Backpacking with Children

“I'm thinking of taking my 6yr old to Frontenac prov. park for a few days. He's done lots of car camping, and hiking, but never backpacked before. The plan would be 3 days of low milage hiking-nothing too strenuous, even though he has triple the energy I do. I would carry most gear and he has a nice little pack for his bag and liner. Does anyone have any suggestions on how to make his first trip really enjoyable?”

“Sounds like you're on the right track. Just make it as much fun as possible :) When I take my boys I always bring the little extra things that make the time around the campfire fun like Jiffy Pop, Marshmallows, Hot cocoa, etc.

Keep the mileage low and the load super light and let him lead you ....my youngest used to act like he was about to die on the trail. But when you stop and make camp he has an amazing amount of energy ;)”

“Greatest luck helinka, my lil one's first hike was this past July about 5 weeks before her 3rd birthday. Over Gregory Bald in the Smokies. For children, I've mostly heard ppl say that you can guess that they can do about a mile per day per their age. Say your 6 year old can more or less do 6 miles a day; kids who are used to the routine of bp'ing that is. We did 4 miles ascending the first day (3.5 she did on Daddy's back, I don't recommend this method too good, hehe). Day 2 she did 3.5 of our 4 mile day which was a gradual descend from the bald, and day 3 she did the 2 miles to the trailhead by noon. For the steep drop-off sections of trail, I used a 16' retractable dog leash around her waist. Twas perfect.

As far as enjoyable goes, (s)he'll love it. But unlike adults, mosquitos and other biters are not an acceptable part of backpacking. Same goes for heat, and cold. A small flashlight for them in the tent is a must. The best on-the-trail-companion is a dry, non-chewy granola bar, it'll go a long way. If you camp by a creek, catch a crawdad and let'em pinch ya .... squeals of delight! Mine has a whistle/thermometer/mag-glass on a rope around her neck for emergencies and play (gift to her from JerBear). And depending on where you hike, don't touch all the thousands of mushrooms. My little one pushed a fever the last night, which fretted Dad somethin REAL serious for the next week. She was ok in a day, I just agonized such thangs as ....Did I poison her by allowing her to touch all those "muprooms" ... Are her tiny kidneys gonna fail on me????

We did have fun insurance with us tho: JerBear. Yo Bear Em loves to look at them hiking pix of us!”

“Helinka, I took my girls last year when they were 6 and 8, on an overnight backpacking, with short mileage. I think that the three days that you are planning is a better idea. I don't think they got a chance to really get comfortable in the woods, although they seemed to have a great time. They love to show the pictures to their friends, but yell no when I suggest another trip. As long as the trail you choose has some variety, a creek or two to play in, and some rocks to climb, he should really love it. If you can talk a friend of his and parent into going on a backpacking trip with you, that would probably be even better.”

“Kids find enjoyment in the smallest and most simple of things. Flowers, insects etc. demand time to "study"...

It has been my humble observation that I have seen "more" of the woods when I take the kids than I do otherwise.

Take your time, work on the child's schedule, and you will see things in a whole new light.

Enjoy.”

“At six the only thing they need to carry is their clothing and maybe a sleeping pad, definitely a water bottle (or better yet- a canteen). Not much. You want them to look like they are backpacking. Make it very easy on them. Plan lots of stops. Let them help with everything. If it is not fun, they will not want to go back.”

“I love backpacking with my son, but I didn't start bringing him until he was 10 after a lot of car camping and day hiking. It really depends on the child's personality more than strength, because you will want to keep the child's pack weight way down no matter what.

Just keep the mileage way down and don't commit to any long loop trails or any situation where you can't cut it short if needed.

Have fun!”

“Thanks for all the great advice.

I'm planning on taking my daughters (5 & 11) on a VERY short overnight hike soon. Two miles in to camp near a waterfall, and two miles out.”

“my cat's breath smells like catfood.”

“Thanks for all the advice ('cept that last post) I thought april would be perfect for us-it's still cool/hopefully all the snow has melted, no mosquitos, lots of sticky yucky mud. But all of our parks are closed due to striking gov't workers. Has anyone ever hiked on crown land in Ontario? I'm worried that it will be a bit too rough for the little guy.”

“I take my daughters 6 and 9 on short trips. Nice to be near water for more play opportunities, We take a little roll up checker board and checkers, weighs nothing, and makes good tournaments. Jiffy-pop is great for evening snack. LOL”

“My 4 kids all used to backpack before they turned into teenagers.

My youngest had to do a timeline of his life with pictures for a school project. More than half the pictures he chose were from bp'ing trips.

The looks on all of the kid's pics in the backpacking photo albums were clear - they were having the time of thier lives. They'd never admit it now, though.”

“I started bp'ing when I was 10... I LOVED it! I agree with everyone else (I'm sure your cat's breath smells like catfood Ralph). One thing to add... make meals an event. Fun kid food makes things better! Frozen hotdogs can make it til' the first night. All the energy that I spent on the trail as a kid needed LOTS of heavy food!”

“Sounds great another good tip my daughter loves is taking a small book or something with animal tracks on so she can find footprints she loves this. Also she is very interested in rocks.
When she was small she would pick them up and load our packs.LOL
We finally had to make her stop collecting rocks for her collection!
Jourdan is now 10 and loves the camping part of backpacking just not the walking. We always try to camp near water that is great fun and take some kind of game to play and she usually takes a friend they have a great time.
Good luck.
Barbara”

“There doesn't seem to be much of a selection of gear for younger kids. It is either cheap heavy car camping junk or very expensive.
I was going to order a kids backpack from REI - the Longtrail Jr. - but they just discontinued it
Has anyone found any good sources of gear for 5 to 10 year olds ?”

“Campmor has a large section of their catalog just for kids. www.campmor.com”

“Hangman, I tried to post a question here about backpacks for kids this morning and my computer locked up. I have the same type of question. The youth backpacks seem to weigh 4 lbs or more. I was thinking that maybe an adult size SX or Small internal frame, 2000-2800 cu inches might work for my older daughter. She is 4 1/2 feet tall, 9 1/2 yrs old and weighs 62 lbs. I don't want to load her with a lot of weight but her school pack is not that comfortable. I thought that I would just put the lightweight bulky stuff in her pack, and take the heavy stuff in mine. Also, judging by the fifth graders in her school, I imagine she will be quite a bit bigger in a couple years. Is an adult small backpack a bad idea, what do you all think?”

“http://www.kidssource.com/

I found this site really great--not just the gear but the advice.”

“Thanks MaryPhyl, they have a VauDe Rock Monster pack that looks like a winner. I'm going to do a little more searching, and then probably order that one.”

“Thanks Roseymonster and MaryPhyl
I was thinking about a North Face Cub bag at Campmore - it is on sale !
But I am trying to find a small external frame backpack. Most bp'ers around here in humid Wisconsin still use external.
I met a guy on the trail last year with a couple little kids using REI Longtrail JR's - they really liked them - they looked perfect - I waited too long and now they are discontinued”

“Try Ebay hangman.”

“Well there are some others.
Jansport Scout which fits torso from 13 to 17 inches.
Then there is the Jansport Tree Frog series. My daugther carries that one. It is a day pack that is big enough for her sleeping bag, pad cloths and snacks. It also has a bladder bag and she loves that.
So let me know if you need help. I have all those packs in my store.
Barbara Smith”

“The Little Guy had a great time in the Gila, and he is six. We went 25 miles with no complaints, had to leave lots of time for climbing on rocks and splashing in the water. I will post the pictures soon.

My daughter, however, was a different story. She didn't take to the backpacking thing as well. I started her when she was ten, maybe that is the difference?”

“My daughter can play in the creek all day long so I always take her to an area with a campsite near the creek. Catching Crawdads and Salamanders is a thrill for her even today and she is now twelve years old.She's also getting into taking pictures/photography so it's a chance for us to learn something together since she' s a little older.”

“Barb, I went ahead and ordered the Rock Monster. If I have to send it back because it doesn't fit well or whatever, I'll try a Tree Frog. Thanks for the tip. I hope to drive to Florida again this summer, and really would like to visit your area and stop into your store, on the way.”

“Okay, so they are out of the Rock Monster until the end of April. Now I have to decide if I want to cancel and try the Tree Frog, or keep the backorder.”

“we have tried several different backpacks for our kids, but the favorite by far has been the kelty coyote junior....2850 cubic inch capacity, fits 10-14 inch torso, and we got ours on sale for $59.99....a well made, comfortable internal frame pack for the curtain climbers in your tribe....”

“Thanks, Gonzo. But either I'm measuring wrong, or my kids are already measuring at a 14" torso or more. The Tree Frog doesn't have the stays in it like the Rock Monster, so I wonder how well it supports. What to do, what to do? I think I will try to find a Tree Frog to try on my daughters to see how they like it. The Vaude doesn't seem to be carried by that many stores, so I don't have that option.

What ebay backpack did you email me about last year, Gonzo. I lost the email; I was curious if it was one that has been discussed on this thread, or a different one.”

“splash....
i can't remember which one we were discussing....our children also use a camp trails scout (3000 cubic inch, fits 12-17 inch torso) which is an external frame model and not as comfortable on their backs as the kelty internal frame....if that kelty junior coyote is too small, you might look into the regular kelty coyote (i see them all the time on ebay)”

“Campmor has a Coyote Jr, and a Coyote 4500 cu in. Rei has a Coyote 3200 cu inches with the torso fit of 11-17 inches and fits hips of 25-35 inches, which is small enough. The bad thing is that it weighs 4 1/2 lbs. Maybe I should order it and see if how the kids like it, compared to other packs, or maybe I should take a long drive to the Philly REI.

Do you all have your kids wear hiking boots or sturdy sneakers? My kids outgrew their boots from last summer. My oldest is wearing ladies size 6 1/2 now, so I'm going to have to pay adult prices.”

“You see them on ebay? I haven't, but I don't check there as often as I should. Thanks. I got an external frame Kelty on ebay for kids last year, and it is not very comfortable.”

“it all depends on where we are going to be hiking and also upon what kind of deals i can find....

we got some(new)rei hiking boots for my son on ebay last year for $15, but now they are too small for him so they will be there waiting for my daughter's feet to grow into them....

same deal with some nike hiking boots that my #2 daughter bought a few years ago....

we just tried them on james and they fit great!!

my advice is to buy quality boots that can be passed down from kid to kid....”

“splash....
there is a new kelty coyote on ebay right now at $66....the guy who has it listed is a new kelty dealer....i have talked to him on the telephoone and he indicated that he is willing to deal on prices if you want to buy directly from him (we are looking for a 2nd kelty vortex tent)”

“Gonzo, you must be experienced at this ebay stuff. How do you know that you can trust this? He just started and doesn't even list a city where he is located. I would like to get a pack for my daughter at a low price, but I'm not familiar with this method of starting an internet store. Does he not get the paypal money unless the customer receives the product? What protection do you have if you buy from him direct? The fact that you are using a credit card?”

“The area code is Madison Wisconsin. I will give the place a call and see what is what. If he is legit, it sounds like he will be a good source for gear in the future.”

“splash....
i was suspicious as well, so i sent him an e-mail and got his phone number and called him to get the story....he has been selling scuba diving equipment on ebay under another name....he and a partner have started a new store in wisconsin selling climbing and hiking gear....they have had an indoor climbing wall installed which i discussed with him in great detail....

i would send him an e-mail and discuss any misgivings you might have about doing business with a "new" store....

basic human honesty and trust is the foundation upon which ebay has been built.... i have personally made over 200 transactions on ebay, have had very few problems, and have successfully resolved every problem that i have encountered....”

“I don't think that you should be loading the young bloods up with heavey packs, it can't possably be good for the bones”

“Tea, I was thinking that with a good suspension system, that one of these packs would be better than what most kids use to carry their books to school and back. I don't intend to put much weight into the pack until my kids are older and stronger. But girls grow early these days, and I want a pack that will fit for more than a year.”

“There is an REI longtrail Jr on sale on ebay right now; the sale ends in a few hours.

I am going to try to find some of the packs mentioned here to try on my daughter to see what she likes best, and then I'll figure out what to order. I'm going to keep a closer eye on ebay too.”

“CP-
I started backpacking when I was 8 and I have two sisters who started at 4 and 6. They hate backpacking and I love it. Just depends on the kid. I would say bring who wants to go and leave the rest at home!”

“GlobalMart.com has a Kelty Fastpack Torreys pack on sale $57, 1950 cu inch, comes with a two liter platypus hoser, zipout raincover, fits torso 13" to 19". Is 20" X 13" X 6.5" . Weighs 1 1/2 lbs. Has auto-indexing for shoulder straps, whatever that is. Maybe I could use the thermarest to creat a back pad/stiffener. What do you think of this as an option for a 9 year old?”

“Splash - sorry I missed the Longtrail Jr. - I'll keep watching Ebay

Thanks”

“Well I would suggest trying the packs on before you purchase. Alot of retailers carry Jansport and Kelty. Then you can purchase if you find a cheaper price. Of course I do have the Jansport packs. And this years day packs have lots of room. Check them out. They have lots of neat pockets and stuff kids like..make it fun.
Barbara”

“I got my nephew a kid's backpack from LLBean for $69 when he was 8 or 9. He'll be 12 this year and will probably move up to an adult size pack. He invites friends along who often show up with strange gear, so they borrow whatever spare packs we have. We spend the first hour on the trail adjusting the pack for them - they've often never backpacked - but they're fine. Other than the first time my nephew tried to carry my rucksack as a backpack when he was ~7, they all carry their own stuff. One trip we had a kid we coulda loaded up like a pack mule, and another kid we had to keep taking his stuff - depends on the kid. The only kid who's parents had a clue about backpacking turned out to be the most work.

The last two years - and the plan for this year - we've taken the same kid along. He's a good kid and really seems to enjoy our trips.”

“I just oredered a a pair of of North Face Cub sleeping bags from Campmor - they are clearanced at $49 each. They are about the lightest bags I have found @ 1# 12oz and they stuff down pretty small.
They are for my 4 and 6 year-olds.”

“Good luck with them, hangman. I got an REI 20 deg sub-zero down size short for 1#12 oz but it doesn't seem fluffy enough. My 7 year old is as tall as my 9 year old, so I felt that a child size bag was probably going to be outgrown really fast. I hope that your kids really take to backpacking. Have you found day packs for them that you like?”

“I'm using the Coleman for Kids "serious" mummy bag to do a short trip with my 6 year old tonight, rain permitting. Its a decent litle bag and rated for either 20 or 25 deg. She didn't get cold in it last fall on a pretty chilly night. Don't recall the weight but it isn't much. Have fun”

“Splash - I picked up a smaller Peak1 backpack on clearance at a local store. It is alittle larger than what I would like - the straps fits my 6 year-old very well and it's under three pounds - it just has more capacity than what I would like. I'll have to limit what she tries to stuff inside - sleeping bag, teddy bear (No - just one teddy bear)tooth brush, whistle, small water bottle and maybe an extra sweatshirt. Maybe 8 pounds (she weights 52)
The little guy could just carry the sleeping bag - apparently the stuff sack has shoulder straps and of course I'll end up carrying about 70 pounds - that will hold my speed down”

“Have fun! The Campmor site shows the cub as being rated to 40 degrees. Hopefully that will be warm enough. Bring extra pants unless your daughter is experienced at pottying outside. My girls had some accidents when we went out last year. I finally just made them take the pants off completely.
Splash”

“Try

http://www.mickiesplace.com/kidgear.htm”