REI kids sleep pad? Or...?

[sunnymw]

This is what I'm looking at:
http://m.rei.com/product/794877/rei-...eping-pad-kids
Any experience?

The kids are 2.5 (size of a 5yo at 40lbs), 5.5 (40lbs), and 7 (42lbs).

The older two currently sleep on old foam mats plus two layers of ancient sleeping bag.

The youngest is too big for a pack n play so I bought her a Regalo myCot. It came with one screw missing, which resulted in one corner of the cot falling down every time she rolled and tons of aggravation and NO SLEEP. It got returned as soon as we woke up and I picked up a $15 twin air mattress for her for the second night of the camp. She slept fine. Problem is, it takes up SO MUCH ROOM.

The boys are in their own tent (Eureka, Apex 2). Youngest is in the REI Kingdom 6 with us (we are on a queen air mattress).


Any experience with those sleep pads? I would just go ahead and get 3 while they're on sale. We camp 3-5 times per year.

[Mike]

Re: REI kids sleep pad? Or...?

kids are rough on air mattresses. I would put them on closed cell foam pads. Otherwise, you might as well consider even the best air mattresses as disposables if you have kids using them.

[ArizonaSportsman]

Re: REI kids sleep pad? Or...?

kids are rough on air mattresses. I would put them on closed cell foam pads. Otherwise, you might as well consider even the best air mattresses as disposables if you have kids using them.

+1 on this. Kids are often WAY tougher than us adults. They don't require the same level of comfort to enjoy tent camping. Save your $$$ and spend it on other things that might enhance their experience in other ways. (Just my 2 cents).

[James.]

Re: REI kids sleep pad? Or...?

+1 on this. Kids are often WAY tougher than us adults. They don't require the same level of comfort to enjoy tent camping. Save your $$$ and spend it on other things that might enhance their experience in other ways. (Just my 2 cents).

I would actually say that kids go in the other direction. Air mattress is less fun than sleeping on the ground.

[NYCgrrl]

Re: REI kids sleep pad? Or...?

For the Regalo I think the REI pad is the perfect answer for additional comfort and when she outgrows the cot the pad can be used solo. Looks like you can add the pad under the attached sheet to hold in place. As the pad is longer than the cot ..........maybe duct tape the excess under the cot or if it's soft enough duct tape/safety pin/Velcro it over to use as a pillow. Since you live in GA I wouldn't worry much about the low R value; just concentrate on comfort. Great price on those pads and they'll certainly take up less space than the air mattresses.

[tplife]

Re: REI kids sleep pad? Or...?

Do you have a CostCo membership? Actually good self-inflating sleeping pads (ala ThermaRest) are darn near indestructible for kids, at least from the experience of the 3 children I raised tenting. They are tough on down-bags (can you say potty-trained?) so they use a thick synthetic over a CampRest pad until they were safely on the dry-side. Costco currently has decent ThermaRest knock-offs for just a few dollars more than the one you linked to above. That said, the Regalo is four times the R-value of a cot or hollow air mattress, so you'll be far ahead of most other folks who think cheap and thick is good.