Even summer camps get chilly nights. Campfires, late-night cabin talks, and early morning flag raises all call for something warm. Custom hoodies and sweatshirts have become a staple of the camp wardrobe because they work across seasons and are kept long after camp ends.
For camp directors, that longevity is pure marketing. A hoodie with your camp name on it gets worn to school, on hikes, and around town for years. No other garment gives you that kind of extended reach from a single purchase.
T-shirts are easy to grab and wear once. Hoodies earn emotional attachment. Campers tie memories to warmth, and a hoodie worn on a cold July night around the fire becomes a physical anchor to that experience.
Studies on nostalgia marketing consistently show that comfort garments retain more sentimental value than performance wear. Camp hoodies tap directly into that dynamic.
From a business standpoint, offering hoodies in your camp store dramatically increases average order value. Families who buy a tee often add a hoodie when they see the option, especially if the design is cohesive.
Not all hoodies are equal. Camp applications vary by age group, climate, and how much the camp wants to invest in the garment quality.
Pullover hoodies are the most popular choice. They are simpler to produce, lower cost, and feel more casual. The Comfort Soft Hoodie by Bear Grips and the Unisex Champion Performance Hoodie are both excellent options for camp use.
Zip-up hoodies appeal to older campers and staff. The Classic Zip-Up Hoodie in the Bear Grips catalog allows quick on/off, which is practical for active outdoor programming where temperature shifts throughout the day.
Cropped hoodies are trending strongly with teen girls and young adult counselors. The Women's Premium Cropped Hoodie (Bella+Canvas) adds a fashion-forward option that resonates with older female campers.
Youth options: The Youth Hoodie in the catalog ensures younger campers get the same look in a proper fit. Families with multiple kids in a household appreciate that they can buy matching styles across sizes.
Bear Grips Pro Shops: Custom Apparel for Your Team. No Minimums. Free Shipping.Hoodie design requires different thinking than a tee. The garment has more visual real estate and is worn in more layered contexts, so the print placement matters more.
Center chest placement is the default. A medium-sized design, roughly 10 to 12 inches wide, reads well when the hoodie is worn open or closed.
Left chest plus back print works well for staff hoodies. A small logo on the left chest signals role, while the full back can carry a camp motto, session name, or year.
Sleeve prints are increasingly popular with teen and young adult demographics. A small camp name or year running down the sleeve adds detail without overwhelming the design.
Color choices for camp hoodies tend toward muted palettes: navy, forest green, heather gray, and maroon all photograph well outdoors and age gracefully without showing wear. Bright hoodies can work for day camp contexts where visibility is a safety consideration.
Many camps run two separate hoodie programs: one for staff and one for campers. Keeping these visually distinct solves a real operational problem because staff need to be identifiable during activities, emergencies, and drop-off.
A common approach is to use the same design but different colorways. Staff get navy hoodies with white print; campers get heather gray with the same print. From a distance, staff stand out. In photos, the full group looks cohesive.
Another approach is to add a role indicator. Staff hoodies get a small "STAFF" or "COUNSELOR" label below the main design. Campers get the standard version. This works well for camps where color variety is not possible due to budget or design constraints.
For camps with cabin or team structures, cabin-specific hoodies add another revenue layer. Each cabin gets a hoodie with the shared camp design plus their cabin name. Campers love the sense of identity, and you move significantly more units than with a single design.
Running a camp hoodie program used to mean placing a bulk order, guessing sizes, and managing leftover inventory. That model has shifted. Print-on-demand camp shops let families order their own size, and the camp collects revenue without touching a single garment.
With a Bear Grips Pro Shop, you upload your design once, choose the hoodie styles you want to offer, and share the shop link with families before camp starts. Orders ship directly to the family's home, usually within a week. No storage, no leftovers, no size headaches.
For camps on the Done-For-You VIP plan, the shop is built and managed monthly. New seasonal products get added automatically, so winter hoodie season gets handled without the camp director lifting a finger.
Suggested hoodie retail pricing based on real camp shop data: pullover hoodies typically retail between $45 and $60. Camps setting a $15 profit per unit on a 100-camper enrollment generate $1,500 in passive revenue from hoodies alone, on top of whatever they charge for t-shirts and other items.
Set up a custom hoodie lineup for your camp with no inventory risk. Bear Grips handles printing and ships directly to families.
Start FreeYes. A consistent design across product types is a strength, not a limitation. Families can mix and match based on budget and preference, and the camp brand stays cohesive across the entire shop.
Bear Grips Pro Shops operate with no minimums. Each order is fulfilled individually, so families can order one hoodie or ten without affecting the price per unit.
Typical turnaround is around 1 week from order to delivery in the USA. Camps typically share the shop link 2 to 3 weeks before the session starts to ensure everyone receives their order on time.
Absolutely. You can set up separate product listings for staff with different colors, designs, or added role labels. Some camps run entirely separate product sections for staff versus campers within the same shop.
Bear Grips Pro Shops