GearFlogger

Slumberjack Cub 40 Kid's Sleeping Bag

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.

$14.98 (on sale from $29.95) at Slumberjack

Slumberjack Low Cot

A cot is a handy thing, useful for everything from hosting unexpected house guests to sending with your kid to a friend's house overnight to glamping. Slumberjack has a number of cot options, and we looked at the one with the smallest profile, the Low Cot.

It's called the Low Cot because... well, duh. It sits just six inches off the ground, just enough to get off the cold ground and to get onto and off of easier than a sleeping pad. The Low Cot is a sturdy beast, weighing just over eleven pounds and capable of holding a solid 350 pounds, which translates into you trying to sleep in while a child jumps on your falciform ligament. And yes, that's just as painful as it sounds.

So it's a low, relatively small and lightweight cot that comes in a handy travel case with handle. What's the downside? Snapping those supports into place. Let's just say you need to use your bodyweight to press them into position. And commitment. You need commitment too. And the courage to commit. You get the idea, it's a little work to set up, but once you get the hand of it it's not so bad the next time. The upside is a very solid cot that will put up with some abuse, and one that pitches fairly taut and is comfortable for multiple nights. You may still want a sleeping pad, depending on how firm you like your sleeping surface, but it really is nice to get off the ground, and the Low Cot is a great alternative.

$40.55 (on sale from $69.95) at Slumberjack

Slumberjack Carbine 2500 Pack & Pursuit Vest

Slumberjack has really been on an innovative streak the past few years. Their latest gear to impress us: two load carriers decked out in Kryptek Highlander. Both are part of their Kryptek collection of tactical and hunting equipment.

The Carbine 2500 is a exactly what a hunting pack should be. It's light at 3lbs 11oz but still has a large 2500ci capacity hung off a stout frame that efficiently transfers even heavy loads to a wide and comfortable waist belt on your hips. The organization is simple and efficient: the main compartment is wide open with just a hydration sleeve on the back and another multipurpose divider sleeve on the front. The top lid zips open in a big U for easy access, and there's a zipped flat storage pocket underneath. Need more? There's plenty of lashing points on the exterior, so go crazy.

The two side pockets zip as well, and each encloses an additional open pocket area that's perfect for bipods, spotting scopes, and the like. The front panel has three zipped pockets - one with a dozen ammunition sleeves - and floats so you can stuff layers or other bulky light things in. Best of all, there is a rifle buttstock sleeve in its own little storage compartment at the bottom, so you can vertically carry your rifle safely and securely between the floating lid and the main body of the pack. Another nice touch: the carrying handle has a quick-release buckle so you can quickly secure the pack to the side of a vehicle, boat or tree stand.

The Pursuit vest is one of our favorite things, a versatile vest with lots of storage options that doesn't interfere with a pack or with carrying anything around your waist. The Pursuit has a wide and comfortable yoke around the shoulders, plus two pockets on each front strap and a larger pocket in back with a hydration sleeve.

The back pocket is medium sized for a small hydration bladder and an extra layer of clothing, and three of the front pockets have elastic organizers inside, nice for securing smaller items like lip balm, monoculars, trauma kit items and such. All straps are adjustable across a wide range of sizes, great for multi-season use over varying layers of clothing. It's a great fast and light setup, and it goes easily over a chest holster if you're carrying a firearm in bear country, something we do often here in Alaska.

If you're looking for well-made, well-thought-out tactical and hunting gear that easily does general outdoor duty, check out Slumberjack. Their gear is innovative, high-quality and best of all won't break the bank or your back.

Carbine 2500 pack: $199.95 at Slumberjack
Pursuit vest: $89.95 at Slumberjack

Slumberjack Wheeler Lake 20 Sleeping Bag

Slumberjack makes tents, sleeping bags, clothing and other gear targeted at people who go outdoors to find something to bring home to eat. Having been raised hunting and fishing in Alaska I can certainly appreciate the appeal of reasonably priced gear that can take some abuse, and as a bonus Slumberjack gear can pull double-duty car camping with the family and standing up to a certain six year old who tries his best to dismember every piece of gear he comes into contact with.

The Slumberjack Wheeler Lake sleeping bags are built to take it. We looked at the 20 above version, which at over five pounds is designed for very short hauls and car or UTV camping. The Wheeler Lake is a good-looking bag in earth tone colors and with a nice camo interior that definitely appealed to the aforementioned six year old boy.

For the extra weight you get a bag that will keep most people warm easily at 20 above, and probably below that for most people. The Wheeler Lake is also a very roomy bag, thanks to the rectangular cut and the very generous 34x84 dimensions. There are two zippers that make ingress and egress painless; the right zipper as you lay in the bag is only about 16 inches long, and the left zipper goes all the way around the foot box so the bag will convert to comforter use if desired.

What surprised us was how much we liked the zipper and hood design. By unzipping both zippers 16 inches the hood lies open and flat, like a traditional open top bag. The hood however has two very cool tricks hidden in its design. First is the shallow pocket that will keep a pillow in place when fully open. Second is how that pocket, when both zippers are up all the way, converts to a really nice hood that you can further dial in with a drawcord. We'd love to see this feature on some high-end mountaineering bags, because of the flexibility in comfort and venting that it allows. Kudos to Slumberjack for a useful innovation that we hope becomes more popular.

$89.95 at Slumberjack