Getting ready for boys’ overnight camp is an exciting time. Our New Hampshire summer camp, on the Newfound Lake shoreline in the foothills of Tenney Mountain and Mount Cardigan, just hours from Boston, Providence, Albany, and New York City, offers the ideal setting for summer adventures. What should you bring when you pack your bags? Prepare yourself for everything Mowglis’ summer camp has to offer with these tips.
Leave the Electronics at Home
We offer a completely unplugged camping experience, so please leave all your technology at home. Cell phones, tablets, gaming systems, MP3 players, radios, and other electronics aren’t allowed. You won’t need them anyway. Don’t worry – you’ll have too much fun exploring our 1,300 feet of beautiful shorelines and extensive wooded forest paths to miss them. Our “school of open” is the perfect place to stretch your wings and enjoy exciting traditional camp activities you won’t find at home.
Get Ready for Daytime Adventures
You’ll get to try hiking, rock climbing, archery, axemanship, and other exciting activities at camp. Your camp counselor will tell you what you need to wear for the day’s events. Most of the time, you’ll wear your Mowglis uniform. Bring the following gear and label it with your name in case it gets lost or confused with another camper’s stuff:
Mowglis summer camp uniform:
- 1 gray Mowglis polo shirt
- 2 t-shirts with Mowglis logo
- 1 Mowglis short-sleeve hiking shirt – synthetic fabric
- 1 Mowglis long-sleeve hiking shirt – synthetic fabric
- 1 pair gray dress shorts
- 3 pairs blue daily shorts
- 1 pair Mowglis sweatpants
- 1 gray fleece
- 1 gray D-ring belt
- 1 gray fleece hat
- 1 pair blue dress socks
Additional camp clothing:
- 10 gray color t-shirts, free of logos or designs*
- 10 pairs of underwear*
- 10 pairs gray or white athletic socks
- 4 pairs hiking socks, wool or synthetic
- 1 pair synthetic (non-cotton) long underwear, pants, and shirt
- 1 rain jacket with hood and rain pants
- 1 rain poncho (optional)
- 2 pairs of sneakers
- 1 pair of hiking boots
- 1 duffel bag for packing overnight trips (boys 12 and under)
- Glasses keeper (croakie)
Special Boys Summer Camp Hiking and Overnight Trips
We schedule hiking and overnight trips for all age groups. You’ll need a few basic things for a comfortable trip, including:
- 1 synthetic sleeping bag with stuffsack
- 1 foam sleeping pad, such as Therm-a-Rest
- 1 mountain biking helmet (Akela and up)
- 2 one-liter water bottles
- 1 bowl and spoon or spork
- Insect repellent
- 1 flashlight, with extra batteries
- 1 backpack for overnight trips for boys 12 and older
- 1 daypack (school size) to carry lunch and water bottles
*See our complete supplies list for recommended brand names and product suggestions.
Free Time at Boys’ Overnight Camp
Each day you’ll get to choose how to spend your free time. We ask you to bring stationery paper, pens, and pencils. We also recommend playing cards and books or comics. You can also bring a baseball glove, tennis racket, ping pong paddle, or lacrosse stick to play with your friends.
Fun on the Lake
Hot summer weather is the perfect excuse to indulge in fun at the lake, enjoying canoeing, kayaking, paddle boarding, sailing, and fun water activities, plus cooling off before dinner during “soak.” You’ll need the obvious, including:
- Sunscreen
- 2 swimsuits
- 1 beach towel
- 1 pair of flip-flops or sandals
Health and Hygiene – AKA: Splash and Dash
We know how you boys (don’t) love to keep clean. But you’ll need to wash off occasionally. Be at your best – and make sure you don’t scare your friends away – packing a toothbrush, toothpaste, soap, shampoo, and a towel. If you’re on medication, bring that too – you’ll give it to the nurse on arrival.
Evening Campfire Activities
Enjoy sticky s’mores, silly songs, and swap stories fireside beneath the moon’s glow. All you need is your sweats and a smile. J
Winding Down for Bed and Taps
Head back to your dorm at the call to quarters:
- Cub program for boys 7 to 9
- The Pack for campers 10 to 15
- Yearling program for older boys on the leadership path
Brush your teeth, don your PJs, and play a few games of rummy on the porch. After Taps, played by bugle, you’ll read and chat a bit before bed in our screened open-air cabins. Stay comfy, bringing your favorite:
- 2 pairs of pajamas
- Bathrobe
- Pillow and 2 pillowcases
- 3 blankets (solid color wool/fleece)
- 4 single flat sheets, non-fitted
Mowglis’ dorms offer the perfect place to rest and relax for another day of adventures with friends.
Get Ready for Another Fun Summer at Mowglis Sleepaway Camp for Boys
The most important thing to do to prepare for boys’ summer camp is to sign up! Reserve your spot at Camp Mowglis for the 2023 season today.