Hiking Gear

You don’t need lots of special gear for hiking – that’s the beauty of it! But it is a skill that sets kids up for so many other adventures, so it is worth it to do your best to ensure they are comfortable and having fun. Here are the key items to think about selecting gear:

Babies:

• Child carrier or baby backpack carrier:
  • If you use a backpack carrier, it’s helpful to get one with a rain or sun cover
  • Make sure it’s comfortable for you (and your partner, or have a separate one for them)
  • An attached mirror can be helpful to keep an eye on the kid, especially if you are hiking solo
• For sun: put on the baby in clothes that cover their skin to prevent sunburn
  • Long sleeve shirt
  • Pants that go past the socks (double-check once they are in the carrier because the pants can ride up)
  • Hat with a chin strap, if you don’t have a sun shade
• For cold:
  • Dress in layers (same as what you would do for adults)
    • Long underwear layer
    • Thicker fleece if needed
    • Wind or water proof layer
  • Bring more layers that you would plan for yourself, especially since babies aren’t moving around as much, or in case of diaper or playing accidents
  • Mittens are better than gloves, and having some sort of leash so they can’t drop them can be important
• For rain:
  • Ran boots
  • Rain pants that go around the boots
  • Rain jacket with hood or with a separate rain hat
• Toys: 
  • Attached to the backpack with string or baby links so they can’t be dropped

Kids:

• Hiking backpack:
  • We recommend having them get used to carrying even a tiny backpack from a early age so they can develop responsibility
  • Make sure to get a backpack small enough to fit their torso – it shouldn’t hang more than 2-4” below their waist 
  • Use their school backpack if it fits – you don’t need to buy something special (as long as you’re OK with it getting dirty)
  • See our backpacking page for recommendations on packs and what kids are capable for carrying (although we recommend smaller packs for hiking than backpacking):
    • 3-6 yo: North Face Youth Sprout or similar
    • 5-12 yo: REI Tarn 18 or similar  
  • Have them carry a small water bottle of their own a water bladder
    • If you use a bladder: consider using one where the bite valve has a cover and can lock, to minimize dirtiness and leaking (since kids like to chew on them which causes leaks)
• Toys for activities:
  • Binoculars
  • Magnifying glass
  • ​Magnet
  • Pocket guides for animal or bird or plant identification – they are nice and small, just make sure to get one for your area
  • Camera
  • Journal/sketchbook and pens or watercolors
• Sun:
  • Sunglasses
  • Sun hat
  • Sunscreen
• Cold weather:
  • Dress in layers – as described for babies
  • Also bring more layers that you would plan for yourself even though they are doing the same work, in this case it’s more because they are likely to get them dirty or wet but also because they may feel the cold more than you
  • Mittens are still better than gloves, especially for smaller kids
  • Disposable hand warmers are good to bring as a backup – they can be like bandaids in that even if the kid doesn’t really need them it makes them happy to keep going. 
    • These weren’t recommended for babies, because of concern of being too hot for the baby
• Shoes:
  • Don’t need to be fancy hiking shoes, just make sure the soles have reasonable tread, that they don’t come off easily, and that the kid finds them comfortable
• Safety:
  • Whistle – but make sure they are trained to only ever use it if they are lost  

In addition, make sure you carry a first aid kit and get first aid training – see our First Aid page for more info.