Buying an adult sleeping bag for kids

[Oregonboy]

Hello everyone,

I’ve got little kids, 1 and 3 and I’m strongly considering buying them adult sleeping bags for summer and fall adventures. Seems like they’re always outgrowing everything so maybe this something they could have for a long time. I’ve kept my same sleeping bag since I was 15 and it still works fine, and I’m 35, so I know they can’t last a while with proper care.

Does anyone have a lot of experience camping and backpack with kids? Any reason I should go with a smaller bag then upgrade later? Or should i just buy once, let them grow into it?

Thanks for the advice.

 

[flyingshocker]

We’ve done quite a bit of camping with our two little ones. We’ve camped everywhere from Montana to Kansas And 20° with snow to 90° wind. What we found works really well for them, because they roll around all over the place, is just getting a small full-size air mattress with a bunch of blankets. You can layer them with additional blankets as needed. As they grow, I would recommend getting adult size sleeping bags. They grow too fast to order kids size in my opinion.

 

[Oregonboy]

I like that idea. Kids move a lot when they sleep and that’s another reason I was thinking an adult bag would be a better option for them.

 

[Marble]

At 1 and 3 you won't be backpacking I assume.

If camping we used inexpensive Costco bags and pads and still do and they are in their late teens now Sometimes they would zip two together. Sometimes they use them solo and sometimes they would open them like a blanket.

For backpacking, only one will go.

I bought cheap stuff knowing they would use and abuse it and it worked out.

Sent from my SM-G986U using Tapatalk

 

[Ratbeetle]

Just remember they still have to heat that extra space, so they'll likely be uncomfortable in temps well above the temp rating on the bag. Not really a problem if you have room for extra clothes or blankets.

My 2 year old uses a big agnes duster. It's a larger bag that can be rolled up for smaller kids. Has a pad sleeve too which I would consider mandatory for a toddler bag.

 

[mlgc20]

I bought adult (women's) bags for my daughters very early on. I would throw their extra clothes down in the foot of their sleeping bag to help take up that extra space. Worked great.

 

[Oregonboy]

I bought adult (women's) bags for my daughters very early on. I would throw their extra clothes down in the foot of their sleeping bag to help take up that extra space. Worked great.
[/QUOTE

That’s exactly what I was thinking. I was looking at an adult women’s bag for my daughter and think she’d be cozy with the extra clothes in there, she’s probably love that. Thank you!

 

[MTPipeliner]

You may also consider checking eBay for youth size bags. I was able to pick up a pair of youth north face bags for my boys for a reasonable price. At 11, my oldest has outgrown his, but it worked well until then, he’s 5’2” to give you an idea of size. They were light enough to take on short backpacking trips. I expect him to be tall like myself, so the next bags we’ve gotten for him are the tall size so with care he should be able to use them for a long time.

 

[JoshOR]

We bought kids size, they were cheaper than adults, lasted my boys till ages 10 and 11 or so, then bought them adults. You can use the stuff sack to bunch up extra material in the the feet and clamp it down shrinking the bag up a bit..

 

[Maverick1]

I went with the most inexpensive kids sizes. Just based on the fact that I expected the bags to get trashed (gummy bears, fruit snacks, dirt, mosquito spray, etc.). Very happy to have gone that route. Wouldn’t have wanted to get them nice bags and have to worry about keeping the sleeping bags nice. Just another responsibility I didn’t need when they were little. Worked out great. Gave the bags to their cousins when they outgrew them.

 

[Desk Jockey]

Gotta be very careful with infants and toddlers and sleeping arrangements.

having said that I bought some rei bags for my kids when they were hound. They were fine but were outgrown. My kid now uses a north face bag. I pinch off the extra length with the draw string of a stuff sack. Slide it down as your kid grows.