I'm headed to Lair Of The Golden Bear family camp this summer for the first time, and am looking for any tips from veterans. Specifically what to bring (or not bring) that might not be obvious to a rookie.

We'll be at Camp Oski with a 2 year old and an elementary aged child.

Any sage advice?

Not a veteran and no sage advice (yet). But my wife and I are going for the first time this weekend (Fri.-Sun. June 10th-12th) along with our 5 year-old son. We'll also be at Camp Oski.

75bear;842699252 said:

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We'll be at Camp Oski with a 2 year old and an elementary aged child.

Any sage advice?

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Been a Camp Gold camper off and on since 1949 (Lair's first year.) Four generations at the Lair, and counting.
But most of my experience might not apply to the newer facilities at Camp Oski.
One thing - take some folding chairs, a long extension cord, and reading light. You're not going to want to go to bed when the kids go down, so a place to relax and read outside your cabin while the kids sleep is nice.
Take winter fleece and down jackets to assure it stays warm - not having such is the best way to force a freeze. Over the last 65 years it's snowed on us at the Lair in the summer. Same deal with rain gear - afternoon thunder showers are possible.
But don't sweat it too much - there's a rustic but surprisingly broadly stocked store at the lake if you forget something vital.

Agree that early in the summer and late in the summer or more prone to cold nights, so bring warm bedding and clothes. Also agree on some folding chairs and a cooler to keep your drinks cold along with flash lights. Charlie Hildeburn is the manager at Camp Oski and Charlie is a great guy so you'll be in good hands.

So, I attended Camp Gold over two generations. There was also a Camp Blue. What is the scoop on Camp Oski?

Used to go as a kid. Not sure how much it changed, but I always had fun.

Lair of the Bear is a must for Bear families with kids. Total indoctrination from an early age. Made my boys bears for life.

If you are wondering how much it has changed....probably not a lot.

Keys to happiness with young kids: Do not worry about the dirt. Let them go swimming. Get them to the various events and take some time off while they are gone (Cub Corral, etc). Make sure you go to a cocktail party (and bring a couple of bottles with you so when you get invited you can partake).

Make sure you requested bed rails for the kids. My oldest fell out of the cabin. I know about 5 kids who did that. Not a big deal (one of his favorite stories now) but no need to try it. Also, for you (parents) bring a feather bed or some other bed pad and put the two beds together. Make sure you bring plenty of blankets. Lair can get cold at night. Lair mattresses are not that comfortable.

Bring a cheap rug for the floor. Don't spend more than $10 on it and leave it when you go.

There are washers and dryers.

Go to the evening events. Make your kids participate.

Not a lot of cell coverage. There is wifi at particular spots, but it is time to disconnect.

Do the crossword and bring tennis gear.

I am sad this year because this is the first year in 17 years we are not going. My kids are both out of the country during our week. We have been going with my college buddies and it has been a great place to reconnect and make news friends.

Medical marijuana.

75bear;842699252 said:

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I'm headed to Lair Of The Golden Bear family camp this summer for the first time, and am looking for any tips from veterans. Specifically what to bring (or not bring) that might not be obvious to a rookie.

We'll be at Camp Oski with a 2 year old and an elementary aged child.

Any sage advice?

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I second everything here. Stock up on decent wine and beer, it makes happy hour more fun, and helps to wash down the not-so-great family week food, from what I've heard. After being a camper at Special Interest Week at Camp Gold for many years, the arrival of my daughter ended my visits. I've been trying to figure out when to start lobbying my wife to go back as family week campers. I'm interested in how your deuce responded, in particular.

Cracks me up when they have a Lair reunion every year during football season at the Faculty Club. There are always 50-60 kids playing a game we called pigskin when I was growing up. One kid carries the football and everyone else tries to tackle the ball carrier. More widely known name is no longer PC. Hilarious to see dozens of kids maraudering through Faculty Glade.

Smear the (kid with the ball). Remember it well.

WhipItOutJoe;842699538 said:

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Smear the (kid with the ball). Remember it well.

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Went Camp Blue Week 10 last year with wife, 8 + 4YO girls and a 2 YO boy. A magical experience for all. Headed back Wk 9 this year. Again Camp Blue. We couldn't put our 2 yo in Cub Coral as he was not yet potty trained. That put a damper on what we parents could do, but it was still awesome. This year, little guy will in CC and it will be even better

bearybear;842699566 said:

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Went Camp Blue Week 10 last year with wife, 8 + 4YO girls and a 2 YO boy. A magical experience for all. Headed back Wk 9 this year. Again Camp Blue. We couldn't put our 2 yo in Cub Coral as he was not yet potty trained. That put a damper on what we parents could do, but it was still awesome. This year, little guy will in CC and it will be even better

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I'm pretty sure your "CC" is the "KK"......yep, pretty sure.
"Kub Korral"

4th Week-Gold

My thread from almost exactly 3 years ago is probably still in the archives...

We went to Oski then, with a 4 yr old and a 1 yr old. The youngest was not a good sleeper. We all fell asleep at about 10 the first night. It was about 65 degrees. We woke up about three hours later when my oldest rolled out of bed in his sleeping bag. It was now probably UNDER 45 degrees. My wife took our youngest into her bed, which she proceeded to need to do every night (I think it dipped under 40 every night, too.)

At the crack of dawn every morning (which was about 5:30), my wife would hand me our baby daughter and I would take her out in the stroller so she would sleep. I'd walk around with her until breakfast, wearing "layers" (every article of clothing I had, including Lair tube socks I bought, as gloves).

Meals were not that fun, either, because of the little one, who was also too young to stay at Cub Corral, w/o hiring a staff member to babysit her, individually. People here had replied to my advance-post, "Oh, it'll be fine!". Well, we definitely had some fun, but I think it would've been better had we waited at least a year, maybe two.

We're still waiting. We could've gone this year, but I'm thinking we'll return next year.

The Lair is great, in general! Yeah, plan for cold nights! Electric blankets are a good idea. As an adult, I was okay in my sleeping bag.

Camp Oski is a little less "traditional Lair" than Gold or Blue; i.e. more newcomers and a surprising amount of non-Cal people (though they're still a minority). I like it there, but I'd be cool at any of the places. A difference is that the tent cabins are in circles of about 8, which kind facilitates getting to know people. Each cabin should plan on hosting a Happy Hour one night.

I had been to the Lair prior, so I knew what to expect (though I had gone in mid-summer, so the June night chill took me by surprise), but my wife was amazed by the staff, spirit, activities, etc. It is awesome.

The carpet idea (in post above) is solid (the cabin floors can be splintery). CAN'T MENTION ENOUGH TO PLAN FOR COLD NIGHTS!

If your 2 yr old isn't too high maintenance, you will have a great time. Even if she is, you will have a great time a lot of the time.

Go Bears!

non-obvious things to bring to the Lair:

- agree that a rug remnant or door mat to place at the foot of the tent entry that keeps random shoe dirt from getting into the tent
- holiday string lights to decorate the front of your tent, so that u & your kids can easily find it in the dark after campfire events
- bring headlights/flashlights for each person to get to & from bathrooms, campfires, etc on own
- don't expect to get Internet there, but if its important/necessary, bring a MiFi hotspot (i found Verizon as the only reliable source up there). Not sure bout the other camps, but the wifi at Camp Gold was very spotty and many times more trouble than it's worth. Best yet, skip the internet.
- You can do fishing with the kids at Pinecrest Lake, so if you already have stuff, may be worth bringing versus the tackle shop at the Lake which can be a bit expensive
- bring either bottled water, or something to carry water to bring back to your tent. The water there is great so just something the carry it.
- there is AC in the tent, so if you plan to have a few important things there (blenders, coffee, lights, etc), bring long extension cords to & adapters to stretch to various places around your tent plot
- agree with previous post that you're going to want a table of some sort & chairs for outside your tent area. I think you can also rent them beforehand and they will place them there upon your arrival - our neighbors did that and it seemed like a good way to not have to bring all that stuff
- one of the funnest nights is Disco Bingo Night, so if you have stuff, may be helpful to bring, esp the kids. You'll be surprised as to how elaborate some of the veteran campers can get!

It's one of the funnest things you can do with your family! Go Bears!

We went a few years ago to Camp Oski with two young kids. Overall, it was a pleasant experience. Nice outdoor setting, surprisingly decent food, lots of Cal alums, lots of fun activities, and the counselors were enthusiastic and friendly.

BUT...I have to admit there was one thing about the whole experience that I found unsettling.

The majority of Lair of the Bear counselors are drawn from the UC Berkeley undergrad population. About 24% of Cal undergrads today are white, which means that over three quarters are not. About 50% are Asian.

How many of our 20+ Camp Oski counselors were Asian? Zero (well, one was half-Asian, I think). How many were African American? Zero. What percentage were white? 100%.

I understand that political correctness gone too far is not a good thing. And race shouldn't be dragged into everything. But what the heck is going on with the selection process for LOTB counselors? Yes, they are going for a certain type of personality--outgoing, charismatic, attractive, caring--and maybe, MAYBE you could argue that that would skew things in favor of one ethnic group over another. But 100% white and 0% minority from a diverse campus like Cal's? That sounds like outright bias to me.

Even some of the counselors I spoke with noted to me that LOTB seemed to go for a "homogeneous" group of counselors and that they drew heavily from the Greek system. Fine, but even the Greek system isn't 100% white at Cal, is it?

It was almost like LOTB was functioning in some sinister alternative Cal universe, where it's the 21st Century, but the campus demographics are what they were in the 1920s, and huge swathes of the current Cal community are airbrushed out of the picture. Very, very strange.

I offer 25 consecutive years of Lair experience, two sons who became staffers, one of whom met his wife on the staff at the Lair, the four children which ensued, the 10 person entourage we now take to our three tents and a neighbor's daughter (graduating Cal senior) who is back for another year on Staff. Of all the the very good comments above, I would emphasize: (1) Electric blanket with dual controls; (2) throw away rugs (3) multiple electric extension cords and a car repair reading light to mount over the bed; (4) cording to tie the mattresses together if you plan to couple a set of twin bunks together; (5) bed rails for little ones; (6) large cooler for drinks, etc (ice is available at each camp and at the country store); (7) pool toys for the little ones; (8) board games/cards/books; (9) folding chairs for sitting outside the tent;
As to the demographics of staffing, before anyone takes the thoughtful comments just above as the whole truth, they should have a chat with their favorite staffer and ask them point blank about the selection process. What I know: First, students have to apply. Do any of you know what the demographics of the applicant pool are? Second, applicants have to demonstrate musical, singing, athletic or other talents and an outgoing nature. Third, applicants have to be willing to work long hours for basically nothing. The Lair pays minimum wage and then deducts (lawfully) for meals and lodging provided to the staff (they also have tent cabins); they get 1 day off per week; their hours are long and the work at least for some is unpleasant (cleaning the heads and other maintenance). So why do staffers come back, sometimes for several years? Their families can afford to support their schooling without a student summer job income, they don't mind the dirt and squalor they live in or the long hours; they develop an affinity for their fellow staffers (note regular Lair Staff reunions) and they LOVE Cal and the alums they meet. In fact, I hired one of the staffers after he graduated.

Yeah, I met Cedarbear at Camp Oski three years ago, as a result of the thread here that I started. Hi Cedarbear! How are the little ones?

The point he brings up is very true. I would guess it does have a lot to do with the applicant pool, though, especially nowadays, when there is even more pressure for Cal students to excel in the classroom, graduate as early as possible, and work over the summer (including internships, etc.). How many 20 yr old Cal students nowadays can afford to have "job" like working at the Lair? In fact, looking at the staff members' profiles, I noticed that a surprisingly large % were not even Cal students, but rather from other schools. I asked a few and their parents had gone to Cal and they had camped at the Lair when they were little.

It's a product of our times: Cal used to be largely populated by "very good" students who grew up in the greater Bay Area. Now, "very good" isn't enough to get accepted and there are lots more from SoCal. out-of-state and out-of-country.

The kids of "Cal Families" are no longer gettin' into Cal. (With some exceptions... congrats to our next-door-neighbors' son, graduating HS this evening: He already has been to every Big Game since he was born. If he lives a long time, he could conceivably get to 100 consecutive!)

Agree with Cedarbear's point: They should search far and wide to get a little diversity in there, but easier said than done.

cedarbear;842699640 said:

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We went a few years ago to Camp Oski with two young kids. Overall, it was a pleasant experience. Nice outdoor setting, surprisingly decent food, lots of Cal alums, lots of fun activities, and the counselors were enthusiastic and friendly.

BUT...I have to admit there was one thing about the whole experience that I found unsettling.

The majority of Lair of the Bear counselors are drawn from the UC Berkeley undergrad population. About 24% of Cal undergrads today are white, which means that over three quarters are not. About 50% are Asian.

How many of our 20+ Camp Oski counselors were Asian? Zero (well, one was half-Asian, I think). How many were African American? Zero. What percentage were white? 100%.

I understand that political correctness gone too far is not a good thing. And race shouldn't be dragged into everything. But what the heck is going on with the selection process for LOTB counselors? Yes, they are going for a certain type of personality--outgoing, charismatic, attractive, caring--and maybe, MAYBE you could argue that that would skew things in favor of one ethnic group over another. But 100% white and 0% minority from a diverse campus like Cal's? That sounds like outright bias to me.

Even some of the counselors I spoke with noted to me that LOTB seemed to go for a "homogeneous" group of counselors and that they drew heavily from the Greek system. Fine, but even the Greek system isn't 100% white at Cal, is it?

It was almost like LOTB was functioning in some sinister alternative Cal universe, where it's the 21st Century, but the campus demographics are what they were in the 1920s, and huge swathes of the current Cal community are airbrushed out of the picture. Very, very strange.

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Applications are open to everyone but it would be unrealistic to not look at the deeper context.

You need people who grew up on summer camp. I did. I'm also hispanic and know that the majority of my extended family did not and would not, even if they were looking for a lowly paid summer gig, apply to this. It's just not a part of the culture. And of course there are academic and financial considerations. Some kids can't afford to make so little, some kids would rather be doing something more academic or professionally oriented.

Cal used to be almost entirely middle class, but it's more polarized at the top and bottom economically now. Even in state middle class kids can get better deals at private schools. Poorer students need to make money.

When I was in CalSO in the early '80s, there were 500 applicants for 25 slots every year. Was Noah's Ark by ones and extremely diverse. Similar pay, but Lair counselors back then skewed Whiter, wealthier, and more Greek than CalSO.

BearDevil;842699711 said:

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Cal used to be almost entirely middle class, but it's more polarized at the top and bottom economically now. Even in state middle class kids can get better deals at private schools. Poorer students need to make money.

When I was in CalSO in the early '80s, there were 500 applicants for 25 slots every year. Was Noah's Ark by ones and extremely diverse. Similar pay, but Lair counselors back then skewed Whiter, wealthier, and more Greek than CalSO.

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I think there's still a middle class, but it's the affluent middle class. Not the working middle class. The Bay Area middle class distorts things. I was a late 2000s grad and had plenty of friends who were far from what we here would consider rich. But also weren't going into debt, and didn't really need to make money over summer break. But then you had kids like Vivek's daughter.

cedarbear;842699640 said:

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How many of our 20+ Camp Oski counselors were Asian? Zero (well, one was half-Asian, I think). How many were African American? Zero. What percentage were white? 100%.

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Former staffer here (GMC!), this has less to do with selection and more to do with applicants. I helped do interviews after my first year and the VAST majority were white. I don't know if it's a problem in where they are advertising, or it just doesn't seem to appeal as much to other ethnicity. Also a lot of the staffers are either former campers or children of former staffers, which until a couple decades back were almost exclusively white, so it's somewhat self perpetuating. On the other hand I'm not sure we need diversity for diversity's sake in something like camp counselors.

-kap

Former Camp Blue Staph here. I had to pay my way through Cal, and the Lairys I knew made squat, so I didn't think to apply for my first three summers. Instead, I fixed Pepsi machines, worked in the Newspaper Room, and waited tables at the Women's Faculty Club. My senior year, a buddy of mine became the Head Cook at Blue and hired me on as his assistant, as I had restaurant kitchen experience, and the kitchen positions paid better than regular staff. We also worked ungodly hours, but we had a commensurate amount of fun. I made decent money, made some great friends, and had the best summer of my life. And the food was pretty good, too.

Another former staffer and current yearly camper here. Camp Blue. I know that CAA is very aware of their Lair staff diversity problem and they are trying to do something about it. When I was on staff in the late 90's, early 2000s, camper comments cards ALWAYS raised this concern. The main problem seems to be that camping (and thus staffing at a camp), for whatever reason, seems to be a very white activity. To correct the imbalance I think they would have to go beyond merely giving non-whites preference in the selection process (because not that many are applying) and actually go out and recruit non-whites.

To the OP - everyone above did a good job with recommendations about what to bring. I reiterate the warm clothes for nighttime recommendation. If you have a 2 year old, it's hard to get them to stay in a sleeping bag. Ours wouldn't. We just had to go with several layers of thermals, underneath a sleep sack. https://www.amazon.com/Deedee-Sleep-Sleeping-Medium-Months/dp/B003FZPD1I/ref=sr_1_1_a_it?ie=UTF8&qid=1465515963&sr=8-1&keywords=warm+sleep+sack

I don't want to sound like I have an anti-Oski bias, but if you like the Lair and want to become a yearly camper like so many do, I would try to get into Camp Blue or Camp Gold next year. Oski is fine, but since there are so few campers there, it's a different experience. Some people actually prefer that more intimate setting, but I think most people prefer Blue or Gold.

I wanted to suggest a few activities to consider:
-You can rent a small powerboat or pontoon boat on Pinecrest Lake. I would definitely do this at some point. It's absolutely beautiful. It's fine even with a toddler.
-Walk up to the Vista Lodge at some point for coffee. No kids are allowed up there so it's a great place to read and chill.
-If at any point during the week you need a break from Lair food, there's an Inn/Restaurant a few more miles down 108 called the Strawberry Inn that I recommend. Food is OK but the setting is great and it has a good local feel.
-The Lair has so much dust and dirt you won't believe. Forget about staying clean and just accept being dirty for a week. I like to bring one clean set of clothes and socks that I don't wear all week, but I change into on the last day after the car is packed and it's time to go--just for the drive home. It feels amazing.
-Check out the Pinecrest Chalet, a hotel the Lair owns just up the street from Camp Oski. It's just interesting to see.
-As mentioned above, most couples push two of the twin bed frames together to make a king size bed, but bring zip ties to hold the beds together or else they will keep slipping apart.

Steam67;842699742 said:

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Former Camp Blue Staph here. I had to pay my way through Cal

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Staffing at the Lair may not pay as much as a summer ditch-digging and jack-hammering for PG&E, but I surely will allow you probably had more fun.

CaliforniaGoldenBear;842699769 said:

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Staffing at the Lair may not pay as much as a summer ditch-digging and jack-hammering for PG&E, but I surely will allow you probably had more fun.

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No doubt. If I'd have known, I would have been a four year staffer.

I was a fake staffer at Camp Blue I believe it was, visiting a friend for a weekend who was a member of the staff. Work all day, drink all night. The cold didn't bother me, at least in August. For June, with regular pajamas with socks, sleeping bag, sleeping wearing a hooded sweatshirt, with a blanket over you, you should be warm enough. I did a lot of camping growing up and this place is like camping lite. The 'Berry, I think they called the bar/restaurant down the way, is good anytime of the day or night. I'd say socaliganbear's post #19 is the best response to cedarbear's comment about the Lair existing in some "sinister alternative Cal universe".

I worked at the Bohemian Grove for 3 summers while at Cal. Way less fun than Lair I imagine, but way better pay.

Staff up there was actually fairly diverse for whatever thats worth.

Thanks to everyone for all the great advice - I took lots of notes. I didn't realize how cold it got at night so I will definitely come prepared.

And I appreciate everyone's views on staffing and diversity. I'm curious to hear what the current staff thinks about all of this - I'm sure there's no one easy solution.

Thanks, everyone, for the thoughtful and civil discussion on the diversity issue. It's enlightening to hear the perspective from the former staffers. I thought that on a campus that was 3/4 non-white, there would have to be at least some ethnic diversity in the applicant pool, but maybe that's simply not true due to all the factors mentioned here.

I'm also relieved to hear that many other campers have brought this up and that CAA does try to do something about it--though it would appear that it's a pretty tough thing to change if these efforts have been going on since the late 1990s with little to show for it.

My thought was that it's a shame that a great institution like the LOTB serves such a narrow demographic of what is one of the most diverse campuses in the country and that a more diverse staff might make it more appealing to the broader community. But yes, all these cultural factors might just be pretty powerful. It's true that neither we nor any of the other families with first generation immigrant parents we knew growing up ever went camping.

Great to hear from you again, Big C! The little ones are still relatively little, but the older one starts middle school in the fall, so I'm getting ready for all the fun of the teen years!

BeggarEd;842699855 said:

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I worked at the Bohemian Grove for 3 summers while at Cal. Way less fun than Lair I imagine, but way better pay.

Staff up there was actually fairly diverse for whatever thats worth.

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I bet you've seen some things...

-kap