Parents Pack It In, Happy Campers Do the Rest

Parents who labor over packing their kids for camp also struggle with the gut feeling that much of what goes inside the duffel bags will never see the light of day.

And who can blame kids for wearing the same old clothes once they get what might be their first taste of freedom? Fashion is the last thing on their minds. Convenience and conformity far outrank it.

“Many campers do have a tendency to keep wearing the same things,” verifies Kevin Sheehan, 27, of Chileo, who has worked at Angeles Crest Christian Camp in La Canada for seven years. Sheehan, who estimates that 60% of all Angeles Crest campers come from Orange County, says it isn’t unusual for counselors to have to persuade campers to take showers.

During his tenure, Sheehan says, he’s seen several items of clothing packed by parents--such as long pants and heavy jackets--that remain in suitcases for the entire term. Also, the routine of wearing clean socks every day is one of the first to go, no matter how many pairs are in a camper’s bag.

Linda Kishimoto of Laguna Niguel is familiar with this scenario. Her two sons--Mark, 12, and Mathew, 10--are headed for YMCA camp in the San Bernardino mountains again this summer. The two veteran campers have returned from previous trips with plenty of unused clothes. This year, Linda Kishimoto plans to fill in their camp wardrobe with items the boys have selected from Mervyn’s and Robinsons-May. She gives them plenty of freedom when it comes to their camp fashion.

“They don’t need their mom around to tell them what to wear or how often to change,” she says.

That responsibility usually befalls camp counselors, says Steve Mock, director of the South Coast YMCA Crown Valley Program Center. Mock describes the task as one of his most difficult jobs. “The 8- and 9-year-olds would wear the same clothes all week long if we let them,” he says.

Mock, who has been with the Crown Valley center for three years, says parents can help out by talking to the kids before they leave.

Many camps, such as the overnight programs conducted by the YMCA, offer lists of items to bring. The YMCA Orange County offices dispense a detailed list that includes clothing items such as a rain poncho, long pants (two pairs minimum), T-shirts (four minimum), shorts (three pairs minimum), thongs or water shoes, hat or visor and a bathing suit. The list also suggests underwear and socks for every day the camper will be gone plus two days’ reserve.

One way to deter kids from wearing the same thing every day is to involve them in the shopping process. Each year on the last day of school, Suzy Gershman, author of the “Born to Shop” guidebooks, and son Aaron, 13, head for the stores with camp attire list in hand.

“It’s our ritual camp shopping trip, a kind of a party really, and a very special time for just the two of us,” Gershman says.

Gershman says parents should buy their kids exactly what they want in as many colors as possible to encourage kids to change their clothes. But if that fails, she says, parents shouldn’t be too discouraged.

“At camp, boys will sleep in their clothes, and things can get pretty disgusting,” she admits. “But let’s face it: The discipline at school is that they have to wear clean clothes and dress up every day. Camp is the permission they need to be grungy.”

Kishimoto agrees: “Children today have more stresses, obligations and pressures than they used to,” she says. “It’s kind of nice when they can just go, relax and have a good time.”

Use Labels and Let ‘Em Roll

Keeping the packing list at a minimum has some advantages. The YMCA “bring” list restricts each camper to a single duffel bag. To make it work, campers should be well-versed in the art of rolling garments.

In “ClothesCare Secrets of the Professionals” (Wallaby Books, $6.95) authors James Wagenvoord and Fiona St. Aubyn explain how to roll garments in the shape of the bag. Slacks, jeans, sweaters and shirts can all be packed in this method and will incur fewer wrinkles than if they were in a suitcase, the authors maintain. Use underwear and socks to fill in the bag’s gaps.

It’s a good idea for campers to label their clothing too, Mock says. “Even if there is a lost and found, kids don’t always recognize or care about their stuff,” he says.

The best method, in his opinion, is the sewn-in identification system. But a simple scrawl with permanent marker will suffice.