Backpacking With Kids: Suggestions for a Fun, Profitable, and Rewarding Journey

Last yr, we wrote a information to the best way to take your first backpacking journey, providing a whole primer for getting on the market, even when you’re a little bit intimidated by the thought.

If going backpacking appears daunting when it’ll simply be adults, the considered bringing children alongside could make it really feel doubly so.

How far are the children able to mountain climbing?

Are they simply going to whine and ask “How much further?” your entire time?

How do you pack in a bunch of drugs for people who won’t be capable to carry their very own stuff?

To get the lowdown on the best way to efficiently execute a household backpacking journey with the smaller set in tow, I talked to our pal McKenzie Smith. McKenzie and her husband take their six children — who at the moment vary in age from 5 to 14 — on half a dozen backpacking journeys a yr. They’ve efficiently executed a 40-mile backpacking journey with all their children with nary a criticism. McKenzie has even taken all six of her kids backpacking by herself, together with when her youngest was two and her oldest was eleven. To say that she’s a professional at backpacking with children is an understatement.

If you’ve ever needed to attempt backpacking together with your kids — or have tried but it surely felt chaotic or overwhelming — this information will stroll you thru what to know earlier than the hike, with recommendation straight from a seasoned path father or mother who’s logged tons of of household miles.

Why Take Your Kids Backpacking?

Modern parenting tends to err on the facet of bubble-wrapped security and optimized schedules. But deep within the backcountry, each dad and mom and youngsters uncover qualities in themselves they wouldn’t in any other case get acquainted with.

“I just really believe in it,” McKenzie stated of backpacking. “Backpacking really builds character. We’ve been on some very challenging trips, and our kids reference them whenever they’re doing something really hard. They’ll say, ‘We did that 40-miler, Mom. We can do this!’ It’s such a confidence-builder for them.”

Beyond constructing power and character, McKenzie sees backpacking as some of the highly effective methods to attach as a household.

“Some of our very best memories have come from backpacking. The kids remember these trips more than anything else we do.”

When to Start

McKenzie advocates for not placing your outside adventures on maintain whereas your children are infants, and the Smiths have taken all of their children mountain climbing whereas they have been nonetheless infants. “Our youngest went on his first trip at four months,” she associated. “We used the Osprey Poco Plus. It’s a baby carrier that has storage space so you can pack some gear. We just carried him. It was simple.” (If you’re searching for recommendation on backpacking with a child, take a look at this information.)

That stated, it’s comprehensible that many may discover the thought of taking a child backpacking intimidating. In which case, wait to take your kids alongside till the youngest can stroll a lot of the method or till the age they appear prepared, realizing that it is likely to be so much sooner than you’d assume.

Something McKenzie emphasised is that youngsters can hike longer than you’d anticipate.

“Our four-year-old hiked 40 miles the year I turned 40,” she stated. “Kids are so much more capable than we give them credit for.”

If you’re nervous about sleeping on the bottom together with your little children, McKenzie suggests easing into it. “There are places out West with hike-in cabins and fire lookouts. You still carry your gear, but you get four walls and a roof. It’s a great way to start.”

From my expertise, when you’re new to backpacking yourselves, it’s greatest for Mom and Dad to get a number of journeys below their very own belts, earlier than they convey their children alongside. There’s a studying curve to backpacking, and also you don’t wish to be figuring it out whereas the complexities are compounded by your kids. Gain some confidence in your personal backpacking expertise first, after which have your children be part of you.

Choosing the Right Trail

If it’s your first time going backpacking together with your children, McKenzie suggests being considerate concerning the path you decide.

A primary backpacking route within the 3–5 mile vary is a candy spot. “You want it to be a challenge,” she stated. “Enough that they feel like they accomplished something.”

You can scale issues up or down, relying on how outdated your children are. We took our youngsters on their first backpacking journey after they have been eight and eleven and did an 8-mile path — mountain climbing in 4 miles, tenting in a single day, and mountain climbing out 4 miles within the morning — and it was very doable and simply the correct quantity to get their ft moist.

When selecting a path, McKenzie notes, elevation is a much bigger issue than mileage. “A five-mile trail with 4,000 feet of gain? That’s brutal for anyone, let alone a kid.”

Flat or rolling terrain, shaded sections, and trails with a vacation spot — a lake, a waterfall, a lookout — go a good distance in holding children motivated.

Here’s McKenzie’s fast guidelines for choosing a kid-friendly route:

• Elevation achieve: “Under 2,000 feet is going to be a happier hike.”
• Natural hazards: Avoid scrambles, cliffs, and fast-moving rivers.
• Water sources: Critical for hydration and an enormous morale booster. “The kids love playing in creeks or lakes. And filtering water is just necessary — you can’t carry enough when you’ve got a bunch of kids.”
• Shade: Makes a giant distinction in consolation.

As as to whether you must select an out-and-back path versus a loop, whereas loops could make the trek really feel extra various, solely contemplating loop trails will restrict your choices. “Out-and-backs still feel different depending on the time of day, weather, and what wildlife you see,” McKenzie says.

Gear: What Kids Need (and What They Don’t)

Backpacking gear may be costly and can shortly be outgrown by still-developing children, which is one more reason dad and mom may hesitate to incorporate their kids on this pastime. Also, if a child isn’t sufficiently old to hold their very own gear, it means you’ve bought to shoulder extra tools, which will increase the trouble degree for you.

McKenzie has some stable recommendation on outfitting your kids for a visit in order that it doesn’t break the financial institution or your again.

“Until our kids are around 7 or 8, they don’t carry much,” McKenzie stated. “They just use a really lightweight daypack, and we have them carry light stuff like our freeze-dried meals or the trash bag out.”

If your children are little, McKenzie recommends choosing gear that you may share together with your children. For instance, as a substitute of giving every particular person their very own air pad, use a double sleeping pad. “We use the Exped Duo to cover the whole tent floor. It’s more comfortable and means fewer individual pads to pack,” McKenzie instructed me. She’s additionally a giant fan of backpacking quilts over sleeping baggage. You can share them, and so they’re lighter than conventional sleeping baggage.

Once a toddler proves they’re dedicated to backpacking, the Smiths will reward them with their very own gear. “We’ll buy them their own hiking-specific pack when they’re around eight,” McKenzie stated. “And as a reward for a tough hike, my husband will take them to pick out a new piece of gear — a knife, a filter, whatever. It builds ownership.”

If you’re simply testing the waters with household backpacking, and also you wish to decrease prices earlier than totally committing to it, attempt to borrow gear from mates. Or take a look at REI and college outside packages, as each have rental choices. Facebook Marketplace will even be your pal if you wish to preserve prices down whereas buying backpacking tools to your children.

As to mountain climbing footwear, McKenzie recommends path sneakers over full-on mountain climbing boots for each children and adults. And be sure that to convey a pair of Tevas the children can put on round camp to present their little ft a relaxation (they’ll additionally come in useful if the household must cross a stream or simply needs to play in it).

Food on the Trail

When it involves meals, simplicity is king.

The Smiths primarily use freeze-dried meals. They may be costly, although, and a few cost-friendly meals their household has additionally loved over time embody bulk freeze-dried refried beans and tortillas for bean burritos and instantaneous pudding and bulk freeze-dried fruit for dessert. They additionally convey ramen.

McKenzie instructed me they sometimes have two massive sit-down meals: one within the morning so the children have full tummies for the day and one at night time earlier than bedding down.

During the day, they’ll snack on path combine. “They make their own mix before the trip — M&Ms, nuts, dried fruit — and they carry it themselves. They love it.”

One underrated trick? Flavor packets. “Creek water can taste kind of funky, and that can gross kids out. Propel or lemonade powder helps them drink more.”

Campsite Chores and Evening Fun

McKenzie and her husband divvy up duties as quickly as camp is reached: “Older kids set up the tent; I make dinner. Everyone contributes.”

She additionally recommends packing a number of actions for these twilight hours earlier than mattress:

• Capture the flag
• Fishing poles when you’re close to water
• Card video games
• Charades. “Our kids surprisingly enjoy playing charades a lot.”
• Flashlight Morse code
• Art kits, scavenger hunts, pinecone collections

They’ll spend lots of time across the hearth simply telling tales. “We tell our kids stories about ourselves when my husband and I were younger. They also like to hear stories about when they were really little kids or babies. We love telling stories.”

Don’t overthink leisure. “Kids just love being wild and free. They don’t need much else.”

Bathroom, Safety, and Other Considerations

Some belongings you study the exhausting method:

• Kids must pee extra. Be ready to cease — steadily.
• Sanitation. “Kids get really dirty so you have to do a lot more cleaning.” McKenzie makes use of compressed towelettes and single-use hand sanitizer pods to maintain issues clear and light-weight.
• First assist. Whether you’re backpacking with children or with out, you must at all times convey an ample first assist equipment. Consider together with an EpiPen even when your child doesn’t have a longtime allergy; in the event that they’ve by no means been stung by a bee earlier than, you don’t know in the event that they’re allergic or not.
• Emergency prep. McKenzie at all times packs bear spray and a satellite tv for pc cellphone. “We’ve never had to use them — but just knowing they’re there gives peace of mind,” she stated. “And before we leave for a trip, we go over with the kids what they should do if they ever get lost. They’ve all got whistles. This is one of those things that’s easy to forget about while you’re busy getting ready for a trip.”

See You On the Trail!

Backpacking together with your children isn’t at all times straightforward. But that’s the purpose.

“In a world where kids are so protected, it’s powerful to put them in a safe environment that still feels like, ‘I don’t know if I’m going to survive this,’” McKenzie stated. “That challenge is important for their development.”

It’s additionally — when you’ve invested within the gear — a surprisingly cheap solution to spend high quality time collectively.

And the dividends are actual.

“Our kids reference these trips constantly,” McKenzie instructed me. “They remember the swimming, the hiking, the stories around the fire. And they know they can do hard things.”