Preparing to Hike with Children

We’ve been going on a hikes on a fairly regular basis for about ten months now, and we’ve learned some things along the way.

Gear

Proper gear can make a big difference in how enjoyable a hike, or any outing, is. I will admit that we’re still a work in progress though.

We carry small backpacks, wear layers, and occasionally wear hats when I can convince the kids to keep them on. The kids’ packs aren’t great for hiking, but they work for shorter hikes so we’ve been making do. We’re looking for small day packs that will be more comfortable, especially as our hikes get longer.

Shoes are still an issue. We’ve just been wearing running shoes, but we’re transitioning to lightweight hiking shoes. This is one of those things I just didn’t think about in the past and am now being more intentional about. We do wear SmartWool hiking socks rather than cotton socks.

Clothing

We get a lot of rain here and this year I’ve committed to getting us outside for a weekly hike regardless of the weather. So I’ve been eyeing the Oakiwear trailsuits for the boys. The ability to keep kiddos dry inside while the mud stays on the trailsuit is very appealing to me. When you get back to the car, you just unzip the trailsuit and they climb into the car, clean and dry. They don’t make them big enough for Sunshine, but I’m going to get her some Oakiwear rain pants and a Columbia rain coat, which will be better than what she currently has.

I’m also being more intentional as I buy clothing for the kids and making sure at least some of it is more appropriate for hiking, not just jeans and cotton t-shirts. Sunshine keeps insisting on wearing jeans, but at least the boys aren’t wearing them.  We’re wearing more fleece and windbreaker fabrics and less cotton.

Safety gear

I carry pepper spray, a cell phone, a map, a first aid kit, snacks, water, extra layers, etc. I carry the majority of the safety items, but the kids carry their water, snacks, and layers.

Food

Our hikes aren’t very long since we’re still toughening up River, but we try to be prepared for mishaps that might make our hike longer than planned. We don’t eat fruit snacks on a regular basis, so bringing them on our hikes is a great incentive- a nice shot of sugar when the kiddos get tired part way through the hike. We also bring snack bars (Epic Meat Bars, Vans Snack Bars, Larabars, or Macrobars). Sometimes gluten free pretzels or applesauce packets (we buy the Costco brand, but these are good too). If I know we’ll be gone over lunchtime we’ll bring sandwiches and fruit, but that doesn’t happen very often. It’s hard to get Ocean to sit still and eat rather than wander off, so shorter snack breaks work best right now.

Walking sticks/Trekking poles

Sunshine and River use sturdy sticks that they’ve found along the way. They’ve managed to hang onto them for several months and they keep finding their way back into the trunk of the car after every hike. I use a pair of adjustable trekking poles (not the ones I’ve had for years, but similar).

The kids don’t necessarily use their sticks as walking sticks, but they want them since I have my trekking poles. I use trekking poles because I’m a klutz and can trip over nothing. Put me on a trail with rocks and roots and holes and leaves covering them all, and it’s just a matter of time before I’m on the ground. Since Ocean is in the Boba carrier on my back falling is not an option, and the poles help me safely keep my balance. We keep our sticks and poles in the back of the car so they don’t get forgotten in the shed (not that that’s ever happened, cough cough).

Because they’ve done so well hanging onto their sticks, we may get them each an adjustable trekking pole as well. The trekking poles collapse shorter than the sticks do and are easier to get out of the trunk when the stroller is on top of them. Yes, sometimes I’m too lazy to pull the stroller out of the trunk to get the sticks that are buried underneath it. Pick your battles- it’s not one I have the patience for.

Heading out

We keep most of our stuff in our backpacks, which hang in the coat closet. When it’s time to go on a hike, we just need to fill our water bottles, check the fruit snack stash, put on our shoes, and go. This makes it so much easier, which in turn means our hikes will actually happen.

Disclaimer

As I mentioned, we’re a work in progress, especially when it comes to clothing. The cheapskate in me has a hard time spending money on pricey tech fabric clothing that the kids will quickly outgrow. Two things have helped me accept it as a necessary expense.

1. Lightweight tech fabrics are much more comfortable for hiking (or skiing, or snowshoeing, or even just playing in the snow) than heavy cotton. Uncomfortable clothes = uncomfortable kids = lots of whining. Comfortable clothes = comfortable kids = a lot less whining. There will always be complaints, so comfy clothes aren’t going to eliminate all the complaints, but they will certainly help.

2. Going on regular outings means we’ll use the clothes and actually get our money’s worth out of them. When Sunshine was little we bought her running gear that didn’t actually get worn very often. She outgrew it before they were worn out, which was not a great use of our money.

Finding affordable gear

When Sunshine was our only kiddo it was easier to spend money on her because she was the only one. Now that we have three kiddos to outfit it’s a lot more pricey to get all the gear they need.

1. When I can find what we need, I buy used: hand-me-downs, thrift stores, consignment stores, eBay, etc are all great sources. Though I’ve discovered it’s quite difficult to find used hiking shoes for small boys on eBay. I’m guessing boys are just too hard on their shoes and they don’t survive.

2. When I can’t find it used, I search around for the best deal. Amazon and Sierra Trading Post are great sites, and I always look for sales, coupon codes, etc. Ebates is a great source of info on available coupons and they tell you which sites offer a percentage back. Not all sites do, but when they do you can get a percentage back of the amount you spent. I’ve only been using it for about two months and have already earned $30 cash back. If you use my link, you’ll get $10 added to your account when you spend $25 in qualifying purchases.

3. I prefer to spend our hard-earned money on quality gear that will last more than one season. So when practical, I buy a size up. This works well with winter coats, but not so well with shoes. I may or may not have a pair of shoes in River’s closet, waiting for him to grow into them….

Do you have any other tips to add? Please share!