AMC Outdoors, June 2001

By Cindy Ross

Many parents feel daunted by the idea of taking their children into the wilds. But if you start small and keep it simple, you might discover your family is happiest sitting around a crackling fire and sleeping in a cozy tent together.

The first things you’ll need are a tent and sleeping bags. And you’ll see that when it comes to family camping, there’s a lot of junk on the market. Stick to a reputable brand and buy from an outdoors store you trust so if you have trouble, it can help you replace or repair your equipment.

"Family-camping"-type tents often incorporate fewer poles and tie-downs in their design than standard tents. They are usually tall—more than six feet—which is nice for "walking" or jiggling crying babies in the night. But the construction can be dangerous in above-treeline camping or where severe storms could collapse a less sturdy tent. Therefore, a tent design incorporating four poles and more tie-downs (e.g., Sierra Designs’ Stretch Dome) is more advantageous for the adventurous family.

Also, the rainfly design of inexpensive family tents often inadequately covers the breathable nylon body of the tent, or does not adequately overlap the coated wraparound bathtub floor. These features may never pose a problem in the roadside campground, but if your family plans on going any place more rugged, consider an expedition-type tent.

The other feature I couldn’t live without is a tent vestibule, typical in an expedition tent. We keep our wet rain gear, boots, and socks; cook kit, gas bottle, etc., out there. Without the vestibule, all this would be in the tent with us, taking up precious space.

If there is any chance you will be carrying your family’s tent on a backpacking trip someday, try to find one as close to 10 pounds as possible. Look for one that’s small in size as well as lightweight. If backpacking is not a likelihood, buy a tent sized for the number of people in your family, plus one (put a family of three in a four-person tent). The extra space will do much to improve relationships and provide room for a rainy-day card game.

Except when backyard- and car-camping, leave the heavy flannel sleeping bags at home and invest in synthetic bags. These are more easily washed when soiled by a spilled drink or a bed-wetting accident in the night. As far as sleeping pads go, young children never seem to mind sleeping on hard ground, so a closed-cell foam pad is fine. Bring along a padded fold-up, on-the-ground Crazy Creek chair to rock babies when they fuss and to support you when you nurse.

—Cindy Ross is author of Kids in the Wild: A Family Guide to Outdoor Adventure (The Mountaineers Books) and Scraping Heaven: A Family’s Adventure along the Continental Divide (Ragged Mountain/McGraw Hill) to be published in January 2002.

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Eating right and sleeping tight