Description
This article is from the Outdoor
Activities for Young Children FAQ, by Gloria Logan
glogan@atk.com with numerous contributions by others.
25 GENERAL CAMPING: Sleeping bags:
When we camp with the kids we put them in sleeper blankets. Vary the
number depending on how cold.
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Another poster wonders whether she should get a Polartec (aka
Synchilla, polarfleece) blanket and make it into a sleeping bag for
her baby.
The short answer is yes.
Polartec, the world's greatest fabric, is fantastic for camping
applications, because it's nice and warm and will not stay wet for
more than about two seconds, and it's indestructible. We had a piece
of polarfleece about a yard and a half long that was originally bought
prebaby for a cat blanket. After Will was born, it migrated to the
bike trailer, both to keep Will warm while I rode, and to be a park
blanket. It also did duty as a changing pad. This summer I took Will
on a week-long bike camping trip on the Oregon coast. I thought that
it would be cool and foggy (it was) so half of the polarfleece came
along as a trailer blanket, and the other turned into a pair of fleece
pants for Will.
Using polarfleece for a warm-weather sleeping bag is a good idea. I'd
probably use short ties rather than snaps because they're easier to
sew on, but either would work. If there is access to water (a stream,
say) you wouldn't have to put a spitup liner in, because you could
just wash out the polarfleece every day.
Rather than buying a premade "blanket", why not just buy some
polarfleece yardage? Polarfleece doesn't ravel, so you don't have to
finish the edges. The Rain Shed (503-753-8900) carries four types
(light- and heavyweight, stretch and nonstretch) in many colors and
prints for about 16 dollars a yard; the nonstretch varieties are
60" wide.
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Our North Face bags measure 30" across at the top so zipped together
are the same width as a queen size bed. Measure yours -- you may be
surprised. It's at the bottom where things get tight and and Will
won't be taking up space down there. You could always get one of
those blanket sleeper sacks for him and just let him sleep on top of
some blankets. Seems like the "urk" would wash out of those easier.
Better yet get several.
>Has anyone taken a baby backpacking in a Gerry pack without intense
>suffering?
If so, I haven't heard of them. I've done a lot of hiking with a
Gerry and when Kate was 2 we got a Mountain Master. Wonderful pack,
even though it does have far too many bells and whistles. But alas, I
think the company has gone out of business.
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children, child, kid, Outdoor Activities, backpacking, ski, canoeing, biking, camping, trailer
