traveling with kids?

sarahnsqui

we're going to be camping in Colorado for a family vacation with my husbands siblings/dad/etc...there will be a 14 month old and my baby who is 3 months...what are some ideas for activities?

Answer
14 mo old - We bought a child carrier backpack for my first son and that sures makes nature oriented stuff easier. My son loved the pack, and so if we went on a hike he just road along in the pack, the sites alone will keep them entertained for the most part.

At 3 months you can get a front carrier, and tote that one along.

Wherever you camp, scout out the area very well before you let the 14 mo old wander around, make sure there are not any dangerous critters or bushes or whatnot. Have a big tent so they can also just use the tent as a playarea.

Buy a few new toys (don't go overboard) and give them a new toy when you first get there, when they bore of that one, give them another new toy.... depends on the attention span of your child how long this will or if it will work at all. (my 16 mo old this would never work, his attention span is like 3 minutes.)

Which tent should I choose?

kjetit

I am looking for a 2-3 person 3 Season backpacking tent.
It should be high quality, water proof, noiseless, no condensate and sturdy against wind. I would also like it to be comfortable for 2 persons, functional to use and not too heavy.
I will use it mostly when hiking on mountains.

I have been looking on
-MSR Hubba Hubba HP Tent
-Sierra Designs ASP 2 Tent
-The North Face Roadrunner 33 Tent
-Sierra Designs Antares 3 Tent
-???other sugestiond??

I was thinking of investing +-$400 to get a long lasting tent.
Please help me. Which tent should i choose?
If you know a good place to buy it, it would be great also.

thanks.

Answer
The basic criteria for a good three season backpacking tent include: dual walls with full rain fly that reaches the ground OR single wall waterproof/breathable with vents, carbon fiber or aluminum DAC poles, a method of securing the poles to the rain fly (often Velcro), plenty of screens, and a bathtub floor. Other considerations are that a tent with only two poles is obviously lighter than three or more, and lighter materials make for a much better time backpacking.

Of those four tents, I'd dismiss the North Face tent immediately as I've been prejudiced against their products due to their popularity and its reputed effect on quality control. The MSR Hubba Hubba has won awards and is the lightest of the four, but I consider it overpriced in comparison to the Sierra Designs tents, which would be my choice, and is, because I sometimes carry a Sierra Designs Lightning tent which is similar to the Sierra Designs ASP 2 tent, although about a pound lighter, which is my answer to your question. The SD Antares weighs over 7 lbs and thus isn't suitable for backpacking in my opinion.

Comparing the Lightning 2 and the ASP 2:
http://sierradesigns.com/tents.display.php?id=716
http://sierradesigns.com/tents.display.php?id=47

The ASP 2 is larger than the Lightning 2, both the interior and the vestibule, but for me 4 lbs is the absolute maximum weight for couples UL backpacking, and when my kids are older I plan to switch permanently to use my silnylon tarp or sew a Ray Jardine tarp with mosquito netting. Still, I carry the tent, fly, guy lines, and stakes myself and my wife carries only the poles included her 11 lbs FSO (from skin out) BP weight.
http://www.campmor.com/outdoor/gear/Product___20069
http://www.rayjardine.com/ray-way/Tarp-Kit/index.htm

Other options include various UL tents such as those made by Henry Shires: http://www.tarptent.com/ or some kind of pyramid tent such as those made by Titanium Goat: http://www.titaniumgoat.com/vertex5.html or a pair of hammocks from Hennesy: http://hennessyhammock.com/

REI carries the Lightning 2 and ASP 2 tents, both of which are are sale right now, which is my answer to the last part of your question as well: http://www.rei.com/product/763152
http://www.rei.com/product/763148

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What are the different types of tents?

Jack

There is something to consider before deciding to buy a tent for there are large variety of tents. Can any experienced one intro. the styles and your favorite style or creative style ones?

Answer
ââDome Tent
The dome tent: These tents owing to their shape are most spacious and can be divided into rooms as well. Can fit a single person or a family as they come in both individual and family sizes. Easy to carry by backpackers, it is very popular in camping. Its shape makes it more heat efficient. The tents have a ârainflyâ which is water proof and helps in keeping the interior dry. So depending on what type of group you have Dome tents have various options. Even the windows come in clear or mesh options. Dividers are available if you need more privacy in the family dome tents. The family tents also have the option of tafetta walls to make it more sturdy. Dome tents are very easy to move if you decide to shift to any other location close by. The most important thing is it is very stable in windy conditions.
ââcabin tent
The cabin tent: Well, if you plan to go car camping and need room to stand then the cabin tent is your best bet. The cabin tents are big enough that you can actually park your car inside it. It is a huge tent that was designed for camping with your car. Some of them stand as tall as 8 ft giving it the room to have a party as well. . These tents are made with heavy material which helps for long durable. These are also exclusively used for hosting backyard parties, or for bigger family groups that go on camping.
ââgeodesic tents
The geodesic tent: These tents were introduced by the Buckminster Fuller. He was an engineer, author, inventor. Mr. Fuller was the one who introduced the geodesic dome in buildings. The geodesic dome is based on âtensegrityâ structures such as tetrahedron, octahedron which are a net of continuous structures that do not touch each other but form closely bound spheres which is just enough to not make them touch each other but also have enough tension in them to make them separate spatially to form a sphere.
The geodesic tents have become popular because of its design as it requires minimum material and provides a large space. This concept is specially useful in tents as there is a central pole which gives it additional strength in high wind conditions as there are no weak points and is easy for one person to set it up. Geodesic tents are heat efficient and spacious like the other tents but their main selling point is the high strength and stability they provide.
ââTunnel tents
Tunnel tents: Tunnel tents or Mutli-hoop tents as they are also called are tents used both in camping, as a kids play area, even as tents for pets. Due to the ring structure in these tents they can give a good height. These are similar to A-frame tents but slightly heavier. A good tunnel tents must be at least 3 lbs in weight including the poles, guy lines and canopy panels This type of camping tent is a large standing free room tent. The tent is waterproof and is very easy to assemble. Another benefit of this tent is it has the capable of shedding heavy snow.
ââFolding tents
Folding tents: Folding tents are also known as popup canopies or instant gazebos are incredibly handy for events, festivals, promotions. Being a lightweight spacious and easy to setup as well as fold up is an ideal choice for moving around and quick set up. These tends usually do not need to be staked down but can sometimes require skylines attached to tress or stakes. Folding tent is easy to move to other places when it needs to be shifted within a short frame of time. It is ideal for hunting or camping.
ââ Umbrella Style tents
Umbrella style tents: They are like umbrella because they have only one supporting pole in the Centre of the tent. They are simple and light, but not the type of tent you want to be in during camping or hunting. Mostly ideal for sitting under on a beach or in the backyard for a party to have shade while you are in the sun.

How do I make hoop tunnel for dog agility?

Brooke A

Currently, I'm using a construction-type ditch pipe. I'd also like to know where I can purchase some nylon for the tunnel cover.

Answer
Bad idea. A good agility dog comes out of a tunnel faster than he went in it (and he went in it fast). That's because they can use the cloth of the tunnel for purchase. And they can run on the walls using centrifugal force. And the tunnel has give.

Your construction pipe will be slick inside and therefore difficult to get purchase on. The dog will have trouble running on the sides. Most importantly, when the enters at an angle and hits solid pipe, he'll learn to slow up. Your pipe will be teaching the dog to SLOW up when entering the tunnel. Totally wrong approach.

A stiff cardboard box is a far superior alternative. Dog's don't perceive the world the way we do. You see a pipe as similar to a tunnel because you're focusing on shapes. A dog sees a stiff card board box as similar to a competition grade tunnel because his experience running inside is more similar than it would be running inside a construction-grade pipe (that is more similar in shape to a competition-grade tunnel). Don't think like a human, think like a dog!

As for making/acquiring a tunnel:
--Look at Affordableagility.com and you'll find a competition-grade tunnel for $150.
--If you really want to go cheap, go to Target or JC Penny and buy a plastic kid's tunnel for $20. That is less than the material you'll spend MAKING a tunnel.
--If you insist on MAKING a tunnel, than the key is the piping that provides a secure but flexible tunnel frame. Almost any cloth that is stiff nylon or rip-stop will do keeping in mind that without any kind of rubber treat, your tunnel will develop rot and mold very quickly and will probably last less than 12 months (unless you can move it inside).

However, I suspect you aren't really trying to make a tunnel but a chute. In which case your approach makes more sense.

1. Go to affordable agility. Buy "agility in a bag." For $150 you get 6 PVC weave poles, 2 PVC adjustable jumps, a worthless pause box, a mediocre tire, and a perfectly useable chute (short tunnel with very appropriate cloth chute). It's worth the time and money you'd spend making the darn thing to just buy the kit. It even comes with a travel bag!
2. If you insist on making a chute, I still wouldn't use the construction ditch pipe. The challenge with the chute is to get material that isn't too light or too heavy. Too light and it becomes easily tangled, your dog will panic and you've trained them not to like the chute. To heavy and a small dog can't push it's way through. Some tent tarps or extendable covers (at a Target or camping store) might be appropriate as long as they aren't heavy duty material. Often times, tents or sunshades will have an extendable awning--that's the kind of material (and probably in an appropriate size) you'd be looking for. But the catch is--that will probably cost you more than it would to just buy the chute from Affordable agility.

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