Testing camping with an infant

zafoam

New member
First trip report probably warrants some introduction, I’ll attempt to keep it short. The wife and I have been outdoors(wo)man for quite a while. We have been environmentalists, hunters, fishers, runners, bikers etc as long as either of us has been alive. We have also enjoyed camping (overlanding) and Travel as most outdoors people do. Last year we completed our 3 bears setup and added baby bear to the collection.8C69ED73-1A89-40D2-A833-EA82E387D36A.jpeg
Now as I’m sure most of you know a baby can make life infinitely more enjoyable and infinitely more complex. Travel is not immune to either of these factors, and camping outdoors with the tiny little germ monsters raises a whole list of concerns.
Regardless the wife and I feel the need to wander and expose our son to the great outdoors. So we bought a newer rig(13 Xterra), ordered a new roof top tent, and set about devising a plan of doing a few test trips to see how things go. This is a recount of our first day trip
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Spot the item I’ve never had to pack before....Babies have a BUNCH of stuff. This was to be a simple single night trip as to test basic systems and not stretch his capacity or our sanity. The idea was to travel to a nearby lake to swim and enjoy the water then go to our family property for hiking and camping. F273B050-AEAB-42C3-BA3E-2551E2EC7417.jpeg
The lake was beautiful and baby bear enjoyed his time splish splashing, water was neither to hot or cold. We spent some time exploring different areas of the lake then used backroads to get to our intended camp.
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Yes our roads are all that color. 24FB8EA3-7D7E-492D-B13B-D30A3A98727F.jpeg
Setup of the tent is a bit more cantankerous than I had thought and to be honest sleeping in the back of a truck camper shell has been some of the best traveling I have done. That being said it is still light years better than the Walmart tents of my childhood, and at this point it’s what I can afford. (Seriously who pays these prices some people ask for stuff)4475BFAA-7CD1-4A26-843B-C089C79647B2.jpeg
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dinner for us was soyrizo, sweet potatoes, pepper, onion, and “cheese”
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He had mushed carrots, I had some too. The wife and I zipped him up stairs for bed at 8 and enjoyed watching the sunset and ensuing stars while nervously peaking in to see if he thought the bed was “just right”.

The following morning we awoke for an impromptu photo shoot, hence the opening photo. Then enjoyed some breastmilk(him) and roast vegetables(us) for breakfast.
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We had a great time and learned some things we needed for longer trips. Trip 2 will be at the end of the month for two nights.
We need to organize better, especially his stuff.
I would like to find a different ‘chair’ for him that takes up less space
We need flat space! Last rig was a truck, so naturally the tailgate is where things happened.
I need to mount the iPad for gps.
Im probably going to build a slide for the ice chest and stove.
 

Redheddedwonder

Active member
Congratulations! We will be in this exact situation in probably a year or year and a half. We went through the same feelings with our rooftop tent, they are advertised as the simplest thing to setup but not really the case! It does get quicker the more you use it.
One thing I have noticed camping with family with kids is they way over pack! But I can’t judge just yet haha. I’m not sure on the brand they have, but my brother and sister in law have a fold up high chair, similar to how a camp chair folds up that has a large flat surface.
 

Herbie

Rendezvous Conspirator
Gotta start 'em young! Infants and crawlers are easy. Bipeds require a bit more division of labor as you'll find one parent will spend most available time keeping the toddler out of danger.

Once they get to the point that you can trust them not to wander off or play in the cactus, its back to being easy again. The only problem we have now is the kiddo is getting bigger but the rig is still the same size...
 

Victorian

Approved Vendor : Total Composites
Fun times! Enjoy while he is still little. We have a 4 year old that is obsessed with our truck. His passion is to play with everything that can be moved/turned inside... I can assure you that our window shades are toddler proof LOL
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Herbie

Rendezvous Conspirator
One other bit of advice: Make sure you're really happy with your rig by the time kiddo is about 4-5 years old. After that, the kid imprints on the vehicle and will never let you sell it until they move away to college...
 

zafoam

New member
G
One other bit of advice: Make sure you're really happy with your rig by the time kiddo is about 4-5 years old. After that, the kid imprints on the vehicle and will never let you sell it until they move away to college...
that will help push up my timeline for a newer rig!
 

jadmt

ignore button user
make sure every thing gets lashed down when traveling. We always know we will never be in an accident whether it be a rear ender, front ender or roll over, plan for it anyway. Precious cargo demands that. We camped with our kids from the time they were infants. Funny my oldest one still loves to camp 27 years later the other one not so much. We camped in everything from tents to pickup campers.
 

billiebob

Well-known member
Travel is not immune to either of these factors, and camping outdoors with the tiny little germ monsters raises a whole list of concerns.
Not to diminish the concern and every pandemic is different however let me relate the facts of the Polio scare in the 1950s... and earlier. And I speak in simple layman terms.

Polio was around forever. There are pictographs from the time the Pyramids were built featuring Pharaohs with withered limbs. In the USA polio struck hardest the upper class. Not the kids playing in mud but children playing on groomed lawns in white clothing, Polio is carried in human feces..... even today. Kids who played in dirt developed immunities early. Kids who played in country clubs and had maids and nannies did not. Polio hit hard when those kids came together in school. My sister, 72 and wife 72, remember this vividly. Maybe an over generalization but the fact is white collar kids and Presidents who got polio definitely inspired the push.... "March of Dimes" for a cure.

My wife and sister both go nuts over those germ commercials featuring a mother spraying disinfectant everywhere. Our natural environment is full of germs. The best "vaccine" is gentle exposure to develop natural immunity. But often the virus will overcome our ability to do that.... like Polio or Small Pox or any new aggressive virus like Covid-19.

Point is being protective is not neccessarilly good parenting. We do live in a dangerous time and while we need to be cautious being overly protective might not be the best for our kids. I am sure you and your wife are on the right track, Weigh all advice critically. Listen to the best science. Don't let political announcements change your course. Stay safe and live safe too.

And please, add the state, province, country you live in to your profile. It really does factor in to my response.

Fabulous write up, makes me wish my kids were 40 years younger lol. And where is there a lake... not too cold. All ours are glacier fed.
 
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zafoam

New member
Fabulous write up, makes me wish my kids were 40 years younger lol. And where is there a lake... not too cold. All ours are glacier fed.
[/QUOTE]

Thank you. We were in Oklahoma. Glaciers haven’t been here in a long time.
 

DVD

Adventurer
Great post. Gave me a little more appreciation for last weekend's camping trip with 3 generations of family. Glad we took our kids camping when they were young. Now we get to go with them and grandkids!

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