Bedding for kids
Submitted: Saturday, Sep 05, 2009 at 23:38
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team bennett
Hi,
We are heading off around Oz for a year this December and we are looking for some recommendations for good bedding for the kids. They will be in the underbed kids room of our Ultimate camper trailer. (ie. on the ground). Our concerns are comfort and ability to store in a small area. Does anyone have any suggestions?
Thanks
Reply By: Member - Josh (VIC) - Sunday, Sep 06, 2009 at 00:15
Sunday, Sep 06, 2009 at 00:15
What age are the kids, this may affect type of bedding. For the last 2 1/2 years we have used bunks bought from Rays Outdoors. The legs and uprights pull off and the beds lay flat on our bed when packed up with the girls sleeping bags still on them. Our girls are 6 & 7. This keeps them off the floor and gives us extra room. You can also use them as 2 single beds if needed. We have slept on them ourselves at times as
well. In really cold weather we simply put a blanket under for extra warmth.
Josh
AnswerID:
382116
Follow Up By: Member - Nick (TAS) - Sunday, Sep 06, 2009 at 09:51
Sunday, Sep 06, 2009 at 09:51
Yep, bunks get our vote too.We also just fold them up and put them under our mattress when camper is folded.Plus you can set them up seperately if needed.
FollowupID:
649685
Follow Up By: team bennett - Sunday, Sep 06, 2009 at 22:03
Sunday, Sep 06, 2009 at 22:03
Thanks for all the suggestions. We have two boys - aged 11 and 3 and one girl - aged 5. We have considered bunks but I am concerned about the comfort and support for their backs as we are going for such a long time.
FollowupID:
649754
Follow Up By: Member - Josh (VIC) - Sunday, Sep 06, 2009 at 22:48
Sunday, Sep 06, 2009 at 22:48
We found the bunks pretty good. For extra comfort you can put self inflating mats on them but we found we didn't need them. They are quite supportive. We have really good quality sleeping bags and 2 spare blankets for when it is really cold like in vic lol. Swags are great but do take up a bit of room.
FollowupID:
649760
Reply By: Sand Man (SA) - Sunday, Sep 06, 2009 at 09:15
Sunday, Sep 06, 2009 at 09:15
My suggestion is to invest in a couple of good quality swags.
The kids will love them and they are versatlle enough to use for a variety of situations.
Bill.
AnswerID:
382134
Follow Up By: Member - Roachie (SA) - Sunday, Sep 06, 2009 at 22:57
Sunday, Sep 06, 2009 at 22:57
G'day Sandman and Team Bennett,
I agree with the swag idea.
We have an Ultimate Camper too and also have 3 kids......boys aged 13, 11 & 9. The youngest are almost 12 and 10 respectively.
For the past 5 years or so, they have had their own swags. We carry these on the roof/lid of the camper when on the move.
We also have the under-bed kids' tent. It is a bit squeezy in the tent for 3 swags..... 2 is quite okay. Our oldest lad prefers to sleep in the open air if possible....only moving into the tent if it's raining etc. So, when that happens, we sometimes end up with one of the other 2 sleeping up the top with us in the main bed..... but it's rare.
We tried stretchers and self-inflating mattresses etc over the years. The stretchers were (IMHO) not good for their back/s as there is very little support. Different brands may be better I suppose.
Hope this helps...
Cheers
Roachie (Ulti no. 56)
FollowupID:
649761
Reply By: Hairy (NT) - Sunday, Sep 06, 2009 at 09:33
Sunday, Sep 06, 2009 at 09:33
Gday,
My kids have used swags for years but have recently gone to
camp stretches and sleeping bags (when using the camper) as they take up less room.
We find it a lot easier to throw 2 sleeping bags and 2 blankets up on our bed, 2
camp stretches in the trailer and their pillows in the car in stead of finding room for two big swags.
If we are not taking the camper we take our swags but I cant see the point of using a swag inside?
Cheers
Hairy
AnswerID:
382136
Reply By: kevanancy - Sunday, Sep 06, 2009 at 09:37
Sunday, Sep 06, 2009 at 09:37
Hi Bennetts ,
We use sleeping bags with a built in blowup mattress for our kids 2 & 4 . They roll up really small and are quite warm and the air mattress provides insulation from the ground . Not sure where to get them as they were given to us . In a couple of years our oldest will be getting a bit big for them and then we will go to swags for them .
All the best
Kev
AnswerID:
382138
Reply By: Member - Leanne W (NSW) - Sunday, Sep 06, 2009 at 11:08
Sunday, Sep 06, 2009 at 11:08
Hi Team Bennett,
Our 4yo sleeps on a self inflating
camp mat with a sleeping bag. Like others have said, when packing up we also just put her bed straight on top of our bed in the campertrailer. The mat can roll up to the size a bit longer than a sleeping bag, so you may have room in your front storage locker in your Ultimate, or else on the floor of the Ultimate when it is packed up, although that may restrict access to your fridge.
Hopefully Roachie will reply to your thread - he also has an Ultimate and travels with kids.
Have fun on your trip!
Leanne
AnswerID:
382146
Follow Up By: TWCAmpbell - Monday, Sep 07, 2009 at 10:45
Monday, Sep 07, 2009 at 10:45
We use a similar setup for our kids on the floor of our camper trailer - nice thick thermarests and good quality sleeping bags. Just fold them in half and put them on top of our bed to pack up.
FollowupID:
649779
Reply By: Alloy c/t - Sunday, Sep 06, 2009 at 16:58
Sunday, Sep 06, 2009 at 16:58
All good suggestions bar 1 flaw, " how old are the kids and are they boys or girls ??" , if boys 7/8 +, swags are a reasonable night time home , girls of round that age are better off on stretchers untill 13/14 yrs old ,,, swags become a personal responsibillity to a boy very quickly , girls "seem " to need a more open space .
AnswerID:
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Follow Up By: team bennett - Sunday, Sep 06, 2009 at 22:03
Sunday, Sep 06, 2009 at 22:03
Please see above for an answer to your questions. Thanks for your suggestion as
well.
FollowupID:
649755
Reply By: Member - Old Girl (QLD) - Sunday, Sep 06, 2009 at 21:23
Sunday, Sep 06, 2009 at 21:23
My boys are on
Camp bunks with swags on cause its dusty and cold where we are at the moment. One week and two days were heading north to warmer and green country, the swags might get stored and just use sleeping bags. One thing i don't like with our sleeping bags they are the slippery ones and other blankets slip off during the night.
AnswerID:
382197
Reply By: Member - Ingo57 (NSW) - Monday, Sep 07, 2009 at 10:06
Monday, Sep 07, 2009 at 10:06
G'day,
We always tent it when we go bush and after many years of using air mattresses, we finally purchased some therma rest self inflating mattresses.....They have been fantastic!
The Mrs and I sleep on the comfort series and the kids sleep on the base
camp model. They are a little pricey but worth every cent for a comfortable good night sleep and pack up very small.
Hope this helps
AnswerID:
382233
Reply By: Member - Timbo - Monday, Sep 07, 2009 at 13:24
Monday, Sep 07, 2009 at 13:24
In terms of comfort and packed-down size, it's very hard to beat a good sleeping bag on one those self-inflating mats. If I'm not using the roof-top tent (which I only got about 4-5 years back), I sleep on one of those $10 foam mats and have always found it comfortable enough (
camping regularly for the last 10-15 years) - they are cheap, lightweight and they insulate very
well. They are much quicker to set-up/pack-up than a self-inflating mattress, but nowhere near as comfortable - and I have never been on the road for a whole year at a time!
AnswerID:
382259