10 Gifts That Scream Summer Camp Nostalgia

New York Times

30-05-2025

In this edition of The Gift, we've found some gifts that channel cool, retro-summer camp vibes. Plus: a super-light camping chair we love and some throwback soccer shorts.
I didn't go to traditional sleepaway camp as a kid. My dad was a professor at a local university and had summers off to hang. He was also fixated on me becoming a pro women's basketball player — about 25 years too early — so the only camp he'd pony up for was a weeklong basketball intensive. There were no s'mores, no archery, no bonfires. Just defensive drills, one-on-ones, and plenty of footfires.
All of which partially explains why I have such imagined nostalgia for real summer camp. Label my clothes! Assign me a cabin! And please, please teach me to make a lanyard.
I think a lot of us carry this fantasy for an imagined summer escape. Some of it, no doubt, comes from culture, too. Blame it on Meatballs, Salute Your Shorts, or The Parent Trap, but every year as Memorial Day passes, I find myself lusting after pine trees, cabin stays, singalongs, and lakeside lounging. And adding a few finds to my life that have a certain vintage summer vibe to them tends to scratch this itch. It makes me feel a bit like I'm the main character in an idyllic, camp-y movie — with plenty of warm months ahead of me to enjoy.
So it's with confidence that I say no matter where you're traveling or staying this summer, infusing a little camp vibes into your gifting — for others or yourself — will be much appreciated. A few ideas: A few years back I got a Hometown Apparel sweatshirt screenprinted with the name of a beloved local lake. It's now my summer uniform. If you're visiting someone at a cottage or cabin, a hoodie with the name of the town would make a thoughtful, cozy houseguest gift. (You can find any town on the site. Prove me wrong!)
These extremely cozy modern striped tube socks also have that '70s camp uniform feel. A great group gift for a friend trip.
You needn't be sipping powdered lemonade in the mess hall to appreciate this classic enamelware pitcher. If I really get my act together, I'll bring one with flowers in it when I visit a friend in his Hamptons' rental this summer. I'm also smitten with these splatterware tumblers, which could work as vessels for juleps or spritzers (and toothbrushes in the off season).
No summer camp would be complete without nature walks and arts and crafts. During the pandemic lockdowns, I gave a friend one of these grown-up tie-dye kits, which comes with a shibori tutorial and all the fixings, (a silk handkerchief, plant-based dye). Meanwhile, kids might have a lot of fun with these animal print stamps, while their grown-ups enjoy these pocket-sized nature study guides. The guides are less than $10 apiece and would be great on the coffee table of any summer retreat. (The scat finder one is a real crowdpleaser.)
As for letters home, shouldn't we all have a set of these Sakura Cray-Pas Japanese pastels and a pad of postcards? Store-bought postcards are nice, but homemade ones are even better, and those smudgy oil pastels make it easy to succeed with more abstract interpretations of one's surroundings. Both gifts take up next-to-zero room in an overnight bag — er, trunk.
I'll leave you with this fancy s'mores kit courtesy of Recchiuti, makers of one of our favorite boxed chocolates. The shipping charges almost double the cost, but that one singular bite of melty, marshmallow-y goodness — under the stars or over your stove's pilot light — will be a slam dunk.