Camping with a big family means buying lots of camping gear. Our limited budget means we want to get the most value for our money when it comes to the gear we buy.
The REI line of camping gear for kids hits that sweet spot for us.
REI Kindercone 25 Sleeping Bag
Last Christmas, we bought 3 REI Kindercone 25 sleeping bags for our kids. Multiple camping trips later, we’ve given those sleeping bags some good use.
Overall verdict? The kids love their sleeping bags, and I do, too. There are a few quirky things I wish could be improved upon, but the bottom line is that these sleeping bags have done an excellent job keeping the kids warm, making camping much more fun for everyone.
What We Love About the REI Kindercone 25
- Adjustable size to grow with the kids
- Warm temperature rating (25F) to keep kids warm for fall and spring camping
- Mummy bag design with hood keeps kids warmer
- Double-ended zipper allows temperature control for legs and feet
- Stuff sack is attached to the bottom of the sleeping bag so it doesn’t get lost
- Bright, fun colors appeal to kids
What We Don’t Love
- Zippers slide down when not zipped up all the way and secured with the hook and loop tab
- Younger kids tend to slide out the top of the sleeping bag while sleeping
- Material is noisy when little campers are rustling around getting settled down for sleep
Let’s unpack what we love about the Kindercone 25 sleeping bags.
The stuff sack, which is attached to the bottom of the sleeping bag, will cinch up tight to make a better fit for the length of the child using the bag, and this is adjustable as the kid grows. A proper fit is important for optimal warmth when using the sleeping bag in cold conditions.
The temperature rating also means these sleeping bags are perfect for cool-weather camping – those fall and spring days that are my favorite for camping. No bugs, nippy air, cozy fires – the days you really need snuggly, toasty warm sleeping bags.
And the mummy bag design is perfect for keeping little heads tucked in and warm. That hood is also a perfect pocket to tuck a small camping pillow into.
If it’s just a bit warmer, the zipper can zip up from the bottom to open up for hot feet or legs to cool down. It’s a great feature, making the sleeping bag useful for a wider range of temperatures.
Not to be underestimated when we’re talking about kid’s gear, the fun, bright colors appeal to young campers, and the patterned lining makes them feel extra special. We have three different colors and patterns, which is VERY important for telling whose is whose.
Moving on to what could be improved.
My biggest complaint is that the zipper doesn’t stay where you zipped it, unless it’s zipped all the way to the top with the tab fastened over it.
If it’s warmer than about 45, you want that zipper down part-way for temperature regulation. But with wiggly sleepers, it tends to slide farther and farther down, often ending up with the bag mostly unzipped.
Then as the temperatures drop through the night, you’re inevitably faced with nighttime zipper fumbling as you try to figure out what in the world has happened to the sleeping bag so your cold kid can get back to sleep.
In a similar vein, wiggly sleepers can tend to slide out the top of the sleeping bag, especially if it has come more or less unzipped. My four-year-old slides out of his sleeping bag nearly every time he uses it. Then we’re trying to find the sleeping bag and get him back into it in the dark.
To be honest, I don’t know if this is a problem particular to this sleeping bag or just part of camping with young kids.
The other irritation I have noticed when camping with these sleeping bags is the seemingly excessive rustling noises as my pack of kids settles down to sleep in the tent. For what seems like an eternity, everyone is zipping and swishing, and the sound feels deafening.
I don’t know if there are any extra quiet sleeping bags on the market or if they make them for kids, but that would be helpful for my sanity.
Use Cases
We have used these sleeping bags for spring, summer, and fall camping. My conclusion is that the Kindercone 25 is best suited for spring and fall camping.
For summer camping, unless it’s a particularly cool night or you’re camping at high altitudes, the temperature rating on the Kindercone 25 is going to make this sleeping bag a little bit too toasty.
However, my thrifty tendencies would never allow me to buy another sleeping bag for each child for camping in warmer weather. Instead, we adjust this sleeping bag by unzipping it most of the way. It does mean playing the on-off game throughout the night to keep everyone’s temperatures regulated.
This sleeping bag is not ideal for sleepovers or indoor camping unless it’s quite chilly inside. At normal indoor temperatures, your little one will overheat.
We have not yet used these sleeping bags for winter camping. But as long as temperatures don’t dip too low, they should be up to the task.
Ideal age range
The REI Kindercone 25 is best suited to kids ages 5-10. This depends, of course, on the size of your particular child.
My 4-year-old is quite tall for his age, so he fits in the sleeping bag fairly well. I’m comfortable with the little bit of extra room he has at the bottom of the sleeping bag, even sized-down, as I know he also tends to sleep hot.
A very petite 5-year-old might be lost in the sleeping bag, but you’re going to be hard-pressed to find another toddler-sized sleeping bag that gives you similar warmth for value.
On the other end of the size range, I decided not to get this sleeping bag for my then-nine-year-old. She is also tall for her age, and I figured she would outgrow the Kindercone 25 sleeping bag before she got much use out of it.
Instead, I got her a small adult-sized sleeping bag (the REI Trailmade 20) that she can grow into.
REI Kindercamp Sleeping Pad
In preparation for a season of camping, we decided to get 4 REI Kindercamp sleeping pads. These were for our 2-year-old, 4-year-old, 6-year-old, and 8-year-old to use. The tall-for-her-age 9-year-old got an adult-sized sleeping pad.
Why do you need a sleeping pad at all, especially for kids? It’s true, kids can sleep fairly comfortably directly on the ground. They don’t require much extra padding for a good night’s sleep.
However, the sleeping pad makes a huge difference in warmth. It acts as an insulation barrier against the cold ground (or floor). It also acts as an extra layer against damp. Damp, cold kids do not sleep well.
What We Love
- The light weight and small size (packed) make it easy for kids to carry around
- Comes in only one color, so kids don’t argue about whose is whose
- Self-inflating pads are easy to inflate and deflate
- Inflate and deflate tabs are made of rubber, not hard metal
- The “wrong” side up is still comfortable to sleep on, making it easy for kids to manage on their own
- Good insulation (R-value 4.5) for spring and fall camping
What We Don’t Love
- The sleeping pad needs to be “topped up” with blowing air into the value for optimal inflation
- Younger kids have trouble deflating and rolling up sleeping pads tight enough to fit them into the storage bags on their own
When we were researching for sleeping pad options to try to fit all five kids and two adults into our 6-man tent, we considered finding two adult double sleeping pads to fill the floor space and just have everyone spread out wherever. It turned out to be too hard to find adult sleeping pads with just the right dimensions.
We also decided this would limit the future-proofing of our camping gear. For instance, when the kids are a bit bigger, we will probably opt for a kids’ tent and a grown-ups’ tent. In which case, they’ll need to have their own sleeping pads.
We like the thickness (1.5 inches) of the Kindercamp sleeping pads, because it means they can overlap to be able to fit everyone side-by-side in our tent.
To combat the inevitable bickering among siblings, I personally love that the Kindercamp only comes in one color. We have four sleeping pads, and they’re all exactly the same. No need to argue over who gets which one. Don’t worry, they’ll find something else to fight about. Like who gets to sleep where.
The sleeping pads are light enough for even the little kids to carry around, and easy for them to unroll, inflate and set up on their own. It doesn’t even matter which way up they put the mat, it’s comfy either way.
It’s a different story, however, when it comes time to put the sleeping pads away. They’re easy enough to deflate, but little kids can’t get them rolled up tight enough to put them away in the storage sack.
It’s not a defect of the Kindercamp, though. It’s more a matter of coordination. Any other sleeping pad would be the same story. I like to push self-reliance in my kids, but in this case, I still have to do most of the camp clean-up.
Use Cases
The Kindercamp is perfect for 3-season camping – spring, summer and fall. If you’re going winter camping with your kids, you might want to look for something with a higher R-value.
It’s perfect for tent camping, cabin camping if cots or bunks are in short supply, or even indoor camping.
The sleeping pad offers a little bit of cushion from roots and rocks under the sleeping surface, but it’s still a good idea to find the smoothest possible location for sleeping.
The Kindercamp self-inflates, but you will most likely need to blow into the valve to inflate the pad fully.
Ideal age range
The Kindercamp sleeping pad is ideally suited to kids ages 5-10, but the upper limit depends mostly on the length of the child using it. It’s 60 inches long, so even a small adult (5′ tall) could theoretically use it.
If you’re buying a sleeping pad for a child on the upper end of that age range (or height), you’d be better off getting a small adult sleeping pad to get more years of use out of it.
On the other hand, kids on the younger end of the age range can easily use this sleeping pad. We got one for our 2-year-old and 4-year-old, figuring that they will grow into them and use them for many years.
The 2-year-old rolls around a lot, and doesn’t necessarily stay on the pad all night (see the section about the Kindercone above), but it’s better to have her more or less on the pad than to not have one for her at all, or be trying to share mine!
Conclusion
The REI Kindercone 25 and Kindercamp offer good value for money when it comes to kids’ camping gear. Together they make the perfect pair for a good night’s sleep in the great outdoors.
I’ve been delighted with our kids’ sleeping bags and sleeping pads, and I can’t wait to get back out for some more camping. More importantly, the kids can’t wait, either!
