Kids and Overlanding

[grover]

I have three kids, girl(11), boy(7), girl(5). They all like the outdoors and coming on trips. SOMETIMES though, it's a gong show when I try to bring the entire family. They get cramped in the back, the kids are edgy with each other and consequently we get edgy with them. We stop for pee breaks every 5 minutes, it's always snack time, and generally I wind up "concentrating" on my driving/navigating while my wife is "handling the kids". At the end of the day it's always a net-positive experience but simultaneously we feel lucky to survive .

For that reason, I find that usually the most memorable trips (for myself and probably for my kids) are the ones where it's just myself and ONE of my kids. I'll take turns throughout the year with each of them and head out on a weekend. In general, we spend a lot of time together as a family but sometimes it's good to just focus on one relationship at a time; and what better way to that then a weekend overland trip! I've had some of my best conversations with my kids this way!

 

[Cavo]

I have a daughter, 10, and I mainly have her adapt, as opposed to me entertaining or providing everything for her to not be "bored". This keeps her thinking, looking, exploring and overall, active. Anything that gets them outside, with nature and away from electronics is what it is all about for me.

 

[XL.Overland]

Check out Chaco in central New Mexico. It's pretty remote, but very cool. Also Bandalier near Santa Fe and the Sandia Tram in Abq.

Also, near Grants in NM is a place called El Malapais where there are Lava Tubes. Bandera Cave. It's worth seeing. Kids love that stuff.

-M

Thanks I'll have to google that when I get home from cub scouts.


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[Ryan Matthes]

Great thread. Our son, almost 5, has been going camping, off-roading, and overlanding since he was 7 months old. Loves it. Here are some pics with @Scott and @Cavo s kids on the Mojave Rd trip.

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[Wolfy]

Our kids had a great time in Mojave Preserve too! We diverted down to Hole In The Wall, which was RAD and then over to Kelso. I was unprepared for how stoked they would be just to wallow in the sand. Then they had a blast at the Lava Tube. Awesome place!

-M

 

[Rusty burbin]

Yeah, would like to do a lower cost option. Is there a build thread somewhere or link to demonstrate the water proofing of planos? Gobi rack is showing up this week!

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Idk if this helps at all but I found this box on Craigslist for 50$ and built a simple rack out of some leftovers from another project to hold it up. Total cost was less than $60.00!

It's not great for dropping the tailgate but I can still open the hatch to access the back and I can still tow a trailer behind the box.

Rustyburbin from SoCal 5 kids, wife, dog and a 1970 K20 Suburban

 

[Dunco]

Awesome thread. Our little man is almost 4 he come with us every trip think he was just 1 on his first trip he loves it every couple of days he will ask me "dad we go the camping today" lol makes it all that more enjoyable reckon having him along

 

[Wanderer351]

Hi! We camp with three littles- 7, 5, and 4. I've found the biggest trick is just easing into it and building the idea that this is going to be fun. We camped in the backyard many times testing setups and attention spans for a long time. I always bring a laptop with lots of movies. I make sure the rig is as comfortable as possible and there's always a way for someone to check-out and get some alone time. About 2 years into this hobby and they now help plan and can rough it with the best of them. They all help with packing, planning, and meal prep. They each have their "jobs" when we're out- my son brings a polaroid that he uses to document the trip, my oldest daughter collects leaves and such to draw.
I've camped with many families who just bring their kids out into the woods cold turkey "for the fun of it" and the kids quickly learn that this just sucks.
The other trick is that memories are heavily influenced by whatever happens last- so even after long cold trips in rain and snow the kids will recall it being a blast because we hit McDonalds on the way home.

I TOTALY agree with all of this!!

my wife and I have 5..boys are 15,9 and 7...girls are 13 and 7 (yes...twins)...and the 9yr old is the one who will walk into an open manhole while playing a video game on his phone...

the girls and twin boy have been camping since they were 6 months old...and my oldest girl grew up rock crawling with me...the other boys camped alot with mom and the scouts so they do pretty well..

TIPS
First campout...be CLOSE to home or in the backyard in case of melt down.
SNACKS!!
Glow sticks are like GOLD...
$1 bags of cotton candy will save your childrens lives and your sanity when the melt downs begin
coloring books and crayons. Ive joined them many times around the picnic table and colored...its relaxing..
Flex-ring frisbee and nerf whistling torpedo fin footballs. (they float in case someone gets overzealous and it ends up in the creek)

INVOLVE them! the kids all help setup tents and get them organized...or if we take the enclosed trailer they setup the hammocks with my help and get it organized. They help cook,clean,setup and tear down...and plan activites.

The boyscout book is a great resource for projects and teaching opportunities..plant and tree books..bug books..and campfire books that show projects and cooking that kids can do..

Firewood and pine cone gatherers...they have filled SO many rubber maid tote lids...and they have learned how to safely be around campfires..the oldest 2 are learning to build and maintain campfires as well..(teenagers like fire)


The kids all get to bring a couple toys of their choice..and are responsable for packing their cloths book bags (they get checked) and generally load and pack vehicles..

DONT FORGET...Kids can enterain themselves...we did growing up...when we have one who begins the whining...we tell them to find something to do and GO PLAY...or they can do chores.....(shockingly they do find something to do!!)

 

[Benjisaurus]

Yeah...this is great! Thanks for starting this thread. My wife and I have 5 kids, stairstep from age 4 through 14. We're all headed out on the road this Summer for a month on a 5000+ mile, 16 state roadtrip in a 20-year-old Landcruiser pulling a Gulf War era M101A2 trailer full of food! Good timing to meet everyone on this thread to find out how everyone who overlands with kids makes it work and has fun.

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[Scott]

I have a daughter, 10, and I mainly have her adapt, as opposed to me entertaining or providing everything for her to not be "bored". This keeps her thinking, looking, exploring and overall, active. Anything that gets them outside, with nature and away from electronics is what it is all about for me.View attachment 20382 View attachment 20383

She adapted pretty well at Mojave road.. And my 4 year old found a new friend, who she's still talking about haha. Tell her thank you for playing with Paige.

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[ChaseIt]

Great thread! Great conversation with great ideas.

I have identical twin 12 year-old girls. My wife and I are very blessed to have these two. They were born 8 weeks early and were less than 3lbs at birth. Well after 2 1/2 weeks in the NICU we got to take them home. WTF!!! They were so small it was like putting a jellybean in a car seat.
Anyway, now they are 12 and are defiantly pre-teens. They still listen to dad but the sassiness is growing. Overlanding is my family/daddy time with my girls. My goal is to spend as much time as possible with them outside, overloading and exploring this beautiful country before I'm not cool anymore. That is the only thing I can control, as a dad, in this crazy world. Its going back to basics.

Threads like these are why I joined OB. Any per-teen advise is always welcome. It takes a village. Thanks everyone for the great stories and tips with the kiddos. I hope to be sharing some experiences soon and hopefully it will help someone.

 

[Cavo]

She adapted pretty well at Mojave road.. And my 4 year old found a new friend, who she's still talking about haha. Tell her thank you for playing with Paige.

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Paige was an amazing girl that played well beyond her years. She has a brilliant imagination and adapts like a duck to water. I'm sure the parents have something to do with that.

Cheers my friend

 

[codesertrat]

My wife and I have been discussing lately at what age we should start taking our daughter out on trips with us. She is currently 2 months old. I know there are a lot of you with children so my question is when did you all start taking your children off road

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[EDIT] Merged with existing thread

 

[Winterpeg]

Immediately.

Just be very flexible on your schedule. As soon as you hit the road you may have to do a diaper change and feeding.... so flexibility and patience is your greatest mod. I still remember sitting on the side of the road with the city in my rearview mirror... we sat there for over half an hour.

My wife used to sit in the backseat with the little one and feed on the go sometimes too.

Try to start with short (2 hr) trips. Keep it simple. Maybe even a day trip here and there. Get them used to the vehicle early on.

My girls are very used to long trips now. They can handle very long trips. A c0uple times a year we do 15 hr drives.... as well as routinely going 5 hrs to get to our campsite area multiple times a year.

The stressful part is when they start potty training... lol. When they're in diapers it's easy, lol.... relatively speaking that is. Then once past that stage get them used to peeing on the side of the road... way faster than a rest-stop... lol.

 

[codesertrat]

My wife is worried about her head bouncing around. We took her out last weekend and did about a 3 hour trail that was way more washed out then the group expected. Anything to look out for other then be more careful about line choices?

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[Winterpeg]

Oh, yeah..... rough trail.... I would wait until you've passed to the phase of a forward facing seat before you go offroad. That's typically when the neck is of sufficient strength according to the statistics.... that's why they are allowed to go into a forward facing seat.

I was more talking about road trips on a highway to get the kid used to being in a vehicle... sorry I wasn't clear.

 

[codesertrat]

Winterpeg she does fine in the car. We have gone to California a couple times already

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[vtrover]

we do trails with our two young girls, aged almost two and three, they have been doing day trips since they were only a few months old and they do fine and are at there happiest on the trail as opposed to tarmac miles!! also we camp out on a regular basis with them with no problems! im an advocate to starting them young! good luck

 

[codesertrat]

@vtrover we are defiantly getting her out young.

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[XL.Overland]

My wife is worried about her head bouncing around. We took her out last weekend and did about a 3 hour trail that was way more washed out then the group expected. Anything to look out for other then be more careful about line choices?

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She'll be fine off road. I started my second son out at about a month old. He just sat back there snoozin' away. It'll help if you have a head support as well. My wife makes and sells them (along with a bunch of other baby items) on Etsy if you're interested. Her shop name is SqueakyBugBabies. Obviously I wasn't out there rock crawling, but standard trails with washouts, washboard, bumps, and off camber stuff is fine.


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