The Complete Guide to Customizing a Camp Duffel

As anyone who has had to wade through stacks of returning duffel bags at the summer camp pick-up can tell you: You want your duffels to be clearly labelled.  Which is why customized bags are one of our most popular items when it comes time to prepare for camp.

There are a few variables in our custom hot pressing process so we have put together this quick guide to help answer any questions, to help make your decisions easier, and to be sure you know what to expect when you get your bags.

The Basics:

Hot pressing is the ideal method to label your camp or travel duffel bag. The

lettering is big, bold and permanent. We offer 3" vinyl Lettering. They are basic block letters in one of three colours (Black, Red, or White), and we can apply up to 24 characters (12 letters on each of 2 lines) to our Double Tough Duffels.

You can order personalized duffels in-store, or you can order them to be shipped to direct your door from our website.

It normally takes 5 days from the date you order for the duffels to be ready.  

We Recommend:

The entire point of labelling the duffels is so that they can be quickly and easily identified (often when buried in a giant pile of similar duffels) - you want your lettering to stand out! This means high contrast letters. We always recommend white letters, as they stand out best on all colours of duffel.

Duffel Customization is charged per letter, so long names or messages can really add up. Plus: the more letters, the more cluttered your label will look which means it might stand out less. This means it is doubly in your best interest to keep your lettering minimal. Simply a last name is the most common order. Or maybe a first initial and last name. Just 2 initials (monogram style), is also very common. Full names (ie: Jonathan William Smith III, Esq), camp names, or team names are expensive and usually completely unnecessary. 

If you do order two full names (ie John Smith), we strongly recommend splitting them onto two lines as this also makes them easier to read. 

How to order: 

If you want to come into the store, all you need to do is pick out your duffel and bring it to the cash. Let the cashier know you would like to customize the bag and our staff will take it from there. You will be able to pick up your finished order in 5 days.

If you want to order on-line, just navigate to the product page ad follow the step-by step instructions:

1. Check 'Yes! next to 'Would you like to Customize your Duffel?' When you do this, the rest of the options will appear.

2. Select your letter colour - Choose from White, Black or red.

3. Type your name or message into the 'Custom Lettering' fields. Each line on the form will be a separate line on each duffel. If you want only one line on each duffel, leave the second line blank. 

*If you are ordering 2 duffels with the same name, you only need to enter the name once. then select 2 duffels.

4. Select how many duffels with this lettering you would like

Then press 'Add to Cart!'

When to order:

The earlier the better!

We strongly recommend ordering your customized camp duffel before June. March or April are ideal. It normally takes 5 days for us to complete customization, but in the last 2 weeks before camp we are often overwhelmed with last minute orders and can have trouble maintaining that timeline. There is also always the possibility of unexpected delays, equipment problems, lettering (or even some duffels) running out! 

Save yourself some stress and possible disappointment - order early! 

Things to Note:

• Duffels ordered on-line will take about 5 days before shipping. If you have ordered duffels as part of a larger order, the entire order will wait until the duffels are ready before shipping. 
• We have a hard limit of 12 characters (which includes spaces) per line.
• We can only press letters and periods. We can not create special characters - !,#,&, etc.
• Hot Press Lettering can sometimes show slight marks from the Teflon used to hold the letters in place
• Keep in mind that these customizations are not machine made. Lettering is applied by hand on each item, this can yield slight imperfections.
• We can only press on the Stone Peak duffel bags bought at Camp Connection. 
• Customized Items are permanent, and final sale. Please double check all orders when submitting.

This should cover most questions. If we have missed something, please email us at info @ Campstore.com before you order - adjusting custom orders is impossible once the item is complete.