The Ray-Way Sleeping-Pad KitRay-Way ProductsRay & Jenny Jardine Introducing our Ray-Way Sleeping-Pad Kit And as a reminder, we don't sell anything that we don't use ourselves. And this kit is no exception. Once you have bought the pad from a sporting goods store, or whatever (see below), our modification kit will be pretty easy to put together. But once again, this idea is not open source. So after ordering and building a kit, please don't pirate the idea by telling your friends and posting any details to the web. Showing Jenny and me respect for our ideas will encourage us to share more ideas. How simple is that? Our Kit will allow you to modify a foam pad so that it fits folded snugly inside your Ray-Way Backpack. Caution: The blade included in the kit is sharp. Please use extreme caution when handling the blade and assembling it into the foam knife. Once you have the foam knife assembled, please store it in a safe place, as you would any other razor-sharp knife.
For my 2010 thru-hike of the Appalachian Trail, I wanted a substantial foam pad that I could sleep with on cold or frozen ground. Because of the early-season nature of this hike, the pad had to be somewhat thick, yet it had to fit easily into my ray-way backpack. I researched the options available commercially, but without finding anything suitable for my purposes. So I bought a cheap foam pad from wal-mart, and simply rolled it up and shoved it into my pack vertically. This worked in a pinch, but was difficult to get out of my pack, and more difficult to put back in. I wanted it to fit into my pack, internally, because I didn't want anything sticking out and caching on brush or blow-downs. So I hit on the idea of making this cheap foam pad collapsible. This idea worked so well that I carried and used it for 100 days on my 2010 thru-hike. Of course I took good care of it, and it held together nicely for the duration. And in fact I am still using it today. Not included in the kit, you will need to also buy a foam pad.
The one that I recommend is made by Ozark Trails. It is readily available in most towns, in the camping section of department stores such as wal-mart, or in the larger sporting goods stores. It is the closed-cell Adult Size Camping Pad, 1/2 inch thick, 20 inches wide and 72 inches long. While at the store, you might also need a bit of super glue, about 3 feet of duct tape, a sharpie type marking pen, and a 24 inch long straight edge. When you bring the pad home, you may want to unwrap it, roll it out, and place some weights on the corners, to coax it to lay more flat. Then you might leave it like that for a few days to get the pad to relax a bit, before you begin your work on your kit. The kit comes with detailed instructions The kit comes with detailed instructions that show you how to proceed. Please note: The kit will not work with any other type of foam pad. And again, treat your Foam Pad Kit with care, and it should serve you well for many years. Depending on what type of blue foam pad you have purchased (we have seen two different types that look about the same), after several night's use the foam might begin to split along the seams/folds in a few places.
Ray has experienced this splitting during his AT 2013 hike, with what appears to be a new type of blue foam. The splitting is not a problem; just reinforce it with a few pieces of duct tape, each 2 inches long, 1.5 inches tall, equally spaced along the backside of each seam/fold (same side as the existing duct tape).Please note that these tips are for a very small baby, who has not yet learned to crawl or walk. Many of the tips will work for older babies, but you will need to make adjustments depending on their sleeping habits. If you’re a new parent, the thought of taking your baby camping might seem pretty far-fetched. But if it’s something you love to do you may be tempted to give it a shot. Break them in early, right? I figured that the earlier we took our little one out, the better. If I didn’t try, I’d never know, and I might get too comfortable with the idea that it would be too hard. So, this past week my husband and I packed up our sleeping bags and ventured into the great unknown: sharing a tent with a 10-week-old baby.
After our night under the stars with the baby, I had a few requests for a write-up from other parents wondering how we pulled it off. Our goal is to take the wee one on a backpacking trip this summer, and to hike into some campsites. To figure out what we needed to bring for sleeping arrangements (mainly what we could get away with weight-wise), we went for a car camping trip first. We brought along a few possibilities, including a travel bed, and tried the most lightweight set-up (see Tip #6). We figured we could always add on layers or make changes if needed. We chose a site close to Banff (Two Jack Lakeside) for our first time out camping so that we could always bail if things went horribly wrong. Venture farther away from home on subsequent trips as you figure things out. Diapers weigh nothing when they haven’t been used. Bring extras or you’ll regret running out (we did and Paul had to drive home to get more). No parent needs to be defensive or feel badly when his or her baby is crying, but we realized that we were taking our baby camping (ie. choosing to take her to a place where people sleep).
We decided to have a friendly chat with campers at a neighbouring site to give them a ‘heads up’ about her usual behaviour (She doesn’t cry at night!). They were actually excited that it was her first time camping, and we felt better that we had talked to them when she wailed for a half an hour before bed. Afterwards I realized it might have been handy to bring some earplugs to offer to neighbouring campers. Babies can get a bit sweaty during the day, especially if they are hanging out in a carrier on mom or dad. They can’t regulate their own temperatures very well, so change the baby’s clothes in the evening so that they are dry when it begins to cool down and especially when they go to bed. One reader suggested using wool as a base layer against the skin since it stays cool even when you’re hot, and also stays warm when it’s wet or cold. You’ll have to figure out which sleeping arrangement feels right to you, but we had the baby sleeping separately in the tent (a 2-person Black Diamond Mesa) on a mat (the MEC Reactor Explorer) between our mats with about half a foot of space between each of us.
We had her wear a mid-weight sleeper, a sleep-sack, a light snowsuit (basically a bag with arms and a hood), and a hat. The temperature dipped to about 5 degrees Celsius around 2 a.m. We added one of my sweaters on top of her and she was good to go. I checked her neck from time to time to see if she was too warm. We were pleased that this was all she needed since the gear wouldn’t be too much to carry into a backcountry campsite. I figured if she got too cold, I could bring her against my body (make sure that co-sleeping is something you are able to do safely and comfortably before you try it camping). My daughter can’t tell me if it’s her favourite, but I did bring the fleece blanket she sleeps on in her crib to give her a bit of familiarity. I put it right on top of her sleeping mat and tucked it in underneath so it wouldn’t come loose. I like to think it helped. Nursing on the ground can be hard on the bum and back, so make sure you’ve got ways to cushion and support yourself.
Fold your sleeping mat and place it under your sit bones so that you have extra cushioning. Also, be sure you’ve got a way to stay warm while you’re nursing (if you’re car camping, I recommend the Acadia Maternity and Nursing Poncho from Mountain Mama). Each baby has his or her waking and feeding times, so this may not apply to you. Back when she was a wee thing, ours would rise around 5 or 6 a.m. for a feed, sleep a bit more, then have some rather vocal play time. To avoid disturbing other campers in the morning, we actually packed up the car while our daughter dozed after her feed. We let her sleep in the tent until it needed to come down. Then we quietly left the campground and found breakfast and coffee elsewhere. You could keep your cooking gear handy and make breakfast at the next rest stop. If you’re camping for more than one night, leave the tent up, of course! Last, but not least (and surely I’ll have more tips to come), remember that babies are incredibly adaptable and resilient.