What we pack in our kids hiking packs

Kids hiking pack

🎒Kid’s hiking pack—we selected a pack that had plenty of ways to adjust the pack for a good fit, lots of great pockets that help to position weight effectively, and the option to add a hydration reservoir.

We’ve found that if we weigh their packs before hitting the trail they are more successful carrying the pack. Between 5-10% of the body weight works well for us. If they are over we pull items and put them in our packs.

Hydration reservoir

💦 Hydration reservoir—we prefer a reservoir over a bottle there’s magnetic clip on the sternum strap which makes sure kids can easily access water anytime on the hike versus needing to stop and take out a water bottle. It also spreads the load of the water out and we can easily fit it close to their backs versus concentrating it in one spot like a water bottle. After hikes we wash the reservoir out and place it in the freezer to keep it clean.

Headlamp

💡 Headlamp—great for around camp in the dark or just in case we get delayed on the hike. It’s never too early to start teaching them about carrying the 10 essentials.

Books

📚Books— if we are backpacking overnight, we pack bedtime stories. We opt for smaller paper books since they weigh less.

Sunglasses

😎Sunglasses—UV levels increase with altitude and sun protection for the eyes is important. We opt for frames that are flexible and less likely to break.

Hat

🧢 Hat—This is a durable hat. Bitty Brah makes a hat with a nice neck strap for windy days.

Carabiners

💪🏻 Carabiner— if they get tired, we can easily clip their pack to ours for a rest. However we’ve found that if we weigh their packs before hitting the trail they are more successful carrying the pack. Between 5-10% of the body weight works well for us. If they are over we pull items and put them in our packs.

Stuffed animal

🧸 Favorite adventure stuffy—we find our kids sleep better backpacking if they have a comfort item like a stuffed animal.

Snacks

🥜 Snacks—is it even a hike without them 😂