By Web Admin
We have a quite extensive section dedicated to kit & camping, with a page on sleeping bag technical know-how.
HERE
& a few basic camp items you might have seen & pondered over
HERE
A good "warm & comfy" nights sleep will make or break your enjoyment of camping & severely up (or limit) your energy levels & safety when outdoors for the duration of any trip, ..so please refer to our sleeping bag guide & recommended kit pages.
We'll start with a big no no: "mountain warehouse" ...some of the worst gear i've come across with very limited knowledge (ever been marooned based on poor advice)? & some horrific tales of kit failing in the field.
The old phrase "you pay your money & take your pick" (or gamble & probably lose) may well apply.
Source kit from well proven manufacturers , who are often geared up to deal with little people. ..it's often not that expensive after a bit of research compared with staying at home to look after a child who caught a chill from a poor quality sleeping bag!
The other thing to avoid in camping is the salesperson who say's "they'll grow into it" ..kit needs to fit from the word go, sleeping bags can be stuffed with clothing to reduce the amount of free air which will need warming & reflecting, but only so far).
young Kids typically don't sweat, to the degree of teens & adults, so sleeping bags are ok to sell on provided you wash them properly rather than bung them through the washer a you would your normal clothes,
In a word DON'T
ONE TO AVOID
I cannot recommend Mountain warehouse stores at all, having been in looked at stitching, materials, store staff keener to sell you anything with little clue as to the outdoors, website lacking in proper specs in the recent past! ..nor have I seen any recommendations for their kit on scouting forums.
2 season minimum for sleeping bags, & extra warmth from knowledge & experience in part supplied by you the parents & carers, a lot of fun can be had from making a decent campfire blanket providing lots of extra warmth in or out of a sleeping bag, so do consider making one, we have lots of instructions for different styles here on the site, which receives thousands of hits per month as a source of material & guide no matter what your level of ability is!
I would recommend you read the sleeping bag guide as a start point & work that knowledge into your research, as a parent I was very alarmed to see at a recent weekend camp near a river children turning up with a duvet & pillow (not from our pack thankfully), & anticipate that whilst they will still have had fun, their energy would be lower than their friends based on quality of sleep (if any) gnawing cold even in summer months, & moisture absorption based on the materials inability to wick or repel moisture, dew & mist from the field early morning anyone!?
Don't chance it, some equipment might be available to borrow if leaders know early enough there is a problem!