Baseball opening day coincides with opening trunks to prepare for summer overnight camp. Now that spring training is well underway it’s time to locate your camp trunk.
Don’t have a trunk yet? No worries— here are the basics for purchasing and alternatives to purchasing a trunk whether you are headed to Minnesota, Maine or Michigan.
For campers who spend more than 2 weeks at overnight camp, the most common container for packing is a camp trunk. It’s strong, reasonably good for organization, able to double as a card table for a game of Peon and has provided many campers over the years a way to reach the cabin rafters. If your child is likely to continue as a camper, then it’s probably worth investing in a trunk.
Trunk considerations when purchasing
Strength
Look for one that is strong— trunks take all sorts of abuse not the least of which is in shipping. From the time a trunk is packed until it returns late in the summer, it’s likely to encounter a plethora of immovable objects.
The strength of the trunk is probably the primary characteristic in the price of a trunk. Well-made trunks will cost more. Sadly the converse is not always true, so ask for brand name recommendations from your camp. Have a brand you recommend? Add a comment to this blog.
Height
Most camps have standard height bunks and often campers store their trunks under the bunk. Find out the bunk height and trunk height before making your purchase.
Shelf or tray
Nearly all trunks come with a shelf or tray, which allows for great organization at camp whether as a place to keep socks and underwear or writing supplies.
Wheels
Wheels are a nice, but definitely not necessary option. They are helpful when rolling a trunk in and out of an SUV, but apart from that, rolling a trunk across the ground from a car to a cabin is a very bumpy event— most camp trunks get carried to and from cabins, ideally by campers and counselors.
Handles
Handles seem to be the most often forgotten feature in camp trunks these days. Having hauled many different trunks from office to cabin, I have lifted only a few where the handle didn’t bite into my hand or cause the trunk to twist uncomfortably. As stated above, you can hope that your camper or his counselors will be carrying the trunk to the cabin. If you do find a trunk with comfortable carrying handles pass the word on!
Alternatives to purchasing a trunk
With all of the airline restrictions in luggage, campers who are flying to camp often ship their belongings separately from their own travel.
Some camps offer options for campers with long journeys. Check with your camp about the following two possibilities:
- Renting or borrowing a trunk from camp for the summer. This way a camper can pack in duffles or suitcases and transfer his or her belongings upon arrival.
- Storing your camper’s trunk at camp over the winter. Some camp store empty trunks for the winter, so belongings can be taken to and from camp in suitcases or other luggage more suitable to traveling by plane. In addition, your camper, if organized, can leave summer-only items like flashlights, stationary, bedside photos or even a camp blanket in the trunk for the winter.
No comments:
Post a Comment