Toddler's sleeping bag

After looking for small kids sleeping bags I am beginning to think I will have to make one for my grandson. But I would rather just buy one. Problem is that he is small for his age (he will be 3 end of January). Most "kids" bags are big enough for me! And they weigh well over 2 pounds. I want a true small child's bag that he can actually carry himself and that weighs no more than 1.5 pounds. There are baby bags out there but mostly for inside use. Does anyone know of a bag that is only about 36-40 inches tall? Since he now sleeps in a "sleep sack" (arms stick out) my daughter thought a similar bag made of the same materials as a regular sleeping bag would be good. He could then just sleep in his jacket and hat in the beefed up sleep sack. Any other ideas?

Hey WD,

It's a pricey solution ($200) and not as short as your talking about, but the WM tamarak is a wonderful bag. It only weighs 19 oz. I bought 2 for my twin boys and they have worked out beautifully. I had them overstuffed by 3 oz which increased the loft dramatically. We have had them out in subfreezing conditions and the boys report being comfortable all night long. It also stuffs down to the size of a canalope. It's expensive, but you can sell it for almost what you paid when you're done with it.

Can't think of his name, but there is a guy over on BPL's forums who makes custom bags - and kid ones he does as well.

With my oldest, Ford, I didn't do down though. He had a Tigger by North Face, which while a bit heavier (1 14?) it was a well built bag that took a lot of abuse and still looked new when I sold it when he got too tall.

Only problem with a sleep sack would be arms getting cold at night. I understand the sleep sack though - my youngest, Walker, used one between 3 and 6 months.

I'd also recommend the North Face Tigger. It takes a lot of abuse and frequent laundering and still, surprisingly for a synthetic bag, has maintained its loft over the past 5 years (for the oldest bag). I would never, never get a down bag for a child who still has "accidents" at night! By the time a kid is 4, a middle-of-the-night "accident" will overpower any diaper/training pants combination you can possibly dream up!

It's also amazing how fast my grandkids have grown out of small sleeping bags. My 10-year-old grandson outgrew his Tigger a year ago. I picked up an REI SubKilo (on sale) for him that hopefully will last through his teen years! His 6-year-old little brother now has his Tigger. He sleeps in it at home, too! "Sissy" has almost outgrown the Tigger but not, completely, the tendency to "accidents." There's a SubKilo for her waiting in my closet.

The guy on BPL is Enlightened Equipment. He does both down and synthetic.

Unfortunately, per an announcement he recently made on the BPL forum, Tim Marshall is temporarily closing his Enlightened Equipment business while he completes a merger with another firm. He promises that he will open back up, but it could be 6 months.

It's really unfortunate that basically none of the "cottage" firms make backpacking gear for children!

I bought a kids 30-degree Marmot synthetic bag on sale and am going to simply cut off the bottom foot of the bag and re-sew the foot section. The bag was cheap enough ($40) that if it is outgrown in 2-3 years its OK. There is a little brother who then could use it. I picked this bag because it was the lightest and the narrowest. Sorry but I cannot remember the name of the bag. I am traveling so not at home to look at the box! PS. We got caught in the Arizona storm- trying to get to Albequeraue NM - had to drop all the way to Hw10 through Tuscon. Light snow and heavy wind nearly all the way to Truth or Consequences where we are now happily indoors.

Sounds like what I did for one of the grandkids' packs--there was an older model REI Comet on sale at REI and I butchered the daylights out of it to get it down to less than 2 lbs.

OM, if I had the time I would. I did when Ford was around 4-6 in making gear. I cannot even keep up with cozies. The baby falls asleep and the last thing I wanna do is sew More like "where is MY nap?"

The Lucky Bums brand is very good:
http://luckybums.com/camping.aspx

BF

I seriously doubt the temperature ratings for those Lucky Bums bags. They are cotton lined and synthetic. Both weigh about 2 pounds, but one is supposedly a 50-degree bag (I do believe that) and the other a 15-degree bag (I seriously doubt that). Cotton lining is not good for backpacking- it would really absorb moisture. These bags seem more like sleep-over bags or car-camping bags for a dry, warm summer area.

WD, I see you already found a bag, but if you want something else about that size in the future, look for what's called an "elephant's foot." It is basically a half bag made for climbers for emergency bivies where they use their jacket, mitts, etc. with the half bag.

I did consider elephant's foot- but they really are quite expensive and down is not suitable for a 3-yr old who still has accidents (bag must be VERY washable). They also are designed as half bags so do not have a hood or draft collar. I actually sewed a synthetic elephant's foot for myself in the early 1970's and spent more than 50 nights out in that elephant's foot and down parka. The elephant's foot became my children's bag. After many years and many moves, I no longer have it- must have given it away.

Yeah, I saw they were pricey and didn't take into consideration the "accident" factor. One of the bags I saw was insulated with Climashield and another one was down and twice as much.

Here is one for sale on Craigslist for $25.00:

http://eugene.craigslist.org/spo/2170425849.html

I am not selling it, only saw it while browsing. Hope it helps someone.

BF

I just found this on REI's website
Deuter Little Star EXP Kids 22oz but doesn't list a temp rating