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Tents!

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Tents! Oh tents! Tents are (for now) our shelter of choice for our upcoming AT thru hike. We originally got a Tarptent StratoSpire 2  and tried to get all 4 of us in it. While it WORKED, it was very crowded and I think we would drive each other insane over 6+ months of sleeping in such close quarters. After hours (days??) of researching and weeks of debating we finally settled on getting a Tarptent Protrail  for the kids and plan to get a zpacks triplex  for mom and dad. We love tarptent and their price point and quality of product! The protrail weighs in at a whopping 26 ounces. Not bad at all and it gives the kids plenty of room. Or enough room for 1 adult and 1 child for those nights where a child needs to be closer to one of us. We are going with zpacks for mom and dad though simply to cut some more weight. Since we have extra kid gear to carry, weight matters and we will cut it where we can! Every piece of gear we get makes this adventure seem more real! 6 more months until
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MYOG (DIY) Child size ultralight pack step by step instructions with pictures!

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When you plan for long distance backpacking, one of the biggest things you must consider is weight. You don't want to be hauling around 60 pounds worth of gear! When it comes to kids and backpacking, you really need to be aware of how much weight they can carry comfortably. For the AT, we are pretty sure we want the kids to be able to carry at least a little bit of their own gear. For that reason they need a pack. We got them each a tarn 18 from REI. While the pack is a great pack and the fit is pretty perfect on them, it weigh in at just over a pound. Now that may not sound like much, but when you are only carrying 5 pounds, a pack that weighs a pound is a lot! So I came up with an idea to make the kids a pack! I know I could make it lighter, and then I could customize the fit too. Now I should start this by saying I am a self taught beginner when it comes to a sewing machine. I know some very basics. So if I can do this, someone with more experience could really make this
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San Pedro Parks, NM

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In preparation for the AT, we figured we needed to see if we could handle backpacking for a few days in a row. Could our bodies handle it? Would we be too sore the next day to get off the floor of the tent? How far could we go each day without dying? We decided to test ourselves in a great area a few hours from home. So we packed up all of our stuff and headed out! San Pedro Parks Wilderness area is a beautiful place indeed! It is full of rolling hills, little streams and green stuff everywhere which is rare for NM! One of the challenges of backpacking with kids is weight. We have to bring enough gear for everyone and mom and dad tend to be the pack mules. We don't want to make it hard for them to enjoy themselves. They love the independence of carrying their own things, so we did get them packs. They carry their own sleeping pads, base layer, headlamp, snacks for the day and the water they are currently drinking. They usually weigh in around 4-6 pounds each. I've seen
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A Little Intro

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Welcome to our little corner in the big world wide web! This blog is going to be a spot to share our favorite adventures! But before the adventures begin, let me share a little about us. We are a family of 4 from the center of NM.  Dad, man of the house. Peace keeper. He's the navigator and keeps us all going in the right direction. Oh and the family tinkerer.  Mom, the family hub. Schedule maker, boo boo kisser, and  teacher for our little homeschool.  Boo is the 7 year old girl. She's the little mama. Loving, gentle, kind to all. Well, all except maybe her little brother.  Crash is the 5 year old boy. He's the class clown and center of attention. He'll talk your ear off before he even knows your name!  Together we are a strong family! We love adventure and hiking. We are currently preparing to hike the Appalachian Trail. We are planning to start sometime in March of 2018 and go as far as we can. If we hike a few hundred miles, great! If w
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