It's crazy how much you can spend on outdoor gear for kids these days, but let's face it: your eight-year-old is not going to summit K2 this year, and even if s/he does it at age ten they will still need new gear because they grow like weeds. Slumberjack has a novel solution, a reasonably priced sleeping bag that works just fine for your kid and won't leave you crying in the not-unlikely event that said kid destroys it. It was an accident, of course, but still...
The Slumberjack Cub 40 is a 40 degree rectangular bag that won't freak your kid out if they don't like the close fit of a mummy bag. Or the name of a mummy bag. Seriously, once your kid finds out what a mummy is, why would they want to sleep in one?
The Cub is roomy enough to fit a 5'4" kid or small adult - and yes, we're looking at the five-foot-nuthin' Sheflogger here. It's a lightweight pound and a half on our scale, with a full length zipper that lets it convert into a blanket for warm nights. The Cub feels like it would work well below 40 degrees as the insulation is pretty lofty, and there's even a draft tube to boot. At the end of the trip just throw it in the wash, thank you synthetic fill. Our Littleflogger loves it and it's going in the camper for the summer. Want a better deal? It's on sale right now.