I recently brought my 15 month old on a backpacking trip to Buckskin Gulch and Paria Canyon. We hiked 30 miles and spent 2 nights in the canyon. I’m going to share how to sleep with a toddler when backpacking and our exact sleeping arrangements with my husband, toddler, and me.
I have a whole guide up about backpacking Buckskin Gulch and Paria Canyon. I go over everything from getting permits, to our entire gear list. Check it out if you’re interested in an incredible desert backpacking trip.
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Tent
We were at a designated campsite in Paria Canyon at the Confluence. We packed our Big Agnes Copper Spur HV UL3 mtnGLO plus the footprint. The packaged weight for the tent is is 3lb 14oz and the footprint is 8oz. I have nothing negative to say about this tent. It’s an amazing piece of gear, we got rained on and stayed totally dry. It is expensive, but for the weight and size, you’re getting an awesome shelter.
Sleeping Pads
I have done a decent amount of backpacking, but learning how to sleep with a toddler when backpacking is a whole new world. We slept side by side, with our toddler in the middle. I was not worried about rolling onto him because I don’t come off my sleeping pad. We were on an inflatable pad and our toddler was on a closed-cell foam so it was a big enough difference that I knew I would be able to notice if I came off.
Logan and I used our trusty Klymit Static V Insulated sleeping pads. We have had them for years and love them. For our toddler, he slept on our Thermarest Z Lite sleeping pad. It’s a closed-cell foam pad that is lightweight and relatively inexpensive. We normally use it for our dog, Summit, but since he didn’t join us on this trip. It’s not recommended that babies sleep on an insulated sleeping pad so I felt like this pad was a good option.
Another thing we used was the Sea to Summit Thermolite Reactor sleeping bag liner. I pulled it over his pad so it felt more like he was sleeping on a sheet. I think it worked out pretty good, but not a necessity. Young kids are used to sleeping on a firm surface so my toddler slept just fine.
Sleeping Bags
Logan and I both slept in our normal sleeping bags. I have the Klymit KSB 20°F down bag. Logan has the Montbell Burrow 30°F down bag. For our toddler, I brought the Morrison Outdoors Little Mo 20° down bag. I originally was going to bring his 40° synthetic bag I had purchased about 6 months ago, but the weather changed and was expected to get down to 29°F at night. Morrison was awesome enough to send me the warmer bag and I am so glad we had it.
The Morrison Little Mo bag is basically a sleeping bag shaped like a sleep sack. It comes up to a collar around the neck so they can’t slip out of it like a normal sleeping bag. My son loved it and was totally comfortable in the whole time. It doesn’t have a hood for safety so we put a thin, merino wool beanie on him to sleep in.
Pajamas
As important as your sleeping bag is in keeping you warm, the layers you have underneath are also just as important. I slept in my Kojo Active Merino Wool shirt I hiked in and a fleece quarter zip. For bottoms I had a pair of Kari Traa merino wool leggings, and Logan’s military long underwear. I also wore a pair of thick Smartwool socks and a beanie. Generally, I sleep cold and all of this kept me warm.
I dressed my toddler in Iksplor merino wool base layers, wool socks, and fleece pajamas. Like I mentioned above, I also had him wear a merino wool beanie by Iksplor as well. When I undressed him in the morning, he was toasty warm and he slept the whole night, so I know he was plenty warm. I go into a lot more detail about everything I wore in this post.
Extras
We always have a sound machine going when our little guy sleeps at night. So I downloaded a white noise app on my phone. I used the sound “Brown Noise” because it was the closest thing to what he was used to. Being so cold, my phone battery did drain very fast at night, so I had it plugged into our Goal Zero Sherpa 40 Power Bank. That thing holds a great charge and is pretty lightweight for being able to charge a phone 4 times.
We also brought along his binky. Not only was that great for soothing him on the trail for naps, but great to help him fall asleep at night. I definitely recommend bringing something that can help your baby feel a little more comfortable sleeping in a new place.
This was the set up that worked best for us. I don’t think there’s a one size fits all when it comes to backpacking with kids. I know some people prefer to share a sleeping bag with their little one, but my little guy is not snuggly and doesn’t like anyone touching him when he sleeps. So find what works for you! Learning how to sleep with a toddler when backpacking is all part of the process. It might take some trial and error but there’s always a solution, even if it isn’t perfect.
