Bushwalk Australia

I'm starting to take my two small children on overnight trips, but being slightly more adventurous than average I am having trouble finding suitable sleeping bags.

I took the 4 year old out last weekend with a Roman Palm I - at 800g he had no trouble carrying it over rough terrain and it fitted comfortably in his small pack, but he only uses about half the bag, so it should be possible to reduce that a fair bit.

However, I haven't been able to find a child size sleeping bag under 1kg, or one suitable for warm weather - it's twenty degrees at night here, and we all run pretty hot, so something designed for sleeping on snow won't really work.

Does such a product exist?

Macpac Roam Kids?

http://www.macpac.com.au/kids/sleeping- ... g-bag.html

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Blankets might be a better bet for the moment, that way you don't have to worry about the kids outgrowing them as quickly. You could pair that with a fleece sleeping bag liner. In warm conditions it should be easier to manage.

Shorten the bag by folding the foot inside and holding it with a short length of shockcord tied in a loop, works a charm and what I did with my 3 and lots of kids bags in evilbait at the moment

Thanks, the macpac looks like it might be good - maybe still a little large on a two year old, but definitely the best I've found so far, and I should be able to check it out in store on my way to work.

I don't think a blanket would work so well - the kids love having the same gear as dad, and the bottom of the bag provides just enough padding to make a mattress unnecessary.

I'm mostly trying to reduce pack weight/volume, and folding the bag won't do much there. It might help with the tent space problem though.

Macpac also used to offer an Escapade Kids with down insulation. Would be worth asking if there are any still in existence.

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That seems pretty reasonable, them wanting similar kit. If you try down, then you will likely need some padding under them as the down won't be near as soft as a synthetic insulation, one of the cases where cheaper is better, as the cheaper synthetic stuff that doesn't pack will provide more cushion. Not a problem I usually run into, no one sends kids that small on school camps!

If the Palm 1 was warm enough why not get a similar type of bag in a kids size? Any of the generic kids sleepover type bags are about the same warmth
Alternatively they are almost cheap enough to cut in half to get two bags
100GSM is a pretty standard sort of summer insulation
Once kids are toilet trained and sleeping though the night tho there is an argument in favour of the down fill where weight and compactness become a priority

Another vote for simply folding the excess length of a normal bag into or under the rest of it.

Also, if there is any chance of cold weather, I would prefer down. Our kids all used older full size down bags even when they were toddlers or small children.

Easy

Womens down bags are usually a bit shorter- that's what I got my boys- don't tell them that!!!

Yeah, people tend to be surprised when they see a two year old walking along a "hard" track.

I probably have to go with synthetic - down might be warmer / lighter, but their mother has a nasty habit of chucking stuff in the washing machine without thinking, so durability is a concern.

The same thing in a smaller size is pretty much exactly what I am looking for. The macpac which Strider suggested fits that description, though there is the fact that a fifteen year old is typically somewhat larger than a two year old.

Generic kids sleeping bags tend not to say much about size, weight or warmth, but when they do it tends to be something like this one - cheap but more than double the weight of the full size option. And then there are the "indoor use only" ones...

It's looking like I may have to make / modify something to get exactly what I want, though that goes a little outside my usual skillset.

Heck I've got better than that in my spare stash of kids gear much warmer at a third the weight for about $20- via eBay and the pipsqeak is only $45- plus postage brand new

http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Kathmandu-Pi ... SwPcVVwYmV

I keep stuff for the grandkids

Looks like you're in luck!

Aldi have kids sleeping bags on sale Saturday 14th March. I have one of these for my son and its great for lazy days around the house. Would be fine for warmer weather

https://www.aldi.com.au/en/special-buys ... ing-bag-1/

Summer only it would be hard to beat the S2S Traveller but not exactly cheap

http://www.seatosummit.com.au/sleepingb ... =traveller