow. A small camp pillow will do. Also, towels can do double-duty as pillows until they get wet.
You can get sunscreen that has insect repellent in it. No need for two bottles unless she has special skin needs.
Jeans are horrible for camping. They get wet too easily, are too heavy, and too bulky. If you can get some thick khaki pants, they will work better and save space. One pair of jeans can easily take up a whole day's worth of clothes by themselves in the pack.
Extra socks and underwear are important. More important than extra pants or shirts.
She needs the jeans & boots because of the horseback riding... this is a special camp where she'll spend the majority of her time in the stables.
It's technically 4 days, 3 nights. And the weather can always turn - which is why they'll need some rain gear, extra shoes, long sleeve shirt, jacket, etc.
When our kids went to camp I just wrote their name on the tag in the clothing with a permanent marker.
That's what I did---just initials with permanent marker on the tag that's already inside the clothes and initials on the bottom of other non-clothing items.
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But just reading about all the stuff they'll do and everything she has to be responsible for had me tearing up - and I'm not a mom that got upset on the first day of kindergarten! But I feel like she's going to come back from this a different person - not my "baby" anymore. My son is older (10 - she's 7) and will attend day camps & VBS, but has no interest in "sleep away" camps.
