Footlocker?

March 11, 2011 2:11 PM

Do kids still use foot lockers at camp?

We have an old one and we can't decide if we should put in the yard sale or not. Kids are almost camp age. We don't want to have the only kid to show up with a footlocker.

posted by I'm Doing the Dishes to Society & Culture (10 answers total)

My kids are going to their first summer camp this year and the expectation is that they will be bringing footlockers of some sort. Apparently it's a long standing tradition at this particular camp though. So basically I would reach out to the camp counselors or someone involved and ask them what they typically see most kids having and which of those solutions seem to work the best.
posted by Godspeed.You!Black.Emperor.Penguin at 2:13 PM on March 11, 2011

I worked at a sleep-away camp about 10 years ago, and while all of the campers brought a ton of stuff, I don't think any had foot lockers. They packed everything into 2 or 3 enormous duffel bags,which were unpacked and stored away for the summer. The cabins were pretty full of kids, and lockers take up valuable space!
posted by Jemstar at 2:36 PM on March 11, 2011

I work at a Scout camp in the summer and pretty much all the staff and most of the campers use footlockers. It'll probably vary on what type of camp it is and how long they will be there. If it's the type of camp that has cabins with drawers and such, then probably not. But if it's just empty cabins (like the church camp I used to go to) or even just big tents (like where I work), it'll probably be footlockers. Your best bet will be to ask either the counselors or other parents what is normally used.

As for whether you should sell it or not, that's up to you. If it's really nice you might want to hang on to it. Then again some people just use big rubbermaid containers so if you do sell it and find out you need it, it won't be too hard to replace.
posted by Deflagro at 2:45 PM on March 11, 2011

It probably depends on the camp and how long they're staying. I went to 1-to-2 week camp sessions, and most of us just had duffel bags, but I was pretty jealous of the one kid with a footlocker. They do take up space, though. If everyone in my cabin had brought one, we wouldn't be able to get around.

Depending on the kid's personality and the age of the footlocker, they might not want to take it even if footlockers are the norm. I remember being really embarrassed about my old musty sleeping bag when everyone else at camp had bright slick ones.
posted by Metroid Baby at 2:52 PM on March 11, 2011

It's been almost 10 years since I went to camp, but most of us had foot lockers then. I'll also mention that, since our bunk beds didn't have ladders, foot lockers were essential as makeshift stepping stools to get up to the top bunks, at least in the early years when we were too small to clamber up ourselves. My old foot locker was way more awesome for this than the plastic Rubbermaid ones that some kids had - the plastic ones break when you climb on them too much.
posted by pemberkins at 3:04 PM on March 11, 2011

I went to camp like 10 years ago and kids had footlockers. I didn't, but a lot of kids did.
posted by elpea at 3:27 PM on March 11, 2011

This must be entirely regional/camp specific. When I went to camp 30 years ago no one had footlockers, and today no one shows up with one.

I did have one for college dorm though. If it's in good shape, keep it.
posted by Ookseer at 4:33 PM on March 11, 2011

When I went to camp, this one kid had a footlocker and it was incredibly useful. We would put it in between the bunk beds to use as a table for poker and other card games. If no one had brought one, we would have probably ended up playing on the floor.

Plus, it seemed like it really helped organize the kids stuff. Lots of cabins dont have much room to put your things, so a footlocker provides stable storage space a normal duffle bag would be unable to provide.

You can also put a bunch of cool stickers on the sides.

True most people don't bring them, but those who do really benefit from it. I'd go for it.
posted by grimace636 at 4:48 PM on March 11, 2011

My kids attend and work at 7 week sleep away camp in the northeast. No foot lockers. Yes to huge duffel bags that the kids buy when they buy their camp t-shirts and crap.

I think it depends a lot on what your child is like. If your child can handle being different or even reveling in it, they do have good use as stated above, but if your child does not want to be the kid with the foot locker, for get it.
posted by JohnnyGunn at 4:50 PM on March 11, 2011

Shit are footlockers not cool anymore? I loved mine when I was at camp 15-ish years ago
posted by radioamy at 9:32 AM on March 12, 2011