Father’s Day with the kids…

Craig,

That looks great. Care to talk us through what gear the kids are using, and what clothing they carry.

In fact this probably deserves a thread of it's own.

Rod

This sort of trip is so easy I don't have to worry about too much gear for us. The weather is also so predictable in summer here that raingear, etc. is unneeded.

Here's our general gear list:
My daughter carried:
-Homemade pack (~6oz.)
-My WM Summerlite
-stuffed animals
-a BPL inflatable pillow
-spare shoes (slippers)
-her sleep/dry clothes…there are plenty of river crossings (spare underwear, a LS top, flannel pants, socks, beanie)
-Gatorade (she insisted)
-Tikka headlamp
*I'd put her pack weight at ~5 lbs.

My Son:
-Homemade pack (~6 oz.)
-adult sized homemade quilt (~20 oz)
-GG Nitelite pad
-spare shoes (crocs)
-sleep/dry clothes (same as daughter)
-BPL pillow
-a book
-Zipka headlamp
-his Mora knife
-Gatorade
I'd say he was also at ~5-6 lbs.

They both carry their gear comfortably.

Outside of my personal gear, the shared stuff is:
-Golite Shangri La 3 with inner nest (I never carry the nest on my own but the kids like it)
-Snowpeak Gigapower Ti (When feeding hungry kids, speed is of the essence)
-2 cookpots: Snowpeak 1400 Ti with frypan lid (which one kid uses as a bowl/cup), Evernew 900 Ti pot w/ foil lid, 1 Ti cup, 3 BPL Ti sporks. They all nest nicely when the handles are taken off the Evernew.
-I carried my daughter's sleeping pad (Ridgerest 3/4)
-I carry their jackets (generic nylon shell with fleece lining)
-I also carry a MSR Miniworks when with the kids on short trips…easier to have them pump than have them wait for Aqua Mira.

I think that's all that's noteworthy…

Great report Craig, and nice to see that you're passing your experience along to the next generation of UL Hikers!

Have you written them up in the MYOG Craig? I'd be interested in taking a look.

Looks like I need to MYOG a couple of quilts too.

Rod

Here's the link to the first one I made. I was wrong in my post above- it's 9 oz. (the one my daughter is carrying).
It was originally for my son; he's getting bigger so it went to my daughter. He now uses a more minimal version of the one I first made him (no side pockets, no hipbelt, no compression straps). It's 6 oz.

http://www.backpackinglight.com/cgi-bin/backpackinglight/forums/thread_display.html?forum_thread_id=18307

I've been using adult bags and quilts for them. A good adult bag/quilt is light enough as it is- no need to purchase bags for the kids. I just fold the footbox under them.

thanks for sharing.

Craig,
I enjoyed the trip report, but particularly interested the MYOG backpack that was described the link. I agree that REI only has ridiculously weavy and expensive packs for kids. I had talked with Gossamer gear and MLD, both of whom are looking at a kid's version.

My 7 yr old has been bothering me for a pack, so I might have to think about doing some sewing.

Tom