Many听of us recently became shut-ins, obligated to work from home and school our kids. But just because we鈥檙e not allowed to congregate at some of听our favorite听outdoor haunts听doesn鈥檛 mean we have to be stuck inside all the time. If you鈥檙e living the suburban dream like my family, your backyard has become your epicenter of adventure.
I鈥檝e come up with a list of gear that has helped keep my family entertained during the last few weeks. Most of these pieces have been in our regular outdoor rotation for years, but we鈥檝e found new life for them in the听yard. They鈥檝e fueled our midday recess breaks and helped us eschew the constant screentime. The longer I鈥檓 with my kids, the more necessary it is to get out of the house听and exercise, even if it鈥檚 just riding driveway laps on our bikes.
REI Grand Hut 6 Tent ($349)听
We听recently learned that school won鈥檛 resume听our home state of North Carolina until May 15, and that鈥檚 a hopeful estimate. There will be midweek camping trips in our future when it鈥檚 safe to do so (and when the weather turns for the better), but for now听there鈥檚 backyard camping. REI鈥檚 Kingdom tent series is popular, but I like the 听because of the six-foot-six-inch听peak height (three inches taller than the same-size听Kingdom tent) and near vertical walls, which give me enough headroom to be able to stand and change clothes. I also like the single pole design, which goes up fast even when you鈥檙e prepping solo. (Which for me is all the time, because my kids never help.)听The only problem? Wind. The tall design doesn鈥檛 hold well in blustery situations, so stake it down and tie the guylines tighter than you typically would.
What my kids like: The full mesh upper, which is ideal for stargazing. According to my daughter, 鈥淚t鈥檚 like sleeping outside听but without the spiders.鈥
Mad Rock Mad Pad ($179)
My kids and I had some solid bouldering adventures close to town before restrictions got tighter, but now we鈥檝e gotten creative: we climb trees, the old playground swing set, and anything else that鈥檚 scalable. 听is light enough for my kids to move around themselves, and it has five inches of padding to cushion high falls. I like the harness system, which is comfy on long approaches.
What my kids like: The Mad Pad turns our backyard and basement into a full-on stunt zone. Honestly, there鈥檚 less climbing going on than parkour practice, but the mat supports any activity that begins with听鈥淗ey dad, watch this!鈥
ENO Hammock Fuse System ($30)
A hammock isn鈥檛 just a hammock. It鈥檚 an escape pod鈥攁 way to provide a little bit of separation while we鈥檙e all home together. I hang a few in my backyard and banish my kids to them with a book when it becomes obvious that everyone needs a bit of alone time. 听lets me hang two hammocks side by side on the same tree, because when you have two kids everything has to be equal.
What my kids like: My son enjoys making his sister鈥攚ho gets motion sick鈥攕wing when she鈥檚 trying to read.
RovR 45 Cooler ($369)听
I know, it鈥檚 a lot of money for a cooler, but the 听isn鈥檛 your standard expensive status symbol.听Yeah, it has a rotomolded body with high-density foam insulation that offers days of ice retention, but the RovR also has wheels, a telescoping handle,听and a pop-up storage bin on top. And the chassis is legit:听I鈥檝e dragged this thing down rooty singletrack to a riverside campsite and it rolled over听the terrain like a champ. My favorite accessory is the 听($54), an attachable arm that turns it into a bike trailer so you can tote beverages, lunch, blankets, baseball gloves, and anything else听anywhere you want to go.
What my kids like: Having cold drinks and snacks with us at all times, even on neighborhood rides. I cannot overstate the importance of always having snacks.
Ten-Eighty Launch Ramp ($46)
There are more expensive 鈥減ortable鈥 jumps out there, but has held up to my family鈥檚 constant abuse for more than a year.听It鈥檚 definitely a beginner-friendly ramp without much of a lip, but it鈥檚 perfect for learning the first steps of jumps.听I鈥檝e watched my son progress from rolling over the jump to clearing the thing entirely in just the past couple of weeks. We鈥檝e moved it to the top of our pump track so we have a fun entry into the rollers.
What my son likes: Having a mini jump park in the backyard. 鈥淚f my plan of becoming a professional baseball player doesn鈥檛 work out, I鈥檒l be a pro mountain biker and do all of that Red Bull听stuff,鈥 my son听says.
Tiny Tents Miniature Tent ($20)听
Yes, this is a thing. It鈥檚 a 听just like the display tents at REI, complete with a rainfly. In theory, the tent is for cats, but all the catnip in the world won鈥檛 coax our family feline into the thing. But it鈥檚 become an increasingly important part of Lego Hour,听where we all stop working, drop to the floor, and build campsite scenes and imagine the days鈥攈opefully very soon鈥攚hen we鈥檒l be out in the woods again. The tent is also a key property in Squirrelville,听the patch of woods beside our house where the kids pretend to operate an AirBnB for small woodland creatures.
What my kids like: The scale.听鈥淭his must be what it feels like to be a giant,鈥 my daughter says.