Kelty Duo Bin

Yesterday we went up our nearest canyon and had some rock-climbing and campfire fun with some friends. We each brought our own food to prepare over the cook stove and fire. As I grabbed my two limp grocery sacks filled with a conglomerate of food items I remembered why I wanted to purchase the Kelty Duo Bin. Later as I was cooking our dinner and the contents of the bags were spilling out onto the dirt, my previous thought sank in a little deeper…”we really need to get that Ketly Duo Bin”.
What is the Kelty Duo Bin? And “why” you may ask, do I want one so badly? Well I’ll tell you.

The Kelty Duo Bin was created to help keep camp food organized and make preparing food in the outdoors easier. It allows you to store dry and cold food items in the same unit. It also has an expandable wind resistant workspace you can use when you pull the two compartments apart. Which is always nice when your only other option is …well dirt! It’s freestanding and stackable so throwing it in the back of the car isn’t a problem. Here’s a recent review  I found that’s entitled “a must have for every family”. Be sure to scroll down and click on customer reviews. 

I have the Kelty Duo Bin available at the Nature For Kids Outdoor Store but I have to tell you, I found the best price at Kittery Trading Post. It’s nearly $20 cheaper and free shipping.

In my opinion it’s a must have when trying to feed a hungry family that’s been playing outside all day together. And it’s a unique gift idea for those who appreciate a yummy meal prepared outdoors. Wink, wink, nudge, nudge…My birthdays coming up Honey

Tell Nature For Kids what piece of outdoor equipment you can’t live without.

Rock Climbing Toddler

Over the weekend at Nature For Kids  a  question was asked by Rebecca regarding her rock climbing toddler and the post Rock Climbing With Kids.

“We have a 23 month old daughter who loves the rock wall at the YMCA, up until last week she just went up about a foot or so (the bottom “rock”) and came back down. This week she has started really climbing, to the point she is almost over my head. We have to find a good harness for her since they don’t have them that small at the Y. We don’t mind at all buying her one ourselves. We don’t want to stop her in any way! I just don’t know one that is small enough for her little body. Is there a particular brand that you have found works with your little ones?”

Rebecca got me curious. So I went out and shuffled through our climbing equipment and decided to try our full body harness on my 20-month-old. Something I hadn’t done yet because I just assumed it was too large for her. It is made by Rock Empire and is called the Apache. To my surprise it fit her quite well.

There is a little gaping above her legs and chest but not enough to have her slip out. The point where the rope attaches to the harness sits high enough that I don’t think she would flip upside down. Toddlers are prone to be top heavy though so always be cautious.

When our oldest child first started climbing we tied a harness for him out of pieces of webbing. It served it’s purpose but was time consuming and not as comfortable as a harness. So I would recommend buying a harness, especially if you have more than one child. Harnesses allow you to quickly release and tighten straps for the optimum fit.

Most full body children’s harnesses  are made for 4 to 9 year-olds so look at the harness description closely before purchasing anything. Better yet, try it on your child first.

Thanks Rebecca for giving me the opportunity to realize our harness fits our little rock-climbing toddler. I’m sure she’ll be very thankful too…no more sitting by and watching her brothers have all the fun!

Double Jogging Stroller

 

If you’re like me, having the ability to take your two little ones outside to exercise keeps you and the kids sane! My double jogging stroller offers just that for me. In the new Forum here at Nature For Kids I mentioned on the “Gear” section that unfortunately my jogger is difficult to maneuver because the front wheel is locked in place. I literally have to lean over the handle bar and pop a wheelie to turn a corner. When I was pushing along one child in my single jogger it wasn’t really an issue but now that I’ve added width by getting the double jogger and about 25 more lbs. because of the extra child it’s difficult.

I think a front wheel that swiveled would solve this issue. A contributor on the forum mentioned the BOB (Sport Utility Stroller). I’ve heard of them before and looked into them a little further. BOB actually has a double jogging stroller called the Revolution Duallie that has a front swivel wheel with a lockout feature. This feature allows you to lock the wheel for faster, longer runs or leave unlocked for walks or slow jogs with lots of corners or bumpy terrain.

After heavy use, the front wheel on most strollers becomes misaligned making it gradually veer left or right. The Bob strollers are made with a tracking mechanism that allows you to correct this by turning a small knob near the front wheel. Pretty dandy huh!

And here’s a bonus, all BOB strollers have a five-year warranty on the frame and one year on small parts and fabric. 

Hmm…Well as I go about my quest for a new stroller that will grace each of our outdoor adventures I’ll keep you updated. Next I will look into the “Chariot Carrier“.

Forum

Watch Out! The Nature For Kids  outdoor Forum is now fully operational. It’s a great place to share and recieve information. Login to share directions to a specific place you’ve explored, discuss gear you like or dislike, find out more about a specific outdoor activity or just to converse with people like you…people who make nature a priority for kids and themselves! We’re hoping that over the next few months we can have a good crowd gathered, so spread the word!

Kelty Child Carrier

One of our readers here at Nature For Kids, Kris from Utah, did a nice write up about his new Kelty FC 3.0 child carrier. He graciously let me use the review as a post today. Take a look…

I skipped out of work early a few weeks ago to take Rosie out on her inaugural hike in our brand new Kelty FC 3.0.
We only hiked for a few miles, but Rosie was entertained the entire time by the two travel toys I hooked onto the backpack’s toy loops. The included sun shade (which is optional on other Kelty FC models) kept the bright sun off her little head, and we lubed her up with plenty of baby sunblock to protect her exposed skin.

Despite the warmish weather we opted to put her in a sweat shirt to keep the sun off her arms. In the future I’ll buy a lighter weight cotton jacket for her to wear.
I was impressed by the backpack, it was easy to get Rosie strapped down and secure. The waist strap is very padded, and the sliding back panel ensures that both my wife, Lissa, and I get a perfect fit despite our different torso lengths. Since we were going on such a short hike I didn’t load much gear into the pack (just the baby and a few diapers), but it seems like it will have plenty of cargo space, and I think I’ll be able to tie a sleeping bag and sleeping pad onto the frame kickstand for overnight hikes. The child carrier is also adjustable, so when Rosie gets bigger I’ll be able to lower the seat so that she still fits into the pack. The only drawback is that the mesh bottle holders are behind the seat area, which makes them impossible to reach without taking off the pack.
The carrier came with a mirror that tucks away into the right shoulder strap, perfect for checking on Rosie when she’s uncharacteristically quiet or noisy.
Photos taken by Lissa. 

Thanks Kris and Lissa! I know you’ll probably have more to say about your pack after using it throughout the summer, so we’ll check in with you then. Your daughter is well on her way to becoming a Nature Kid. 

Check out Kris and Lissa’s other great adventure pictures .

Send in snapshots of your Nature Kid to shawna@natureforkids.net and we’ll post them on the Your Adventure Page! Or if you have a review to share about kids outdoor equipment send them in and we’ll get them posted.
 

Family Camping

Nature For Kids presents ….Family Camping

Tent - $150, sleeping bag - $90, Mallows - $1.78

Silence on the drive home….priceless!

No Weekend Posts

If I’ve accomplished what I set out to do here at Nature For Kids, you probably won’t be disappointed that I’m not posting on the weekend. You won’t be disappointed because you won’t be indoors near your computer, you’ll be out camping, hiking, fishing or whatever it is your family likes to do. Have a great weekend everyone! Maybe we’ll bump into each other on the trail!

Outdoor Bedrooms for Kids

Turning your childs room into an artificial outdoor space makes for a unique decorating idea! Plus, surrounding them with reminders of the outdoors and items to climb, hang, swing or slide on make for tons of fun. 

Here is a video of our youngest taking advantage of the furniture in her brothers’ room. The climbing wall was easy to build. I went to the lumber yard and got a board cut to size and then painted it and mounted some climbing holds with bolts. I drilled some holes on the sides and zip-tied it to the ladder on the bunkbed. There is a slide on the other end, making for a circle of fun.  

Another fun idea is an indoor swing…if there’s room that is. I’ve seen some fun one’s like this at IKEA

Expandable tunnels are such a blast too!  Plus, they’re an easy clean-up item and can fit in tiny spaces. Warning: This item looks so fun parents will be tempted to play inside and possibly get stuck! No, I’m not talking from experience…

Anyone have any other decorating ideas to post on Nature For Kids?

Camping Simplified - Continued

Yesterday in my post, Camping Simplified, I gave a couple ideas on how to take the ‘difficult’ out of camping with your kids. Here are a couple more to rummage around in.

* When you do your regular grocery shopping pick up the things you’ll need for the camping trip and set them aside when you get home. I’m still working on this one. We usually find ourselves hitting the store on the way out of town. It’s frustrating for the kids because they just want to go Go GO!

*Look for something that will store food in an easy organized way. Fussing with dinner when everything is scattered around camp takes away from the whole experience. Here’s an example of smart storage…The Duo Bin by Kelty. It holds dry food on one side and cold food on the other. When you take the two apart there is a nice workspace in the middle. I haven’t personally used this. If you have let me know. I’d like it to be our next gear purchase. The Binto Bar by Kelty is also a good option for keeping all things ‘kitchen’ in order. 

*Don’t overload on the clothes and shoes when packing. Kids and their clothes will get dirty…it’s okay. If you pack light you wash light when you get home.

*It’s okay to forget something. Sometimes it makes for a more memorable trip. Just don’t forget diapers and wipes!!!

If you have other ideas this is the place to share it. Leave a comment!

Nalgene Phasing Out

 
Nalgene just posted an article about their water bottles made with bisphenol A. On Nature For Kids I posted earlier that a new study says this chemical poses a health risk. I guess with this new information they’ve decided to phase out their hard-plastic polycarbonate bottles. My whole hearted dedication to Nalgene is still intact! At least they’re looking out for us!
Find BPA-Free Water Bottles at REI

hiking, health, safety, water bottle