Packing For Camp: Should Electronics Be Allowed?

Today's a banner day. This Montclair Patch editor is sending her daughter off to Frost Valley YMCA camp for two weeks. Packing, as always, is a fine art. Should we follow the suggested packing list and include five to six sweatshirts along with 10 t-shirts? Or would three long-sleeved shirts be suffiicient?

The list suggests four towels, four to five pairs of jeans, and six to eight pairs of shorts. Sometimes it seems like too much. But what do I know?

One thing that is NOT on the list is electronics. Computers, cell phones, iPads, video camers, and pagers are all prohibited. Campers also are discouraged from bringing stereos, CD players, MP3 players (iPod, Zune), iPads, digital book readers, and electronic games. Campers should bring disposable campers, if they bring cameras at all.

So what do you think? Should campers (my daughter is 12) be allowed to take an iPod or a phone? Take our poll and let us know in the comments section below.

Meanwhile, here is a guide for how to pack a duffel bag for camp that seems pretty useful.

1. Buy a duffel bag. It should be fairly large so you can fit all of your stuff in it. They sell duffel bags in Target, KMart, Walmart, and in sporting goods stores such as Sports Authority.
2. Pack all of your large items first such as jeans, sweatshirts, and shoes.
3. Wrap smaller items of clothing in larger items of clothing. First use clothes least likely to crease and then work outward.
4. Wrap your shoes inside your pants and t-shirts.
5. Stuff your underwear inside your shoes. It is a good place to keep it and prevents your shoes from getting squashed.
6. If you want to bring a day bag to carry around with you during the day, fill it up with the things you will need on the first day of camp. Put it in the corner of your duffel bag or bring it on the bus/plane with you.
7. Most if not all sleep away camps have lakes or pools and sometimes both. Put your bathing suit bottoms inside your bathing suits tops and scrunch them up. For bikinis, hook the top around the bottom and scrunch it up. For one pieces, just scrunch them up. You don't have to worry about bathing suits getting wrinkles because they will straighten out when you swim.
8. Most sleep away camps provide a list of what to bring. Use this as a checklist and take it with you to make sure you don't forget anything when it's time to go home.