Camp Merchandise Ordering Timeline for Summer 2027

Build your camp merchandise calendar backward from the day the products need to be usable. Staff shirts may need to arrive before orientation. Camper shirts may have a session-specific deadline. Store merchandise may need to be checked and stocked before families arrive.

The calendar below is a planning framework for summer 2027, not a production-time guarantee. Your actual schedule depends on the products, quantities, artwork, availability and delivery arrangements.

Fall 2026: review the last season

Separate products you distributed from products you sold. Those are different demand signals.

For sold merchandise, review what you bought, what sold by size, and what remained. For issued gear, compare what you ordered with actual enrollment or staffing. Note substitutions, late additions and items people asked for but could not get.

Choose which items need to return unchanged and which deserve a fresh look. Save the prior garment style numbers and approved artwork before staff memories fade.

Leave the fall planning meeting with four decisions

You do not need every camper's size to make progress this fall. Start by giving each part of the merchandise program an owner and a next decision.

Program Decide now Information to confirm later Staff apparel Styles, roles, artwork owner and orientation date Final staff sizes and quantities Camper or session shirts Whether designs differ by session, age group or team Enrollment estimates and final size breakdowns Camp store Which products to repeat, replace or remove Order quantities based on size-level sales and remaining stock Family online store Proposed assortment, sale window and fulfillment questions Approved terms, production plan and delivery expectations

Record a required in-hand date for each program. The first staff shirt may be needed before the first camper shirt, and camp-store stock needs time to be counted and arranged before opening day.

Use the camp and school collection to shortlist merchandise and the apparel collection to compare tees, layers and headwear. Label early quantities as estimates when requesting options.

Before the meeting ends, assign a date for each unresolved decision. Ask the supplier to confirm what must be approved, and when, for the products you are considering. Your planning dates become an ordering schedule only when product availability, artwork, production and delivery arrangements are confirmed.

Tell us about your summer 2027 camp order. Share your staff orientation and session dates, expected quantities and the products you want to explore.

Winter 2026–27: choose the program

Decide which products serve which purpose: staff identification, camper issue, a physical camp store or family purchases through an online store.

Ask for quotes against a defined brief. A useful brief includes the product type, approximate quantities, decoration, delivery destination and required arrival date. Where headcounts are still moving, identify estimates instead of presenting them as final.

If an online store is part of the plan, agree its opening and closing dates and how fulfillment will work. Do not assume a store purchase follows the same schedule as your bulk order.

Before approving production: lock the details

Use the supplier's confirmed schedule to set your own approval deadlines. Leave time for the camp to review the proof, resolve size questions and check where the shipment should go.

The order is ready for approval when the garment or product, color, size breakdown, decoration and delivery plan all match what the camp expects.

For a product-by-product review, use our camp apparel artwork approval checklist before signing off on the proof.

If enrollment is still uncertain, ask about the options for an initial order and later additions. Splitting purchases can have cost and availability implications, so compare the alternatives before relying on a reorder.

Before staff arrival: receive and check

Allow time to inspect the delivery before issuing it. Count quantities by product and size, compare the decoration with the approved proof, and flag any discrepancies promptly.

Sort staff gear according to how it will be handed out. For store stock, record opening quantities so you can distinguish actual sales from items issued to staff or used as replacements.

During summer: use demand to guide reorders

Track remaining stock by size, not just total units. An apparently full shelf can still be missing the sizes people want.

Ask about current availability and turnaround before telling families a restock is coming. A repeat design can save artwork discussion, but it does not guarantee stock or a particular production slot.

Keep the calendar in one place

Your order tracker should show each product's decision owner, proof deadline, quantity deadline, approved delivery date and receiving contact. Treat the supplier's confirmed dates as the operational schedule.

Start with our summer camp apparel and merchandise options. When you send us your plans, include staff orientation and session dates so the order can be planned around when you actually need the gear.