June trips
My son recently had a birthday, and he’s been talking about wanting to sleep in the forest. We haven’t been out much during his childhood, but a great offer popped up in my social media feed—an Asivik kids’ sleeping bag and sleeping pad. The sleeping bag especially made sense; kids stay warmer when the bag isn’t too long.
The gear had never been used—originally bought for a kid who never became a scout—and cost about a third of the retail price. As soon as he got the kit, we headed into the woods.
If he grows out of it quickly, I figure I can resell the items for about the same price later on.
Keep It Simple
I think planning, logistics, and general busy-ness are what stop most people from getting out into nature. So my plan was simple: head out after dinner, around bedtime. Back home the next morning. It fits easily around the rest of the family’s schedule.
Rainy Night – First Overnight Trip
Our first night out was a wet one. It started raining while we were setting up, and it didn’t stop all night. I found a fallen tree with a nice arch in it—one end propped against another tree, the other supported by a simple tripod. The ground was soft with ivy.
It ended up pretty close to a classic A-frame shelter. We threw a DD Hammock 4x4 tarp over the top, fully closed at one end. We laid a British army shelter half on the ground to keep things dry underneath. A UCO Mini lantern provided some cozy light.
My son was having a blast—into the den, down into the sleeping bag, crunching on some chips while listening to an audiobook.
He slept through the night and stayed warm. I’m a light sleeper, and I had a magical moment around 1 AM—still raining, the lantern glowing gently, and a nightingale singing outside. That was seriously cool.
Home – and Then Back Out Again
Next morning, we packed up, went home, dried the gear, and had breakfast inside. The kid had such a good time, he wanted to go out again the next weekend—so we did.
Shelter Building and Tarp Experiments
This time we got lucky—no rain during setup. My son helped build the shelter. I originally wanted to try a classic “tarp tent” with a single pole in the center. It didn’t work out—setup gave me trouble, and I hadn’t tried that layout before.
Thankfully, DD Hammock tarps are a joy to work with, and the 4x4 gives loads of space. We still ended up building a solid shelter with two upright poles:
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One inside the bivvy to hang our Feuerhand oil lantern
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One at the entrance, supported by a guyline
I keep a cut-open tennis ball in my pack to stop poles from puncturing the tarp. The guyline cord I’ve cut to size can be rolled up and stashed inside the ball between trips. I also carry tarred bank line in my day bag for small outings like this.
Second Overnight – More Rain, but Dry and Cozy
Other than the shelter design, the plan was the same: into the forest at bedtime, home the next morning. We had more rain during the night, but the tarp setup worked perfectly. We stayed dry and had plenty of space—even for cooking and carrying a bit more gear.
Another awesome trip.
Looking Ahead – One Step at a Time
The plan is to build on this—teach the boy gradually, add some cooking, introduce bushcraft skills, and extend the trips as opportunities come. But for now, it’s fantastic to just build a quick shelter and sleep out.
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