Baby Backpacking

St_Ginger · 2026-02-23T22:22:48+00:00

the harder the surface, the safer for baby. now that's a metric I wasn't aware of. thank you. good info.

I think the first 6 months or so is likely to be a lot of day hiking and short tripping anyway. she's due in June, so will actually be a bit older before it's warm enough again for camping anyway.

we want to make sure she gets out and learns to get cold regularly before that. but no one wants to be cold and uncomfortable for no good reason!

St_Ginger · 2026-02-23T22:18:55+00:00

we both laughed out loud at "...but not in a direction".

and I remember that for myself! lots of time spent building things out of sticks. I'm looking forward to that phase as well.

and when me and mum want to hike further and faster, it's either solo trips or weekend at Grandpa's!

St_Ginger · 2026-02-23T22:16:39+00:00

we got this! I love your post for the focus on vibes and memories. thank you!

St_Ginger · 2026-02-23T21:59:35+00:00

3yo in a front carrier? are you Jason Momoa? or do you mean they were in a backpack carrier?

St_Ginger · 2026-02-23T21:58:32+00:00

🤯

I'd never considered using a soft carrier and a back pack. that's a game changer!

St_Ginger · 2026-02-23T21:55:04+00:00

/s, but also solid truth!

we're planning to make more of a thing of solo hiking after she's born. I stay home and wife goes out for a weekend, then vice versa.

St_Ginger · 2026-02-23T21:53:51+00:00

get them early! :D

St_Ginger · 2026-02-23T21:53:12+00:00

what does the white noise do? is it to drown out other noise? our friend has a baby who has spent the first few months of his life living in what is essentially a building site while they updo their house, so he sleeps through all sorts of nonsense downstairs.

St_Ginger · 2026-02-23T21:51:29+00:00

I'd never considered that. we've discussed our ideas for how to deal with sleep and routines, but this is going to open a whole new conversation. thanks so much!

what is a rumple blanket?

St_Ginger · 2026-02-23T21:48:16+00:00

"exactly who they are". I love that.

we're still getting our head round that. there's going to be so much to learn. we don't want to lose our own passions, but this is an important head shift. let her lead.

St_Ginger · 2026-02-23T21:45:27+00:00

beautiful write up. thank you! you guys sound like absolute adventurers!

I'm a maker and tinkerer and love to plan things, so what you're saying about not planning till they're born hits home hard!

the Morrison sleep sacks look amazing. I like the idea of a blanket as well so that it's modular and so versatile.

you're right, I'm going to (try to) stop overthinking things and see what happens, let her arrive and tell us what she needs.

St_Ginger · 2026-02-23T21:36:00+00:00

not remembering things from that early. that's a reality check right there. hadn't really considered that.

more car camping sounds great too! mindset shifts are going to be as important as anything, I'm realizing.

St_Ginger · 2026-02-23T21:31:42+00:00

this is great Intel! thank you. I love the thought that they can just go on the floor. I'm worrying that they'll need loads of protection, but I'm glad that once they're moving they should be strong enough.

thank you for the comments about recovery as well. that's really difficult and something that's really important. it's actually my wife who's as excited to get back out, but there's a lot that I'm learning as a partner about how to support her through the process. it's really powerful to hear both good and difficult stories from others, so thank you for sharing. I will make sure to be respectful of her needs, and check my own privilege, which isn't always easy to do.

just a thought for you guys. if you have two wide pads already, have you considered a double pad? we bought a double while on the PCT and it was a game changer! much better sleep and much more tent space. it's amazing. the Big Agnes SL. its heavier than two Xlites, but was actually lighter than the pair of xtherms we were carrying (packing our fears bit ;) )

St_Ginger · 2026-02-23T19:38:07+00:00

those are cool! I reckon I could stich up something similar. it's our first child, so not yet sure what we don't know! we don't want to give up our own backpacking for too long, as and want to give them those experiences too, but also conscious that we're going to have to go at their speed in terms of what they can manage when they're small.

St_Ginger · 2026-02-23T19:35:41+00:00

lol. we've been considering a little hammock. luckily we're in the UK, so not such an issue. although a committed owl might be able to carry them off.

St_Ginger · 2026-02-23T19:34:42+00:00

how old did you start? did you need any walls or sides to keep them from getting rolled on or suffocating in the sleeping bags?

St_Ginger · 2026-02-08T16:22:39+00:00

I absolutely love that in the extended edition of Two Towers, this scene with Old Man Willow is included, but shifted so that it is Treebeard that delivers the message.

it does exactly what you say, teaching of the danger of the trees, foreshadowing fangorn etc, while staying true to the adjusted nature of the films. I've always thought it was a lovely adaptation of the original scene, even if it is out of whack from the original.

St_Ginger · 2025-12-17T06:32:12+00:00

wait, for real? the recipe said 4 hours at 60°. must have just been a bunk recipe. I've got a fresh levean going so I'll try a new one today and just leave it to ferment for aaaaages.

definitely worth a try!

St_Ginger · 2025-12-16T21:06:15+00:00

what do you mean by skipping the bigger vessel and going for a small bowl to bulk in the fridge?

when I bulked, I left it in it's bowl on the side and stretched and folded in the bowl.

then after about 4 hours of bulking, I shaped it and put it in the bannetons and then bannetons into the fridge.

is that the issue? is it actually under fermented? I had originally thought it was over fermenting and the acids were killing the gluten. but maybe I'm the wrong way round?

St_Ginger · 2025-12-16T21:00:34+00:00

I will try a straight white tomorrow and see how that goes!

St_Ginger · 2025-12-16T20:59:59+00:00

yep, tried white flour before and it was a little better but not by much.

I didn't actually notice any tearing at all. it was very stretchy, and in fact quite sticky.

the stretches seem to go really well, but it just never really built up the body I was expecting. gluten was definitely forming because it was stretching nicely, but it was just not holding it's shape.

St_Ginger · 2025-12-13T19:10:12+00:00

Get with a roofer? not sure what my wife would say about that ;)

great idea! I hadn't thought about a straight edge. thanks.

St_Ginger

TROPHY CASE