Description
This article is from the Outdoor
Activities for Young Children FAQ, by Gloria Logan
glogan@atk.com with numerous contributions by others.
27 GENERAL CAMPING: If you buy the low-tech child carrier model, and you have a lousy time, are you going to be likely to use it again?
Last year we did some hiking with friends who had a one year old and
three year old. Martha carried John (1) in something resembling a
Snuggli on her back. Greg carried Katy (3) in one of those full size,
framed, hip belted child carriers. (It's got a little seat, and a
place to rest your feet, and a place to put food, etc.)
Result: John slept most of the hike. Katy squirmed and twisted and
pointed and stood up on the foot rest. Martha's back and shoulders
were sore. Greg felt fine. Both Martha and Greg are in good physical
shape.
I suspect that Will one fit in a child carrier like the one they used
for Katy, but given this experience, I'd say go with the good
technology.
If you buy the low-tech model, and you have a lousy time, are you
going to be likely to use it again?
-----
My son turned one about a month ago, but he is on the small side- he
currently weighs between 18-20 lbs. He is about 30 inches tall. We
used the Gerry backpack (received as a shower gift) exclusively for
the last 6-8 months (the one with the waist strap). It has worked
alright, but it has gotten more and more uncomfortable for us as he's
gotten heavier.
We bit the bullet and just purchased the Tough Traveler (Stallion
model- it's rated for 50?60? pounds). What really made us spend the
money is the fact that the TT has straps to keep the child *in* the
backpack. The Gerry does not have any straps to hold the baby in the
carrier. Ever since my son started standing, he could easily stand
in the Gerry (by putting his feet on the bottom of the pack frame).
At first, this was fine, since he could see better that way. But now,
he's started light "tantrums", that involve him flinging his head back
and arching his back. I was really concerned that he would fling
himself right out of the Gerry backpack. We bought the TT at the next
opportunity.
We use the backpack a lot - not just for camping. We use it as an
alternative to the stroller. My husband likes the backpack better
than the stroller and will even use it in the house, when our son
wants to be carried, but we're both too busy (cooking or washing
dishes) to hold him ourselves. I like the backpack when we're going
to be somewhere crowded, where the stroller is harder to maneuver.
And, of course, our son loves to be up high and able to see something
besides knees.
Also, the TT seems to "come apart" for washing much easier than the
Gerry, which is not easily taken apart (it's put together with pop
rivets). So, after 8 months of use and never having washed the
canvas, it's pretty gross (and our kid doesn't spit up much, either!).
Lastly, the TT is *much* more comfortable to wear. Be sure to *both*
go and try them on (I hope I've convinced you!). We had to go back
and get the next model up (I originally purchased the TT
"Kid-Carrier") because it didn't fit my husband (not because of
height, either, as the TTs are very adjustable) - the frame hit him
uncomfortably in the shoulder blades. The next model up ($20 bucks
more) fit him fine.
We've done quite a bit of camping with our baby (now 2.5 yrs), but
never did an overnight backpack with him. We just figured that unless
we had a group of people, it would be too tough to carry all of our
stuff with just two people (ie. if you have a group, you can distribute
one person's things over the rest of the group while that person
carries that baby).
Anyway, that said, here's my advice:
backpacks:
We have a Tough Traveler Kid Carrier and IT'S GREAT! BUY ONE! (Do you
want me to repeat that for your husband's sake? ;-) If your husband
won't let you get one, make *him* carry the baby. The Tough Traveler
really is worth every penny. We've used it on many day hikes. It's
very stable with lots of straps so you don't have to worry about the
kid falling out (even if you bend *way* over). It's very adjustable,
has a nice waist band, and there's room to carry other things (ie
diapers, etc.) My husband is a definite tight wad, but he didn't
complain a bit when I brought the Tough Traveler home - he's done a
lot of backpacking and recognizes the need for a good pack.
sleeping bag:
We got one of those REI infant Polarplus things that zips up to a
snowsuit (legs separate) or a sleeping bag (legs together). It's nice
and warm. We put Peter in it, in other clothes, then wrapped him up in
blankets. He generally slept next to me (not in the middle of myself
and my husband).
dirt:
Eating a little dirt won't hurt, but a blanket is nice to be able to
spread around. Put old, sturdy, long pants on the baby so that when it
crawls around its knees are protected. One thing to do is set up your
tent as soon as you arrive at your destination, and put the baby in the
tent. Instant playpen! We did this a lot with Peter when he was
crawling since we didn't trust him not to eat the local
foliage/dirt/etc. and because he hated being put in a playpen.
-----
Can't help much on the sleeping bag problem.. In a warm climate I
wouldn't think it would be a big problem though.. use the sleeping bag
design you thought of, and it should work well.
Buy the good backpack. It will be worth it. We did five days out with
an eight month old in a good pack -- hip belt, extra bags, etc. I
can't imagine what it would have been like in one without the belt.
All the of supplies for the child that we might need quickly were kept
in the backpack with the child. It made life a lot easier. And if
you're doing eight-ten miles a day, I'm positive you won't regret it.
(Besides, it's an investment that will hold over for your second child,
if you plan a second.)
>Dirt:
Well, on the above trip, I wasn't the parent, but i do remember one
evening being charged with keeping the child on the blanket we laid
down and out of the dirt. (Just wait 'till next march, though..)
I'd say bring along blanket just to keep the chilk a bit cleaner.
Dirt itself probably isn't that bad, and I've never yet heard of a
child that didn't at some point decide that dirt was the thing to eat,
but most parents seem to have a small hangup about the ingestion of
that particular substance.
If nothing else, keeping the child clean helps keep your tent clean,
which is always a plus for me.
-----
...One thing I forgot to say - when I shopped for the Tough Traveler
they had three different models, separated in price by twenty or thirty
dollars. We bought the mid-price one, since the top-of-the-line one
didn't seem to have much more in the way of features.
-----
If you're going to do any semi-serious or tougher hiking with a baby or
toddler, I'd seriously recommend investing in one of the 'real'
baby-carrier backpacks. I've used both the light trip-to-the-mall
type, and a full-frame (ToughTraveler?) carrier, and there's just no
comparison. Believe me, when you're half-sliding down the Iao Valley
trail after a rainshower, with a 30 lb. kid on your back, you will
thank yourself for preserving your balance and maybe saving everybody's
life.
That said, though, I'd also recommend that you get one of the light
carriers, and drop by your local REI-equivalent and pick up a hipbelt
and some attachment hardware. For day / beach / shopping use, the
upgrade is a real pain-reliever.
-----
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