This page contains affiliate links. Far Cornel may earn a commission if you buy through them, at no extra cost to you.
See the top-rated gear on Amazon →
A family camping trip succeeds or fails on the children, and mostly on two things: whether they sleep warm and whether they feel part of the adventure. A cold, tired child at two in the morning ends a trip faster than any storm, and gear that is too big, too fiddly or too dull for them undermines both. The good news is that kids’ camping gear does not need to be extensive, just right for their size and easy for them to use. Get the sleeping setup and their own little bits of kit right, and children turn from passengers into enthusiastic campers. The picks below focus on the essentials that actually matter.
Quick Picks
- Best kids’ sleeping bag: REI Co-op Kindercone 25 — warm, well-made, and grows with your child.
- Best toddler sleep system: Morrison Outdoors Little Mo — wearable bag with sleeves they can’t roll out of.
- Best value sleeping bag: Kelty Kids Mistral — premium features and an anti-snag zip at a great price.
- Best kids’ headlamp: Petzl Tikkid — a genuine headlamp, capped at eye-safe brightness for little ones.
- Best value headlamp: Foxelli kids’ rechargeable — durable, feature-rich, and affordable for ages 8+.
What Children Actually Need
Prioritise in the right order, because not all kids’ gear is equal. Warmth and sleep come first, since a child who sleeps warm wakes up happy and a child who is cold ruins everyone’s night. Their own light comes next, because a headlamp a child controls turns the dark from frightening into fun and lets them find the tent themselves. Comfort and a sense of ownership follow, through a chair that fits and a few bits that are theirs. Sort those in that sequence and the rest is detail.
A bag sized to the child. This is the one to get right. A sleeping bag sized for a child keeps them far warmer than an adult bag, because there is less empty space for their small body to heat, and all that spare air in an oversized bag simply leaves them cold. For toddlers, a wearable bag they cannot wriggle out of solves the classic problem of a child ending up uncovered on the mat. Choose a bag rated warm enough for the nights you expect, and sized to the child rather than one they will grow into.
Insulation from the ground. Parents often remember the bag and forget the mat, but the cold that reaches a child comes mostly from the ground, not the air. A child needs an insulated sleeping mat under them just as much as an adult does, and skipping it is the most common reason a well-bagged child still wakes up cold. A shorter, kid-length mat saves space and works well. Warm bag plus insulated mat is the combination that actually delivers a warm night.
Their own light and kit. A headlamp or lantern that a child operates themselves is worth far more than its price, because it gives them independence and takes the fear out of the dark. Look for simple controls, a comfortable child-sized fit, and rechargeable or easily replaced batteries. Beyond light, a chair that fits, their own water bottle and a small pack they carry give children a sense of ownership that keeps them engaged. Buy kit that is genuinely theirs, not shrunken adult gear they cannot work.
Durability, and where to spend. Children are hard on gear, so favour tough, simple, washable kit over anything delicate or complicated. Spend on the sleeping bag and the insulated mat, since warmth is what makes or breaks the trip, and save on gadgets and novelties they will outgrow in a season. Where you can, choose gear with a little room to grow. The mistakes that catch parents out are putting a child in a big adult bag and finding them cold, forgetting the mat underneath, and not giving each child their own light, which is the single item that most reassures a nervous young camper.
Layers, sleep pad, and warmth. A sleeping bag is only half the system. A proper insulated sleeping pad stops cold seeping up from the ground (some kids’ bags have a pad sleeve so they can’t roll off it), and layered clothing — base layers, a fleece, a waterproof shell — handles the wild temperature swings of shoulder-season camping. In summer, a UPF sun shirt, hat, and shade matter more than warmth. Have a quick look at the current and most recent options on Amazon for the kids camping gear.
The Kids’ Gear, Reviewed
Check today’s prices on Amazon →
REI Co-op Kindercone 25
The best all-round kids’ sleeping bag. Warm, well-made, and thoughtfully designed for little bodies, it offers customisable sizing so it grows with your child rather than being outgrown in a season. It delivers the quality and warmth features of serious camping gear in a kid-friendly package, making it the bag most likely to get your child through the night comfortably. Pricier than a toy bag, but genuinely worth it for the sleep it buys the whole family. Have a quick look at the current and most recent options on Amazon for the kids’ camping sleeping bags like the REI Kindercone.
Morrison Outdoors Little Mo
The toddler sleep solution. A fully wearable sleeping bag with sleeves and an enclosed footbox, it’s built for active little ones who refuse to stay under blankets — they stay warm even if they roll completely off their pad in the middle of the night. It treats toddler sleep as a contained system, eliminating the cold gaps that wake small children. For camping with toddlers, it’s a genuine game-changer (a larger Big Mo covers older kids). Have a quick look at the current and most recent options on Amazon for the Morrison Outdoors Little Mo wearable sleeping bag.
Kelty Kids Mistral
The value sleeping bag. It packs premium features — comfortable insulation, an anti-snag zipper (a small mercy at bedtime), and a proper camping-bag construction — at a noticeably friendly price, making it the best-value pick for families. It looks like a “real” sleeping bag, which kids appreciate, and performs well in genuine camping conditions rather than just a living-room floor. A smart choice for growing kids you’d rather not spend a fortune on. Have a quick look at the current and most recent options on Amazon for the Kelty Kids Mistral sleeping bag.
Petzl Tikkid
The genuine kids’ headlamp. Petzl built a real, durable headlamp rather than a chintzy toy — it survives the abuse toddlers inflict (testers’ three-year-olds broke countless toy lights but not this), with a maximum brightness capped around 20 lumens that’s useful without overwhelming young eyes, and the beam angled to avoid eye damage. Perfect for trail walks, story time, and backcountry flashlight tag. For little kids, it’s the one that lasts and protects their eyes. Have a quick look at the current and most recent options on Amazon for the Petzl Tikkid kids’ headlamp.
Foxelli Kids’ Rechargeable Headlamp
The value light for older kids. Affordable yet durable and feature-rich, it’s a great rechargeable headlamp for kids around 8 and up who can handle a bit more brightness and functionality, giving them a capable light they’ll use for years. It hits the sweet spot between a too-simple toy and a full adult headlamp, at a price that won’t hurt if it gets lost or dropped in the dirt. A solid first “real” headlamp for a growing camper. Have a quick look at the current and most recent options on Amazon for the Foxelli kids’ rechargeable headlamp.
Comparison
| Item | Best For | Type | Why It Stands Out |
|---|---|---|---|
| REI Kindercone 25 | All-round | Kids’ sleeping bag | Warm, grows with child |
| Morrison Little Mo | Toddlers | Wearable bag | Sleeves, can’t roll out |
| Kelty Kids Mistral | Value | Kids’ sleeping bag | Premium features, low price |
| Petzl Tikkid | Little kids | Headlamp | Real headlamp, eye-safe |
| Foxelli Kids’ | Older kids | Headlamp | Durable, affordable, rechargeable |
The Verdict
Camping with children is mostly about warmth and buy-in, so put your effort and money there. Give each child a sleeping bag sized to them and an insulated mat underneath, add a headlamp they control and a few bits of kit that are their own, and choose everything tough enough to survive young hands. Skip the gadgets they will outgrow, keep it simple, and get the sleeping setup genuinely right, and family camping becomes something the children ask to do again rather than endure.
Pair this with the rest of a family camp setup: our guides to the best family camping tents, best sleeping bags for camping, and best self-inflating sleeping mats round out the kit.
Common Questions
Can my child use an adult sleeping bag?
They can, but they will be colder in one. A sleeping bag warms you by trapping a thin layer of air around the body, and an oversized adult bag leaves a child with a large empty space they cannot heat, so they lose warmth through the night. A bag sized to the child, or a wearable bag for a toddler, keeps them far warmer. If you must use an adult bag, stuff the foot with clothing to reduce the empty space.
What is the most important piece of kids’ camping gear?
A warm sleep setup, meaning a properly sized sleeping bag together with an insulated mat underneath. Nothing else matters as much, because a child who sleeps warm is happy and one who is cold is miserable and wants to go home. Get those two right first, then add their own light and a comfortable chair. Everything after that is a bonus rather than a necessity.
Do children need their own headlamp?
It is one of the best small buys you can make. A light a child controls themselves takes the fear out of the dark, lets them find the tent and the toilet without an adult, and gives them a real sense of independence. Choose one with simple controls and a comfortable child-sized fit, and consider a rechargeable model to avoid running out of batteries. Most children treasure having their own light, and it makes the whole trip feel like theirs.