I remember those trips all too well. Like a colonel preparing for battle, I would meticulously pack days, if not weeks, ahead for the journeys that I routinely made back to the United States when all three of my children were still little.As an expatriate mother living in Europe, I worked off two very detailed lists. The first had the items I would need for the flight — car seats (my last two children were only 16 months apart), strollers, bottles, diapers, a changing mat, baby wipes, snacks, extra clothes, coloring books, crayons, books, and my own personal favorite, a couple of garbage bags for all the detritus the flight attendants never seemed to collect.The second list was a catalog of the gear I would need at my destination: a portable crib, snap-on highchair, intercom system and baby carriers — a backpack or front pack depending on the baby’s age. To say I was adept at transporting my offspring would be an understatement. On trains, planes or automobiles, I was more than happy to handle the hassle if it meant I could continue traveling — my favorite pastime.
Now, my youngest is 15 and needs little more than an iPad to keep him amused. But I’m glad to see the current crop of new parents seem to be suffering much less from back strain than my husband and I did. Last month at London’s Heathrow airport, I marveled at a child zooming around the airport on a piece of hand luggage that doubles as a rolling toy. ) and that a child can pack their toys in it but also ride off with their parents in tow via an attached strap. It is priced at $39.99. Thinking of all the long walks from gate to gate we had in airports, I thought of the relief the Trunki would have given me when I had tired or restless toddlers. These days there are lots of interesting products for parents on the go, and most are designed to cut back the heavy lifting and ease the chore of packing. “) , one of the top family travel sites on Google.“With a baby you can carry so much stuff; it is important to ask yourself, ‘Do I really need that?”’ said Ms. Dubrow, who lives in Seattle and has traveled extensively with her children around Europe, including a month in Paris when her first child was six months old.
For air travel, Ms. Dubrow recommends the CARES (Child Aviation Restraint System) harness, which is certified by the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration, whose stamp of approval is recognized by the nearly all the major airlines of Europe, Asia, the Middle East and Africa. Rather than haul a 20-pound, or 9-kilogram, car seat on board a plane, strapping a child into an airline seat with the CARES harness ($74.95) sounds like a dream. “I can put it in my purse,” Ms. Dubrow said of the one-pound belt and buckle device. No car seat, however, presents a problem for parents once they are off the plane and need to take a car. For kids over age 4, weighing between 40 and 80 pounds, Ms. Dubrow suggests the Bubblegum Inflatable Booster Car Seat at $39.99 (www.bubblebum.co.uk ), which rolls up small enough to fit into a daypack or checked bag and takes only half a dozen or so big breaths to inflate. It has passed both U.S. and European car crash test regulations.The Sit-n-Stroll ($249.99) converts easily from stroller to car/airplane seat and back again.
It can be forward- or rear-facing and supports babies from 5 to 40 pounds. , has traveled with her daughter to more than a dozen countries from the Maldives to Myanmar. ) she used when traveling around England and Italy and now the United States. “It is brilliant because you can pack it in your suitcase,” said Ms. Schrock of the tent-like bed with zippered panels that comes with an inflatable air mattress to protect the infant from cold, damp floors, but can also be used outdoors. “It is perfect to take to the beach because it protects the baby from wind and sand and it has UV protection,” she said. ) — priced at $115 to $160 depending on the model — which can be worn on a parent’s front or back and she says, “have become the gold standard of carriers with their padding and straps that distribute the baby’s weight between the shoulders and hips.” ) , which also allows for the child to be front-facing in, front-facing out, or back-carried but adjust better to her body.
“I am narrow and it simply fits me much better than the Ergo,” said Ms. Schrock of the Beco, which also comes with an adjustable head support.The mom I noticed unfolding it into a taxi in Paris demonstrated to me how her child was now sitting on the very toys he wanted to bring on their trip as they were handily stowed away in the seat cushion.One piece of baby gear, however, that has not lost its luster since my day is the Maclaren umbrella stroller — something all three moms I interviewed recommended. Today’s version, however, is even lighter than the one I once pushed over city curbs, village cobblestones and Mediterranean boardwalks. ) — priced at $130 — weighs 9 pounds, has a sturdy frame, easy steering, folds with one hand, and comes with a sunshade, rain cover, carry strap and five-point harness. There is also a small basket under the seat.“When I lived in England it was great for hopping on and off the train, and getting on buses,” Ms. Schrock said. “It is incredibly durable, too,” she added — the ultimate test when parents are on the road and far from home.
Basic sheets of plastic, paper or fabric can now be transformed into complex inflatables using a method devised by researchers at MIT Media Lab's Tangible Media Group. Here's how it works: Anybody can ask a question The best answers are voted up and rise to the top I've been camping since I was a teenager in the scouts, and I've never really had a very comfortable night out. As an adult with a girlfriend, 20 years later, I'd like to just throw some money at the issue and be done with it and have ourselves a comfortable bed for car camping. ("Car camping" meaning we will have the car next to the campsite and don't care about weight or size much.) This Memorial Day weekend, we went out with a few other couples, and I don't think a single person had a successful sleep. We brought a feather bed as an experiment and it was pretty terrible, feeling only slightly better than the ground (warm though). Other people spent 30-60 minutes fussing with getting their air beds inflated, and then they leaked or went flat by the morning.
I've used self-inflating Thermarest pads and I'm sure those are the best for backpack camping but they aren't great and they get quite expensive once you start buying two of the XL ones. Are there other choices I'm missing? Or is there an air mattress option that isn't fussy and frustrating? ALWAYS bring a patch kit for an air mattress. If your airpad is going flat something is wrong (though perhaps the wrong part is just getting a cheap mattress). Get a pump that you can plug into your car (you're car camping after all). Buy memory foam to lay out on top of your pad. Do not inflate your mattress to be completely taut. give (unless you like sleeping on a rock). Buy a mattress with a foam top (and yes, then slap more foam on top of it). "Field Test" before camping. Buy it, inflate it at home, then leave a backpack on top of it overnight. If it's flat in the morning, return it. For car camping, don't bother to shop for "camping" mattresses, just get a quality air mattress.
Did you find this question interesting? Sign up for our newsletter and get our top new questions delivered to your inbox (). When we car camp the night before a canoe-camping trip, we bring an extra comforter from home and put it on top of the Thermarests, under our sleeping bags. We also bring pillows. These combine to produce a luxurious sleep as far as we're concerned. I've also slept on my fair share of air mattresses, mostly in houses, and if they don't go flat they're fine. They shouldn't go flat - if they do, patch them. Since you're car camping and you don't have to worry about carrying things to the site, the general answer is to layer until you're sufficiently comfortable. If one foam pad isn't enough, lay down 2. If you're worried about the air mattress deflating, bring a patch kit as well as extra pillows and comforters just in case. But at least you'll have peace of mind and enjoy your trip. Also, since you mentioned "ultimate", you may want to look at Car Top Campers:
Personally I love a good 4" memory foam mattress topper. I often prefer that to a bed even at home. If you sleep on your back, it's definitely the best option and I've tried air mattresses, cots, blankets, and all combinations of those. The topper will take a bit of room even when you compress it (use motorcycle tie downs), and it won't be the lightest option but if you're going to camp out of your car or near your car, you should try it. They can be found for ~100$ at Walmart. I use two Coleman queen size air matress stacked on top of one another. Between I use an emergancy blanket to reflect heat to me and not the ground. With a few well placed strips of anti slip padding, and its like the Ritz of the outdoors. As for inflation for $30 you can get a powered inflator to run off your car lighter, just rembered to use a cupple of lung fillers just befor bed for fermness and your set for a total of $130 CDN It's tough to beat. I agree with the above and recommend Therm-a-rest for anytime of camping provide its within your budget, there a little expensive but well worth the long-term investment if you intend to use them again.
I car camp 30-40 nights a year. I use a twin air mattress if camping by myself or a queen air mattress if I'm sharing. I used to think that a queen for just myself would be best but found myself sinking in the middle. One tip that I always use is to give the air mattress a little extra air right before going to bed. Hot air expands during the day and "stretches" the air mattress. At night the cool air causes the air inside the air mattress to condense so therefore I give it a boost of additional air to provide the comfort it should provide. I also let a little air out in the morning so as it gets hot during the day it doesn't stress the mattress and cause possible leaks. A battery operated pump is much more convenient than one you have to hook up to your car. I always keep extra batteries...just in case. I also bring an extra air mattress...just in case. Sign up or log in Sign up using Google Sign up using Email and Password Post as a guest By posting your answer, you agree to the privacy policy and terms of service.