Happy Canada Day, Summer Camp Packing, and Other Random Stuff

Happy Canada Day! The 1st of July is the day when all the lovely Canadians celebrate their country. Canada became a country on July 1st, 1867, when the British North America Act (better known today as the Constitution Act, 1867) united three colonies (New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and the Province of Canada, now Ontario and Quebec) into one country. And, since my parents were born in Canada, we kinda-sorta celebrate Canada Day. Well, we ate about 4/9 of a really big cookie cake thing, but we do celebrate it.

In 18 days, I will be leaving for summer camp. And believe me, every day that passes makes me more and more excited about it. I only go once a year, so it's kind of a big deal to me. And when things are a big deal to me, I tend to go WAY WAY WAY overboard in terms of planning them.

Which is why I now present to you the ultimate guide/my top five tips for packing for summer camp!

1. If they give you a packing list, try to follow it. There's usually a reason of sorts for everything on the list, so always at least pay attention to it. They may also have special equipment for what you'll be doing that they expect you to bring, so having some foreknowledge about this stuff is useful.
2. Don't be afraid to pack extra clothes. Unless you're going to an absolutely indoors-only summer camp, which I highly doubt, you are going to get dirty. Likely very dirty. Possibly even extremely dirty. That, when combined with the chance of rain, means that you may need to change clothes. I also ended up in a cabin where when I changed into a camp t-shirt for our unit photo, when I changed back into the clothes I'd worn that day, they told me specifically to put on fresh clothes. So yeah.
3. Bring practical shoes. Don't bring your best pair of high heels. Summer camp usually involves mud, gravel, uneven terrain, and a lot (I mean a lot) of walking. You can sacrifice fashion for a little while if it means your feet won't be killing you by the end of a morning.
4. Try to make your stuff take up as little space as possible. Now, if you have the most enormous suitcase/duffle bag/trunk/backpack in the history of the universe, this suggestion doesn't apply to you. But if you're like the rest of us and don't have that much space, you're going to have to make all the stuff you're packing take up as little room as possible so you can fit all of it. Pack it in Ziploc bags. Roll it up and elastic band it together. Fold it REALLY REALLY tightly. Cram insanely. Whatever works for you.
5. Dress for the weather. I cannot stress this enough. If you pack for 90°F weather and it's only 50°F where you're going, your camp trip is going to majorly suck. It's the same the other way around. Try to find out what the weather's going to be like before you go, and if possible, bring at least one outfit for cooler temperatures if you're going somewhere hot, and at least one outfit for warmer temperatures if you're going somewhere warm.

Well, Happy Canada Day, happy travels to all of you who are traveling this summer, and happy winter to all of you in the Southern Hemisphere where the seasons seem backwards to us Northerners!

Love,

Glitter Girl