[at-l] Performance Gear for my 5 year old....

[Sloetoe]

### What Tim Lofton posted were excellent suggestions.
Here're some follow-up.

1) Kids don't NEED the kind of performance adults do.
Our performance clothing is meant to address two needs
-- a wide temperature range, and perspiration
management, and MOST of that is aimed at perspiration.
KIDS DON'T PERSPIRE. (Not worth a darn, anyway.) So
forget all the "moisture management" products, and pay
GREAT attention to kids faces -- foreheads and cheeks.
When they're "puttin' out", their cheeks will *glow*
red. WATCH THAT, because they may say "I'm fine" but
you can know better.

So if conditions permit, cotton will do just fine til
young adulthood, as far as *moisture* goes. For
thermal regulation (i.e., comfort at a wide range of
effort and weather), "Cotton Kills", while some
"performance clothing" really takes the cake. In
particular for kids, water/wind shedding stuff like
Supplex can't be used at too early an age. (It's even
more important for kids, who have less thermal storage
than Mom and Dad, and once they get cold, they're in
for it.) Fleece (Value Village!) and wind/water
shedding stuff (Value Village!) are great.

2) And thusly, don't forsake TarWallKMartget just yet.
Their wind/water garments are as good as my $100
Marmot windshirt, PLUSLY I won't go broke when my kids
grow out of it (or rip holes in it, dunk it in mud,
play tackle football, or get it caught in a bike
chain), again and again and again.

3) Campmor ( http://www.campmor.com ) not only sells
their own branded stuff, but also very smart items
from Red Ledge (in particular, $30 wp/br parka
shells). My kids are forced to retire theirs due to
growth, after roughly 1000 miles of backpacking (and
some trail running) use, with just one hole, AND NO
LEAKS. Lightweight, functional, cheap, 'Merican made
-- can't beat that with a stick.

copied to
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/backpackingwithchildren/

sloedad



Date:    Wed, 17 Jan 2007 18:56:47 -0500
From:    Tim Lofton <cumulus84 at AOL.COM>
Try: www.sierratradingpost.com , www.campmor.com,
www.rei.com .  Don't forget to take a peek in your
local Value Village or similar thrift store.  I have
picked up clothing for hiking and backpacking for my
kids as well as running stuff for myself there.  
Another resource are lists like this, or others, or
hiking/backpacking message boards that have a separate
heading for folks to post regarding 
children.  Many times you can pick up second hand tech
gear through folks on these boards.  For instance,
here is the "backpacking with 
children" on forums.backpacking.com: 
http://forums.backpacker.com/eve/forums/a/frm/f/993107219

There are others as well...
 
Tim Lofton
Marysville, WA

Spatior! Nitor! Nitor! Tempero!
   Pro Pondera Et Meliora.