Are you wondering what you need to hike with kids? Well, you’ve come to the right place! Just call me a “fly by the seat of my pants” kind of mom, and know I’ve tried many things over the years, from being completely unprepared to being way overprepared. I’ve learned a few things along the way! Here are my hiking essentials with kids:
Affiliate Disclaimer: This post includes affiliate links which means I can make a small amount of money at no cost to you should you choose to click through the link and make a purchase.
Water
Ok, this may seem obvious, but you’d be surprised how many times we’ve jumped out of the car to head out of what we think is a really short trail, only to find that it is taking our kids FOREVER to hike it, or that the trail is completely in the sun, or that our kids suddenly want to drink water like they never have before. So I now refuse to go on any hike, no matter how short, without water. Now, I personally HATE carrying water bottles. I don’t know why, but I do. My kids hate carrying them too and fight over who has to carry them. I don’t mind waist packs but often find it’s not enough for longer hikes. I personally like a lightweight hydration vest or Camelback type of water carrier. My kids love these as well. I found ones like these on Amazon a long time ago, and my kids wear them hiking and biking all the time. They are only 1L size, unlike adult ones which attend to be larger. Here’s my 9 year old sporting his Camelback:
For my own water, I use this hydration vest. I absolutely LOVE this hydration vest and wear it for pretty much all exercise outside. It has lots of little pockets for carrying extra things too. There are lots of different waist pack options out there too if you prefer those. If you want something to carry your phone also, waist packs often have a pocket specifically for a phone. I usually wear shorts with a pocket and just stick my phone in there so I can whip it out to take pictures when I want. Pic below of me wearing my hydration vest.
Food
To be honest, I don’t always take food with on a hike. As long as you’ve had a filling meal with plenty of carbs in the past couple hours, you’ll probably be fine. However, I would only advise not having some kind of food with on a hike if you are very familiar with the trails, have cell service, and can quickly get back if you need something to eat. Also, if you are hiking with young kids (under age 5 or so), I would always have some kind of snack with, because snacks can really motivate kids to keep going. Otherwise, if you’re hiking longer distances, are out of cell service range, or don’t know the trails well, I’d definitely have some kind of food with.
So what foods do I pack? Well, it depends. For shorter hikes, I just pack a granola bar for everyone or some applesauce pouches. We also love to grab “That’s It” bars. The main thing you want is carbs if you’re hiking longer distances (protein is fine too, and you’ll definitely need to replenish with protein after a long hike). When I’m hiking/running/biking longer distances (more than an hour), I often pack dried cranberries, “That’s It” bars, applesauce pouches, various type of granola bars, trail mix, fig bars, etc. Think things that give you an energy burst, digest easily, don’t upset your stomach, and don’t have a ton of fiber.
Here are our favorite snacks (most we get from Costco) to bring along on hikes:
- “That’s It” bars
- Nature’s Bakery Whole Wheat Fig Bars
- Go Go Squeeze Applesauce Pouches
- Nature’s Valley Peanut Butter Dark Chocolate bars
Shoes
What to wear on kids feet for hiking? It depends. I personally would love if my kids wore their hiking shoes every time we go hiking. In reality, they usually wear them, but sometimes just opt to throw on their crocs for some shorter hikes on grassy trails. I don’t have a specific brand I look for, but I search for hiking shoes that are waterproof and have really good traction on the bottom. I often scour for clearance deals at REI or online for these, because hiking shoes are expensive and kids outgrow them in a year! If I know we will be hiking on a rocky path or places with rock scrambling opportunities, I always make them put on socks and hiking shoes, even if it’s really hot out.
Our waterproof hiking shoes came in REALLY handy last summer, when we went hiking at Zion National Park and did “The Narrows” trail. You literally have to hike down a middle of a rocky stream, and we would have most definitely fallen or broken something without sturdy hiking shoes with great traction. In fact, the park actually RENTS hiking shoes to people just for this hike! Having our own gear saved us tons of money and allowed us to do this awesome hike (see below).
Other things for hiking
Water, food, and shoes are the most essential hiking gear, in my opinion! However, there are a few other things I have found helpful over the years! A baby carrier for infants is a must if you will be hiking with a kid under age 2 or so. No one wants to try pushing a stroller through unknown and unpaved trails. An all-terrain stroller can definitely help, but it’s still a pain. This was my favorite baby carrier when my kids were little. There are heavier duty backpacks for carrying babies and toddlers as well, which are probably better for longer hikes. Another item that came in handy on a recent hike was a small microfiber towel I had shoved in my waist pack. My kids took their shoes and socks off to play in a stream and probably wouldn’t have wanted to if they didn’t know I had that towel with to dry their feet before putting their socks back on!
Clothing
My kids and I tend to wear whatever we’re comfortable in for clothing, but lightweight non-cotton items are going to breathe better. I would recommend lightweight hiking socks (with minimal cotton) for hot days because they wick away moisture much better than cotton socks. I wear spandex shorts with a pocket for my phone on most hikes. I would never be caught dead hiking in jeans or non-spandex shorts, but that is all my husband wears on hikes. My point is, clothing is definitely a personal preference but there are some things you can do to make yourself comfortable. Just find what works for you and your kiddos!
Final Thoughts
A few last thoughts on preparing for hiking with kids. First, make it fun! I tend to want to walk fast and get to where we are going, but that doesn’t usually work with kids. They will get tired. They will ask to be carried. They want to climb and explore. Try your best to find adventure and go with the flow. Second, make sure you don’t go on long hikes if there are not bathrooms on the trail and you have little ones who won’t/can’t pee in the woods! Even some of my boys haven’t always felt comfortable doing that, so they’re miserable if we forgot to have them use the bathroom before the hike or went to far out on the trail. Third, don’t forget sunscreen and bug spray (not just more mosquitos, but to keep the ticks off). Last, my kids love to know how far they’ve gone or where they’re at on the trail, so bring a map if you can. I also set my watch to record our hike so they can see exactly how many miles we’ve gone so far. They love that!
Keep in mind that kids may need lots of breaks during the hike, so give them lots of breaks if needed, and read their cues on if they’re tired, thirsty, hungry, or bored. If you push too hard, they will learn to hate hiking and won’t want to go again! Change up where you go too! Kids love variety! When you return from your hike, make sure to refuel, rehydrate, take a rest, and check for tics! Most importantly, enjoy nature and HAVE FUN! Let me know if you have any questions, and get out there and try a hike!