Homemade Backpacking Gear... For Kids

It has been a warm winter here in Colorado.   Which means not a lot of skiing...  Which means more time to think about backpacking.  As we anticipate the upcoming backpacking season, I assessed the boys' gear.  Specialty backpacking gear for kids is less than abundant.  And this has had me thinking about making it myself.

Really, I had been pondering making  our own gear for quite a while.  I have seen other people's YouTube videos showing backpacking gear they had made.  I read books about through-hikers describing their very specialized homemade gear.  But I kept putting it off.  Fears related to ill-fated sewing projects from my youth crept up as I considered purchasing, of all things, a SEWING MACHINE!!!  And then, I did it!  I took the plunge and bought a basic $80 sewing machine online.

My first project -- gaiters.  The purpose of the gaiters is to keep pebbles and thorns out of the boys' shoes.  They were to be made of spandex, lightweight and simple.  As well, they were a good starter project given their small size and relatively inexpensive material.  They basically are copies of my husband's gaiters.

The Finished Product

Well, I conquered a big hurdle when I bought the sewing machine.  But then I had to go to Jo-Ann Fabric.  Fortunately I went on a weekday when it wasn't so crowded. That place is huge!  I emerged about an hour later with lightweight polyester thread for most of the project and heavier weight Guttermann Sew-All thread for the reinforcements (as well as extra needles, fabric pencils, etc).  I must have exhibited confidence (I don't know how) as I wandered the store because women asked me questions about their own projects!

Back at the house I measured the boys and made several prototypes (after watching several YouTube videos on how to thread my machine).  And about a week after my sewing machine purchase,

I emerged from my craft table with not one, not two, but three pairs of gaiters!  Not bad for a first backpacking sewing project...  I might be hooked!

We will see you on the trail!

-Mama Bear

Hut Trip to Walter's Cabin, December, 2015

Backpacking Onahu Creek 2015

A good video on a mom's perspective on the outdoors...

https://youtu.be/nElAhif8Rgw

Backpacking with Kids: Fern Lake Trailhead, Rocky Mountain National Park

Wildflower Hikes at Crested Butte

Mid-July marked the one year anniversary of our move to Colorado.  And the longer we live here, the longer our Colorado "Bucket List" gets too.  Last winter we took a ski vacation to Crested Butte.  We discovered then that Crested Butte is the "Wildflower Capital of Colorado."  And thus, wildflower hikes were added to our bucket list.  Mid-July found us driving across mountain passes with wildflowers on our mind.

This summer was the end to the drought in Colorado.  And with all that rain brought endless fields of flowers.  Our first hike was Woods Walk.  This was an easy stroll a couple miles just at the edge of town.  We first ducked into an aspen grove with interspersed meadows, decorated in lavendar, white, and yellow.   And, wouldn't you know it?  All that rain also turned our wildflower hike into a mushroom hike, too.

After emerging from the moods we crossed a meadow to Peanut Lake.  Our trek across the meadow was decorated with wildflowers below and spectacular views of Mount Crested Butte to the east.  In all, this was an easy, casual stroll with plenty of time to stop and smell the wildflowers.

Day two was a similar early day stroll through aspen groves and meadows adorned in nature's beauty.  Did I mention, these were some of the biggest aspens I have ever seen???  And in the background, the peak of Mount Crested Butte.

That is one HUGE aspen!

This "Wildflower Weekend" did not disappoint!

We will see you on the trail.

- Mama Bear

Unboxing and First Look: Enlightened Equipment Enigma Junior Backpacking...