fruitofthewomb Posted March 17, 2015 Share Posted March 17, 2015 I am full of camping gear questions this week! We are upgrading & simplifying our gear. I tend to overpack & over plan & suck the fun right out of the trip for DH. In the past we have taken blow up mattresses, sheets, & blankets. I have never had or used a sleeping bag while camping. I like the idea of them but not sure they are useful. We only camp when it's warm. We also have 5 small kids so that's a lot of sleeping bags... So-should we invest in some sleeping bags or stick with air mattresses (I am upgrading these-thermarest I think) & blankets? What brand of sleeping bags should I consider? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TammyS Posted March 17, 2015 Share Posted March 17, 2015 Stick with the blankets and air mattresses. The most important thing in happy camping, IMO, is comfort - so you want those air mattresses. Sleeping bags are awesome if you cold weather camp. But if you don't, blankets actually are a lot easier to deal with. You can fold them up smaller in the car and even put them in a space bag and suck the air out (don't do this with good sleeping bags, it destroys the loft). Also, if they get wet, they are much easier to lay out to dry, or if they get puked on (this happened to us with a sleeping bag one camping trip) it's much easier to take them somewhere to be washed. At home they are much easier to store, also. Either stick them with your linens, or put them back on beds. ETA: my best packing advice is to get 1-2 large rubber made storage boxes and keep all of your camping gear in them, in your shed (you might want to buy cheap doubles of any kitchen gear you take). When you are ready to go, just pull them out and stick them in the car. No need to ever "pack" that stuff again. I also like to see how much stuff I can NOT bring home. So I pack old socks and underwear, and just throw them away as we wear them rather than bring them home to wash. Sometimes I'll do this with old Ts and sweats for sleeping, too. I bring nearly empty tubes of toothpaste and slivers of bar soap leftover. My goal is to bring home as little work and unpacking as possible. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fruitofthewomb Posted March 17, 2015 Author Share Posted March 17, 2015 Stick with the blankets and air mattresses. The most important thing in happy camping, IMO, is comfort - so you want those air mattresses. Sleeping bags are awesome if you cold weather camp. But if you don't, blankets actually are a lot easier to deal with. You can fold them up smaller in the car and even put them in a space bag and suck the air out (don't do this with good sleeping bags, it destroys the loft). Also, if they get wet, they are much easier to lay out to dry, or if they get puked on (this happened to us with a sleeping bag one camping trip) it's much easier to take them somewhere to be washed. At home they are much easier to store, also. Either stick them with your linens, or put them back on beds. ETA: my best packing advice is to get 1-2 large rubber made storage boxes and keep all of your camping gear in them, in your shed (you might want to buy cheap doubles of any kitchen gear you take). When you are ready to go, just pull them out and stick them in the car. No need to ever "pack" that stuff again. I also like to see how much stuff I can NOT bring home. So I pack old socks and underwear, and just throw them away as we wear them rather than bring them home to wash. Sometimes I'll do this with old Ts and sweats for sleeping, too. I bring nearly empty tubes of toothpaste and slivers of bar soap leftover. My goal is to bring home as little work and unpacking as possible. Thanks. I have a kitchen tub & camp supplies tub already. Good idea about space bags! I have some old blankets & sheets so I could just keep them packed... There was just so much bulk with all that bedding. And then washing it all when we got home. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TammyS Posted March 17, 2015 Share Posted March 17, 2015 Thanks. I have a kitchen tub & camp supplies tub already. Good idea about space bags! I have some old blankets & sheets so I could just keep them packed... There was just so much bulk with all that bedding. And then washing it all when we got home. Unless something gets on them, I wouldn't be washing those blankets every trip (for sure you wouldn't be washing the sleeping bags every trip). Pack the blankets back up in bags to go to the shed when you break camp, pack the sheets in your laundry bag. Another thing to reduce bulk, look into inflatable pillows. You can store them empty and flat in your camp box. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lizzie in Ma Posted March 17, 2015 Share Posted March 17, 2015 Air mattresses are cold, we always throw a fleece on top of the mattress and then blanket or sleeping bag. We have LLBean sleeping bags that are 15 years old, so if you do get them, they last forever. We take them out and throw them over a line in the sun every morning to air out. We throw them in a contractors bag along with our pilows to transport. We alll have very specific pillow needs. ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fruitofthewomb Posted March 17, 2015 Author Share Posted March 17, 2015 Unless something gets on them, I wouldn't be washing those blankets every trip (for sure you wouldn't be washing the sleeping bags every trip). Pack the blankets back up in bags to go to the shed when you break camp, pack the sheets in your laundry bag. Another thing to reduce bulk, look into inflatable pillows. You can store them empty and flat in your camp box. Well-our current tent just barely fits us all so as soon as you step in you are on a bed. And SOME kids kept forgetting to take off shoes first. Oh and did I mention that it came a huge storm and the whole campsite was muddy. Like sink to your ankles muddy? Haha! So we had muddy blankets & sheets. If we upgrade our tent then this shouldn't be an issue I think. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fruitofthewomb Posted March 17, 2015 Author Share Posted March 17, 2015 Air mattresses are cold, we always throw a fleece on top of the mattress and then blanket or sleeping bag. We have LLBean sleeping bags that are 15 years old, so if you do get them, they last forever. We take them out and throw them over a line in the sun every morning to air out. We throw them in a contractors bag along with our pilows to transport. We alll have very specific pillow needs. ;) I will check out llbean bags-thanks! On above mentioned camping trip all our air mattresses deflated during the night. So we are going to upgrade those. And yes-they are cold so that's another layer of stuff to bring. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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