This is our worst fear. And it's why we're taking our dog on a "test camp" before our long (4-day) camping trip in July.
are you going to be nearby, or in the far-flung hinterlands?
I think we'll be at some reservoir on the Lewis River. Skamania County, probably? That's for the longer trip. I don't know where we'll go for the dog test camp--probably in the gorge or somewhere similarly close.
I just have to start out by saying we're taking a 2.5 yo, a 8 mo old and a dog camping on Memorial Day weekend. We may not be allowed fire, depending on how hot it gets/stays.
I am super excited, but when Carl's anticipated disaster comes to fruition, you can all say I told you so.
I just have to start out by saying we're taking a 2.5 yo, a 8 mo old and a dog camping on Memorial Day weekend. We may not be allowed fire, depending on how hot it gets/stays.
I am super excited, but when Carl's anticipated disaster comes to fruition, you can all say I told you so.
This is a funny read because in CA we never worry about rain (it doesn't rain during camping season), but I wouldn't dream of wearing shoes into the tent - asking for poison oak.
Coleman tents have done fine by us for a few car trips/year. We have a gigantor one that fits 2 dog crates (XL & M), a pack n play, a queen since fair mattress and a 6'3" dude. This time we're going to put up the curtains inside in the hopes that the kids sleep later if they can't see us. Our dogs would flip out alone, but they do really great in crates. Camping is a lot of "on" for them too, and inside the crate inside the tent they can relax.
We just bought a serious Camp Stove from Costco. For the last decade we've been using Carl's grandparents Coleman stove from the 50s.
We like to keep things really simple and easy as a general rule. Camping is a fuck ton of work just as a general starting point, so keep it as simple as possible. We went with a kid first w/o dogs just to make sure that wasn't a disaster on its own. We go somewhere close - no more than 90 min door to door. And ideally leave in the middle of the day rather than after work. Remember that if you get off schedule with traveling and setting up, kids and dogs know what time dinner and bed are and will get cranky about it.
Bring something super simple or even takeout for dinner the first night, NOT something you have to unpack 87 pieces of equipment for.
Research what parks allow dogs on trails vs only in camp (my state does not allow dogs on trails, the county does).
We keep all our little gear (cooking stuff, flashlights, lantern mantels, batteries, toiletries) in one "gear bag" with stuff separated in vinyl baggies.
We're going through all our stuff this weekend to make sure we're square.
I just have to start out by saying we're taking a 2.5 yo, a 8 mo old and a dog camping on Memorial Day weekend. We may not be allowed fire, depending on how hot it gets/stays.
I am super excited, but when Carl's anticipated disaster comes to fruition, you can all say I told you so.
Off to read...
Are you breastfeeding?
Yup. More than is probably reasonable for an 8 mo old. We camped when A was 7 mo and 10 mo old. On the 10 mo trip I forgot his pacifier and ended up holed up in the truck with him on the tit at 4am.
Yup. More than is probably reasonable for an 8 mo old. We camped when A was 7 mo and 10 mo old. On the 10 mo trip I forgot his pacifier and ended up holed up in the truck with him on the tit at 4am.
We went camping on the hottest weekend of the year when I had an 8 mo old and a 2.5 year old. The 8 mo was nursing. It was basically hell. It was 96 degrees AT NIGHT. I would try to get her to nurse and she was like YOU WANT ME TO DRINK THIS 98 DEGREE LIQUID FROM YOUR SWEAT COVERED TIT ARE YOU CRAZY?
I'd suggest the Bristol 8 man with the vestibule. We have one very similar. YOU PUT THE DOG IN THE VESTIBULE!! How did no one else mention this? I hate sharing a tent with the dogs because their damn hair gets everywhere and they step on my air mattress and sleeping bag with muddy paws and breathe all night with their nasty dog breath in my face. Ugh! Get a tent with a vestibule.
Yup. More than is probably reasonable for an 8 mo old. We camped when A was 7 mo and 10 mo old. On the 10 mo trip I forgot his pacifier and ended up holed up in the truck with him on the tit at 4am.
We went camping on the hottest weekend of the year when I had an 8 mo old and a 2.5 year old. The 8 mo was nursing. It was basically hell. It was 96 degrees AT NIGHT. I would try to get her to nurse and she was like YOU WANT ME TO DRINK THIS 98 DEGREE LIQUID FROM YOUR SWEAT COVERED TIT ARE YOU CRAZY?
We left early.
Lol I will keep that in mind and bring extra food because the only reason we could get a spot at this park is it's basically the surface of the sun. We're just hoping we don't hit a heat wave that week.
Although my fat bastard child has yet to refuse food in any form, so I would be very surprised if heat kept him away.
Its super easy to set up. And because its "cube" shaped instead of "dome" shaped you get a lot more room. DH and I sleep on cots and there's plenty of floor space for DD (6) and our lab mix.
Post by kellycampbell on May 29, 2014 5:19:22 GMT -5
If some of the folks allow their kids to have a pet dog sleep in bed with them, I really don’t see why they can’t share a tent when camping. I’m sure they’d love it!
When we went camping as a kid we got a large tent with a room divider, which honestly was fantastic. My brother and I were always super excited about getting our own room in the tent, but we were close enough to mom and dad that it wasn't scary. As I recall we children would sleep in the back part of the tent, and then the grownups would sleep in the front. I'm sure this was so that my mother would be assured that no child was wandering out of the tent at night. Having the divider also made changing clothes much easier once we were old enough to start worrying about modesty. Something like this:
Yup. More than is probably reasonable for an 8 mo old. We camped when A was 7 mo and 10 mo old. On the 10 mo trip I forgot his pacifier and ended up holed up in the truck with him on the tit at 4am.
We went camping on the hottest weekend of the year when I had an 8 mo old and a 2.5 year old. The 8 mo was nursing. It was basically hell. It was 96 degrees AT NIGHT. I would try to get her to nurse and she was like YOU WANT ME TO DRINK THIS 98 DEGREE LIQUID FROM YOUR SWEAT COVERED TIT ARE YOU CRAZY?
We left early.
Camping with an infant sounds like hell to me. Kudos to you guys for being brave enough to try it. My litmus test has always been whether the kid is old enough to know to stay out of the fire.
We went camping on the hottest weekend of the year when I had an 8 mo old and a 2.5 year old. The 8 mo was nursing. It was basically hell. It was 96 degrees AT NIGHT. I would try to get her to nurse and she was like YOU WANT ME TO DRINK THIS 98 DEGREE LIQUID FROM YOUR SWEAT COVERED TIT ARE YOU CRAZY?
We left early.
Camping with an infant sounds like hell to me. Kudos to you guys for being brave enough to try it. My litmus test has always been whether the kid is old enough to know to stay out of the fire.
It wouldn't have been bad if it wasn't so hot! I mean look at this cuteness!
I kid too C is going to be 4 in August and we're starting camping this year. We're going to start small--an overnight at DH's family cottage; set up the 4 person tent in the pavilion, use the fire to cook, and just use the cottage bathroom. C is familiar with it, and if he really doesn't like it then it's just a short 20min drive home. If things go well, we'll do a local state park; ideally we'll get a weekend at one of the amusement parks in the region that have campsites and stay a few days. For the first trip or two, I'd probably keep the dog out of the picture until you get a better feel for how the kids do, what supplies you need, and get a routine sort of going. DH used camping as an excuse to get an all purpose, mean ass machete (since I won't allow a gun) and food will be pretty simple with pasta, casserole, cereal-type stuff until we get more established and experienced too; and we do have close friends for equipment. C also got a full-sized sleeping bag, rather than a smaller kids one--more fun for in-house forts or versatile for extra blankets or whatever when we need it outside of camping; and he won't grow out of it (he may destroy it in the next 5-10yrs but won't grow out of it...)
Our tent is actually a Sarasota 8, but it looks just like the Montana. It has two dividers that attach to the walls with the little plastic-elastic jobbies like you use to roll up the open windows. This time we did the dog crate (M) and RNP at one end, our queen air mattress in the middle, and A behind a divider on the other end. In a couple summers we can stuff J with A and there will be a ton of room. The key is its 8-man across rather than 6 across and two going the opposite way, so it's suuuuuper long. And the queen air mattress still fits going the right way, but we switched it to have more room coming in the door. Speaking of, it has a hinged door that closes with Velcro and zipper, great for in-n-outs with small kids.
We had a truck breakdown on our way up, so we went up Saturday am and came home early Sunday afternoon. (This is why we stay close!) It turned out to be perfect, both kids were short on naps and getting fussy.
A had a great time playing in the dirt and we didn't even have to worry about fire since we started it after they went to bed. Although if you ask him about it, the first thing he will tell you is how I called out to fellow hikers across the valley and it scared the crap out of him.
Pictures: hot dogs, a little early morning tent reading, and my MOTY picture since I have to share it somewhere (FTR, I did ditch the phone and run as soon as I saw this and he was ok. Managed to scrape his nose and get a bloody nose - separately - in only 24 hours).
Post by mominatrix on May 29, 2014 18:47:48 GMT -5
thanks for all the advice!
we're accumulating the stuff we need... lucked into a 2 burner Coleman stove at Goodwill for $4! also got sleeping bags, air mattress etc... really just need a tent. there's a guy on Craigslist selling a barely used one of these:
...which I think will be great.
I think we'll board the dog the first time we go, then try bringing her afterwards if all goes well.
first trip will be 2 nights; we're planning on going to a state park with a drive-in nearby, so if we feel like it we can head over there for a movie.
Good Luck! My husband and I camp 6-8 times a year with our dog and 3 kids. It takes some getting used to. We graduated from backpacking in the middle of no where, to tent camping at state parks, to a pop up, and we now have a travel trailer.
Most of the time we have a leash staked in the ground while camping where they can just hang out while we sit or cook etc. I feel more comfortable on a 20' lead in case they get spooked in an unfamiliar area. I've seen cages, and even kids playyards for dogs.
Keep in mind the weather (how hot/cold it can be). We had a hard time with running to bathroom/showers at the same time since we didn't want to leave the dogs alone.