We thought it might be helpful to some considering a similar trip to see what we have loved the most and the least of the gear we brought, most of which we invested in shortly before takeoff.
FAVORITE GEAR
- Ted’s Coolaroo bed
. Fits in truck bed over the top of the gear with long end going across truck bed. Can be taken apart but we’re not dis-assembling and re-assembling each time. Ted loves it. Keeps him off the ground which keeps him cooler in hot weather, warmer in cold weather, cleaner in general, and far far more comfortable than being on the hard saltillo tile found in 99% of hotels south of the border.
- Rumpl puffy blanket
. Great for camping (wrap around whiny 3-year-old to improve everyone’s mood), and hotel rooms with insufficient blankets. Packs fairly small and very light in the bag it comes in. Use XS compression sack for more packability.
- iPad Mini
with kids apps loaded. Judge our parenting all you want – this provides a tiny bit of magical quiet time. Games and Netflix downloads that can be used without internet connectivity are the best.
- Hydro Flask water bottles
. Don’t get stinky easily, are lightweight, excellent quality caps, bomb-proof construction which is great because we abuse the heck out of ours.
- Mini Jamboxes
(RIP Jawbone). One is always set up to provide really high quality white noise for sleeping. The other for music – to take to the beach or the pool or the patio or campsite or just in the hotel room. Any small, good quality bluetooth speaker can be substituted but we love our discontinued (still on Amazon though) Mini Jamboxes.
- Foldable purse-sized dog water bowl
. Being constantly on the move, it’s important to always have a way to give Ted a drink of water. The one we have comes on a little carabiner so it can attach to anything you’re carrying or even just a tab on swim trunks or something.
- Sand-free mat
. Sand falls through it so it stays sand-free for beach (or any) camping. We use it as our front porch to our tent. Take shoes off there before entering tent, place bags there without getting them all sandy, even use as a play space for the kid.
- Foldable stool
. We left ours behind somewhere in Oaxaca and we’re so sad! Great to bring inside so the kid can have access to the bathroom sink. Also to access roof rack from sides of truck.
- Sound-blocking kiddie earphones
. With fireworks absolutely daily and unnecessarily loud public music common, it’s been priceless to have the headphones handy. We used these since Nina was an infant and still love them.
- Kiddie Dramamine
. Chewables. VERY hard to find in pharmacies in Mexico and Guatemala – everyone knows what you’re asking for but no one has them on hand. Some sort of global shortage of the chewables? We brought what we thought was a sizable stock but the roads south of Narayit have been non-stop windy, bumpy, and the curves either un-canted or canted the wrong way. We need Dramamine on every travel day.
- Foldable toilet
. So much more civilized than squatting when camping!
- Really big laundry sack
. Ours is in constant use, and one with an easy shoulder strap to carry back and forth to the lavanderia is mandatory.
. Fits in truck bed over the top of the gear with long end going across truck bed. Can be taken apart but we’re not dis-assembling and re-assembling each time. Ted loves it. Keeps him off the ground which keeps him cooler in hot weather, warmer in cold weather, cleaner in general, and far far more comfortable than being on the hard saltillo tile found in 99% of hotels south of the border.
. Great for camping (wrap around whiny 3-year-old to improve everyone’s mood), and hotel rooms with insufficient blankets. Packs fairly small and very light in the bag it comes in. Use XS compression sack for more packability.
with kids apps loaded. Judge our parenting all you want – this provides a tiny bit of magical quiet time. Games and Netflix downloads that can be used without internet connectivity are the best.
. Don’t get stinky easily, are lightweight, excellent quality caps, bomb-proof construction which is great because we abuse the heck out of ours.
(RIP Jawbone). One is always set up to provide really high quality white noise for sleeping. The other for music – to take to the beach or the pool or the patio or campsite or just in the hotel room. Any small, good quality bluetooth speaker can be substituted but we love our discontinued (still on Amazon though) Mini Jamboxes.
. Being constantly on the move, it’s important to always have a way to give Ted a drink of water. The one we have comes on a little carabiner so it can attach to anything you’re carrying or even just a tab on swim trunks or something.
. Sand falls through it so it stays sand-free for beach (or any) camping. We use it as our front porch to our tent. Take shoes off there before entering tent, place bags there without getting them all sandy, even use as a play space for the kid.
. We left ours behind somewhere in Oaxaca and we’re so sad! Great to bring inside so the kid can have access to the bathroom sink. Also to access roof rack from sides of truck.
. With fireworks absolutely daily and unnecessarily loud public music common, it’s been priceless to have the headphones handy. We used these since Nina was an infant and still love them.
. Chewables. VERY hard to find in pharmacies in Mexico and Guatemala – everyone knows what you’re asking for but no one has them on hand. Some sort of global shortage of the chewables? We brought what we thought was a sizable stock but the roads south of Narayit have been non-stop windy, bumpy, and the curves either un-canted or canted the wrong way. We need Dramamine on every travel day.
. So much more civilized than squatting when camping!
. Ours is in constant use, and one with an easy shoulder strap to carry back and forth to the lavanderia is mandatory.LEAST FAVORITE GEAR
- Plastic gas can. Any kind. Just don’t do it! Jerry cans
only.
- This particular inflatable pool to use as a kiddie bathtub
. The idea is great! Kids, especially girls, need to sit in a tub regularly and 100% of the hotels we’ve found south of the border have only showers. But this thing is so annoying – there are 4 different air sections including the floor. The floor is so hard to deflate and the 4 sections’ valves are in 4 different places so you need 4 hands to deflate the damn thing. DO bring a pool but get one that has one or maximum 2 air sections.
only.
. The idea is great! Kids, especially girls, need to sit in a tub regularly and 100% of the hotels we’ve found south of the border have only showers. But this thing is so annoying – there are 4 different air sections including the floor. The floor is so hard to deflate and the 4 sections’ valves are in 4 different places so you need 4 hands to deflate the damn thing. DO bring a pool but get one that has one or maximum 2 air sections.
Loco Dirty Familia 
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