Help with kids sleeping equipment

Brett C

Brett C

Adventurist
Senior Staff
Moderator
Ok so I bought the teton celsius junior bags for my kids (3-5 years old) and they are nice bags but they are that slippery material on the outside that so many of our sleeping bags are. Uh kids squirm in their sleep. Then I also got them thermarest trailscout mattresses.

At MRV my 3 year old had a blanket over him and never said a word. The 5 year old complained of being cold so I took my fleece sleeping bag liner and put it in his bag and he slept the rest of the night fine. Other than the thermarest they were on the ground.

2 questions. First anyone have any good ideas on how to keep them from sliding off their thermarest? Secondly im a little worried they will be cold at toys for tots.

I had a couple ideas, more floor insulation, also I was thinking of getting a Coleman adult bag then shoving the thermarest and teton sleeping bag in the Coleman so they are sorta captured. This should keep the squirming in their sleep down and be plenty warm for winter camping. However that doesn't solve my problem for summer camping squirms. Dave and I joked about Velcro but not sure how well that would work plus rip rip rip all night lol.

I'm up for ideas gang. This whole camping with kids thing is new to me.

Link to teton bag http://www.tetonsports.com/Sleeping-Bags/Celsius/Celsius-Junior.htm#.VGfSLIg76rU

Link to thermarest http://www.cascadedesigns.com/therm-a-rest/mattresses/trek-and-travel/trail-scout/product


Brett C.
IronworksTactical.com - owner
 
I like the idea of a Coleman bag with them cocooned inside. Over the years I've had several thermarest pads and I have always liked them. But I have had same issue with sliding off. Probably because we were on a slight slope but no idea. About 2 years ago I acquired several Wiggys Ground Pads. Though not quite as compact as Thermarest, they have definitely provided a differnt sleep experience. They come in different lengths and are thick and comfy when sleeping. Just a thought. I can bring one to T4T if you want to look at one. They start around $60.00.
 
Yeah I'd like to check one out. I was going to buy the kids and my wife and I big Agnes bags because they have a built in pocket for the air mattress but was disappointed when I found out the wife and I would need to buy new air mattresses to as their are nothing wrong with our thermarests. Then I hated spending that kind of money on the kids bags that they would just outgrow quickly.

I'm really leaning towards the colemans because they will be handy for all sorts of things. Like an extra layer blanket when it's just the wifey and me etc. That's funny just the wife and me. I can't remember the last time that happened.

Still very open to ideas of course.


Brett C.
IronworksTactical.com - owner
 
SFSMedic said:
Ok so I bought the teton celsius junior bags for my kids (3-5 years old) and they are nice bags but they are that slippery material on the outside that so many of our sleeping bags are. Uh kids squirm in their sleep. Then I also got them thermarest trailscout mattresses.

At MRV my 3 year old had a blanket over him and never said a word. The 5 year old complained of being cold so I took my fleece sleeping bag liner and put it in his bag and he slept the rest of the night fine. Other than the thermarest they were on the ground.

2 questions. First anyone have any good ideas on how to keep them from sliding off their thermarest? Secondly im a little worried they will be cold at toys for tots.

I had a couple ideas, more floor insulation, also I was thinking of getting a Coleman adult bag then shoving the thermarest and teton sleeping bag in the Coleman so they are sorta captured. This should keep the squirming in their sleep down and be plenty warm for winter camping. However that doesn't solve my problem for summer camping squirms. Dave and I joked about Velcro but not sure how well that would work plus rip rip rip all night lol.

I'm up for ideas gang. This whole camping with kids thing is new to me.

Link to teton bag http://www.tetonsports.com/Sleeping-Bags/Celsius/Celsius-Junior.htm#.VGfSLIg76rU

Link to thermarest http://www.cascadedesigns.com/therm-a-rest/mattresses/trek-and-travel/trail-scout/product


Brett C.
IronworksTactical.com - owner
Click to expand...

Hey Brett:

I always wrap a blanket around my REI pad, tucking the edges underneath like a bottom sheet on a bed. The blanket adds extra friction (and insulation) which will help with the sliding thing. Alternatively, you could wrap the whole package - kid, sleeping bag and pad in a blanket keeping everything together and adding extra protection from the cold.

Cam
 
SFSMedic said:
Yeah I'd like to check one out. I was going to buy the kids and my wife and I big Agnes bags because they have a built in pocket for the air mattress but was disappointed when I found out the wife and I would need to buy new air mattresses to as their are nothing wrong with our thermarests. Then I hated spending that kind of money on the kids bags that they would just outgrow quickly.

I'm really leaning towards the colemans because they will be handy for all sorts of things. Like an extra layer blanket when it's just the wifey and me etc. That's funny just the wife and me. I can't remember the last time that happened.

Still very open to ideas of course.


Brett C.
IronworksTactical.com - owner
Click to expand...

Brett,

yes my my wife and I only recently have begun the wife and I only adventures. Our youngest is now 19. I like camping and she like glamping. I'll bring one of the pads to T4Ts for you to look at. I'll be in a RV in space 11 as wife wants it this trip. I've used coleman bags for pads and it works great. I remember one time in Boy Scouts high up in the sierras in tents using one for padding in our tent with 10ft of snow under us.

Tim
 
After thinking some more about this, I thought of the pad that I used for backpacking and car camping for about 25 years. They used to be readily available but are now only available at foam stores, which are few and far between. This pad, which is far cheaper than the high-tech Thermarests, is a urethane foam pad that is 2' wide by 6' long and two inches thick. These foam pads are primarily used as the inside of chase lounge pads. They roll up fairly small (with compression) and have a surface that has a lot of friction. They are totally reliable because they can't pop but after many years of being stored rolled up they will lose some of their loft. Oh yeah, they are extremely comfortable!

I am now on my fourth air/foam blow-up pad. The others had sprung leaks of one kind or another and have spent hundreds of dollars on these pads. I am seriously thinking about going back to this kind of pad to save money but it means an eighty mile round trip to get to the local foam store.

Cam
 
Camadile said:
After thinking some more about this, I thought of the pad that I used for backpacking and car camping for about 25 years. They used to be readily available but are now only available at foam stores, which are few and far between. This pad, which is far cheaper than the high-tech Thermarests, is a urethane foam pad that is 2' wide by 6' long and two inches thick. These foam pads are primarily used as the inside of chase lounge pads. They roll up fairly small (with compression) and have a surface that has a lot of friction. They are totally reliable because they can't pop but after many years of being stored rolled up they will lose some of their loft. Oh yeah, they are extremely comfortable!

I am now on my fourth air/foam blow-up pad. The others had sprung leaks of one kind or another and have spent hundreds of dollars on these pads. I am seriously thinking about going back to this kind of pad to save money but it means an eighty mile round trip to get to the local foam store.

Cam
Click to expand...

I've always used thermarest brand air mattresses. I've yet to have one go bad in me. My current one is 15 years old and my wife's is 10. I've seen some of the other brands like the big Agnes and they just don't look as durable to me. So I'm not worried about wrecking them. Thanks for the idea about the blanket though cam.


Brett C.
IronworksTactical.com - owner
 
We found that this solved a few problems..... It's an adult double sleeping bag, rated to +35 and can fit 2 kids with room left over. http://www.dickssportinggoods.com/product/index.jsp?productId=30767726

My twins can either put their bags inside or they just sleep together in it and stay very warm without being able to move far off their pads.

I've used it myself inside the RTT in temps colder than 35. By folding it over, you can sleep with one fold under you and 3 folds on top.... holding in heat.

If it's just me and my 7 year old son, this is the only bag we'll bring. Both of us fit comfortably, and it retains heat very well. Especially with 2 people inside. Or, one adult, one kid and one muddy dog. :)
 
Lol thnx xplore. I'm laughing about the dog.


Brett C.
IronworksTactical.com - owner
 
SFSMedic said:
Still very open to ideas of course.
Click to expand...

Okay, so years ago I bought this North Face Blue Igloo bag: http://www.msoutdoor.com/shopping/The-North-Face-Blue-Igloo-Long.html. Look at the picture, it has a bunch of little loops going up the sides. I had no idea what they were for so I asked on a backpacking board what they were for. And somebody replied that they were for lacing on your sleeping pad with paracord. A freaking miracle, I tell you what!

This is a 20 degree bag and I camp in California, so I would be miserable with another "outer bag".

Something to ponder anyway :) You could add loops if they don't have them already.
 
cali_camper said:
Okay, so years ago I bought this North Face Blue Igloo bag: http://www.msoutdoor.com/shopping/The-North-Face-Blue-Igloo-Long.html. Look at the picture, it has a bunch of little loops going up the sides. I had no idea what they were for so I asked on a backpacking board what they were for. And somebody replied that they were for lacing on your sleeping pad with paracord. A freaking miracle, I tell you what!

This is a 20 degree bag and I camp in California, so I would be miserable with another "outer bag".

Something to ponder anyway :) You could add loops if they don't have them already.
Click to expand...

I agree but I believe there is a huge difference between a north face 20 degree bag and a $40 bag from teton sports that claims to be 20 degrees. I'm a very experienced camper hunter solo and with the guys. Totally different story with the mini mes and their gear though.


Brett C.
IronworksTactical.com - owner
 
My son uses the Kelty Little Dipper. With him I usually put our duffle bags along one tent wall, then his pad and then my bag/pad. Then his pad has nowhere to go. We've never had a problem, but then he sleeps like a rock and doesn't toss much.
Hope you find a good solution.
 
Man, the air mattress is the key. If you're hiking in the backcountry, going light is obviously a significant factor, but you're probably not going all that deep with young kids. We've just accepted the need to car camp for a while til they carry their own gear, so we've bought some larger inflatable mattresses for them. I pay 20-25 for them at academy, they fold up small enough that you can pack them if the kid carries their own small bag, and they sleep in a twin sized bed, 4 inches off the cold ground.

Now if you're hard core, and are hiking deep, all those bets are off, so My 13 year old carries her own pack, she has a 3/4 thermwrest, and sleeps great in a Nice down mummy bag. Since she's not carrying the tent (I am) there is room to pack a few more comfort items in her bag, like a pair of long underwear. Combined with a nice bag, she's never complained about being cold, even well below freezing.
 
Might sound crazy but we use two rolls of the rubber coated mesh (shelf lining) to keep our girls from sliding around all night. We roll out the sleeping mat, then the shelf liner and sleeping bag on top of it all. Crazy, but works...
 
KELLEY13 said:
Might sound crazy but we use two rolls of the rubber coated mesh (shelf lining) to keep our girls from sliding around all night. We roll out the sleeping mat, then the shelf liner and sleeping bag on top of it all. Crazy, but works...
Click to expand...


That is actually a great idea
 
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