How to go backpacking with small kids

​Backpacking with small children can try your patience, but keep getting out there because each year gets easier! We started with our kids when they were able to hike a mile or two. This meant that for us we had a “gap year” in our family backpacking journey, between when we couldn’t carry them any more and when they could walk on their own. Here are our tips to make it work:

What can your kid carry: (Note: these are rough suggestions, adapt them to your kid’s size and ability levels and consider starting with less stuff when they’re older if they’re less experienced)

• 3-4 years old: snacks, small toy, maybe water (keep it very light at this age to encourage them to carry the pack)
• 5 yo: add in more water, headlamp, mug, spoon, maybe playing cards
• 6 yo: add in toiletries, something for group gear (we had our son carry the trowel and TP)
• 7 yo: add in some clothes
• 8-9 yo: add in sleeping bag/sleeping pad

Kids backpacking gear:

• Pack size examples: (for different age ranges)
  • Tiny (3-4): North Face Youth Sprout or similar 
  • Small (5-7): REI Tarn 18 or similar 
  • Medium (8-9): REI Tarn 40 or similar 
• Sleeping bag:
  • We like the Big Agnes Little Red 15 because the pad is attached, and small kids move around a lot Our son is still using it at 6 years old
  • We bought a women’s sleeping bag for our daughter at 7 years old, since she was able to stay on the pad and the adult sleeping bags are usually lighter (but more expensive). She hasn’t had problems with getting cold.
  • Another option is this expandable bag (the Duster 15) from Big Agnes that grows with your kid.
• Sleeping pad:
  • Go for a ¾ length since you don’t need the extra length

2 yo enjoying her Big Agnes Little Red

Key items for the parents to carry:

• First aid kid, and make sure to include any child-specific versions of medicines you might need and fun bandaids
  • Consider getting Wilderness First Aid or Wilderness First Responder trained
• Extra water (in case kids spill it, or if they aren’t carrying it)
• Lightweight sleeping bag, pad, stove etc – since you’re still carrying other people’s stuff it’s really worth it to invest in a few key lightweight items
• Tent
  • Stay small as long as you can – we only switched to two two person tents when our two kids were bigger (we used a three person tent for the four of us before that)
• Platypus gravity filter – the water can be filtering while you’re doing other things (or you can train the kids to do it)
• Extra snacks or special treats – for tough spots on the trail

How to pick a good backpacking route for kids:

• Distance: 
  • Many kids can “hike their age” starting at 3 or 4 up until 9 at least (one mile per year of age). It’s a fun challenge to give to them!
  • When backpacking, pick something shorter than what they usually do while on day hikes until you’re sure they can do it. 
  • Some kids are motivated to hike all the four thousand footers in New Hampshire at only 5, some (like my son) can hike 11,000′ mountain passes at 5 but take a lot of pushing, and some (like my daughter) are less excited about hiking but love the destination. You need to understand your kids, know when to push them and know when not to. 
• Other hike features to look for:
  • Water (always the #1 choice for my kids)
  • Interesting wildlife (banana slugs to count!) or flowers to identify
  • Rocks to scramble over (the domes in Tuolumne Meadows are a good example)

Other tips:

• Make the kids help out with chores (getting water, setting up tents) and adjust the expectations as they get bigger
• Try not to carry the kid’s backpack – once you give in it’s hard to give it back. Instead, you need to keep the pack light enough that they’ll carry it the whole time but ensure they are carrying something and that every year they carry a bit more.

The final thing is to find lots of creative ways to motivate your kid to keep moving down the trail. I have a lot of ideas on this one, so I’ll save them for a future post.