Day hiking with kids is a great way to have fun, get exercise, and enjoy nature. However, it’s easy to pack too much for your kids. What do they really need?
When hiking, kids will need to bring water and snacks, dress appropriately, and have a well-fitting pack. They can also bring a small first-aid kit. For most day hikes, kids don’t need to bring special hiking gear or survival supplies, although many enjoy having a few extra things along.
Read on to find out everything you need to know about this important topic:
What Do Kids Really Need for Hiking?
One of the first questions beginning hikers ask is what they need to bring along for their kids. In this article, I will cover all the basics of packing and bringing the best supplies when hiking with a family. Since most families choose relatively short hikes of about 2-5 miles, and usually hike in fair weather, most of my recommendations are for that situation.
Day Hikes vs Backpacking
In this article, I am talking strictly about packing for day hikes. Backpacking with kids is a wonderful sport, but requires very different preparations and strategies from day hiking. For example, when day hiking you will usually bring all the water you need for your trip. When backpacking, you have to rely on water sources along the trail and a water filter for your hydration needs. I’m not going to discuss what you need to go backpacking in this article because that is such a different situation.
What to Bring for Kids on Super-Short Hikes
If you are going on a very short hike, such as one that is less than a mile in length, you don’t usually need to bring anything extra. Everyone should bring a water bottle, especially in hot weather, but you probably won’t need extra water on a hike that is this short. We don’t usually carry a pack on these quick and easy hikes. We bring our water bottles in our hands and a small snack in our pockets. Finally, I always bring my phone and tell someone where I am going.
Main Topics in This Article:
- How to Dress Your Kids
- Basic Hiking Gear
- Supplies to Bring
- How to Pack Snacks and Meals
- Keeping Kids Hydrated
- How to Pack Your Kid’s Backpacks
- What to Bring Hiking With a Baby
- What to Bring Hiking With Teens
How to Dress Your Kids for a Hike
It’s important for all hikers, both kids and adults, to dress properly. Before we leave for a hike, we always check the weather and dress in appropriate clothing. We also make sure to bring layers, such as waterproof ponchos or jackets, in most situations. If the weather will be cold, we dress in layers. You can learn more about dressing your kids for day hikes here.
Regular Clothing vs Hiking Clothes
In most situations, dressing kids to go hiking is simple. Most day hikes are short and done in relatively mild weather. In these conditions, kids can wear whatever they are comfortable in and already own. Parents can help kids choose the most suitable clothes, but in general, most trails can be tackled in ordinary clothing. In our family, we usually stick to trails that our youngest kids can tackle. This means we’ve rarely hiked trails over 4 to 5 miles, and our kids usually wear ordinary pants and t-shirts for these adventures.
You can buy specialty hiking clothes for kids, and these items can make sense in some situations. If families are hiking in more extreme temperatures, such as over 80° or under 50°, they should choose their children’s clothes more carefully. At these temperatures, being improperly dressed can be a matter of life and death. Consider purchasing outdoor pants, jackets, and insulating layers if you will be hiking in cold or wet weather or are going on an overnight backpacking trip. You should also take measures to dress your kids in cool and breathable clothes and wear sun hats if you are hiking in the heat.
Can Your Kids Hike in Jeans?
Jeans are a staple of American clothing, and most kids wear them regularly. However, are they a good choice for hiking?
Jeans are a good clothing option for kids who are day-hiking in mild weather. They are more affordable and easier to find than hiking pants. Jeans aren’t the best choice for backpacking, or when kids are hiking in wet or cold weather. Jeans are made of cotton, which can become wet, heavy, and cold in these conditions. Learn more about when and when NOT to hike in jeans.
If you decide to go on longer backpacking trips or hike during more extreme weather, you will need to consider buying hiking pants for your kids. These pants are made of quick-drying synthetic fabrics and resist snagging and tearing.
Do Your Kids Need Hiking Shoes?
Hiking shoes and boots are specially designed to provide support and traction for hikers. They are also created to withstand the hard rigors and treatment they get. However, it doesn’t always make sense to buy expensive hiking shoes for kids. This is because most kids don’t need the quality of a long-lasting shoe (they will outgrow them before they wear them out) and they aren’t usually hiking long, strenuous trails.
In some situations, it does make sense to purchase more expensive hiking shoes or boots for your kids. You can read more about that in my article Do Kids Need Hiking Boots? Five Ways to Decide.
Basic Hiking Gear for Day Hiking With Kids
Even the little hikers will need some gear in order to have fun and stay safe while hiking. What kids don’t need are heavy, overloaded packs full of expensive gadgets and gear they’ll never use. So how do beginning hikers know what to bring?
First, consider the length of the hike. If you are sticking to short- and medium-length hikes, like most families, you won’t need to bring as much stuff. For very short hikes, such as those under 1 mile in length, you can bring everything you need in your pockets and hands. For hikes up to about 5-6 miles, you will need to bring more gear, but it will still be minimal compared with what backpackers bring.
You should also consider the type of hike you are taking. If it’s a simple trail in moderate weather, you won’t need as much gear as you will for a strenuous trail or when hiking in cold or wet conditions. If you are on a budget, here is information on how to save money on hiking gear (including how to hike for free!)
“What do you need for hiking?”
“A water bottle and a backpack full of snacks.”
“What should you not bring?”
“Shorts. Cause you’ll get bug bites.”
— 7-year-old hiker
Packs For Little Hikers
While your kids don’t need much gear, most do enjoy bringing their own pack and supplies. Even the littlest kids want to feel independent and useful by bringing their own snacks. Even though kids are small and can’t carry much weight, it’s still important to find well-fitting, quality backpacks that are supportive and comfortable.
Child packs should have padded shoulder straps and, if possible, a waistband and chest clip. They should also fit properly and not hang down to your child’s bottom or sag away from their shoulders. Finally, smaller packs are generally preferable because you won’t be tempted to overfill them. Do you want to know more about loading kids’ packs safely? Read my article How Much Weight Should Kids Carry on a Hike?
For my kids, the best kinds of packs are fanny packs (also called lumbar packs) and hydration packs. Both of these styles of packs are small and naturally limit the amount of weight your child carries. They also tend to naturally distribute weight in a healthy way and are easy for kids to carry comfortably. Finally, they make it easy for kids to access their water without taking the pack off, increasing the chances that they will drink often.
Trekking Poles and Kids
Trekking poles are one of the most tempting kinds of hiking gear. However, are they needed for children?
Kids don’t need trekking poles for most day hikes. However, there are some situations where trekking poles make sense. If your kids are going on long hikes, or are hiking in strenuous terrain where maintaining good footing is difficult, child-size trekking poles can increase endurance and safety.
While trekking poles aren’t necessary for most kids doing short to medium-length hikes, they aren’t too expensive and they can be a fun Christmas or birthday gift for kids who love hiking. In addition, there are many benefits to having a good set of trekking poles while hiking. Trekking poles bring extra stability to your child if they are hiking over uneven or slippery surfaces. They can also help with endurance and speed by engaging the use of the upper body. For this reason, poles can help take the weight off your joints when walking downhill and give you an extra boost when climbing hills.
There aren’t many disadvantages to trekking poles outside of the expense of a gadget that isn’t actually required for the hobby. When your child isn’t using their sticks, they will add an extra pound or so to their load. Finally, there is the disadvantage of having something in your kids’ hands all the time and the resulting chance that they will lay them down and forget them.
Supplies to Bring When You Are Hiking With Kids
When you are hiking with kids along, you will need to consider bringing more supplies than you may ordinarily bring. You will need to bring extra water if they aren’t big enough to carry their own, and you will need to consider their survival needs in case of an emergency. While most family hikes are short and relatively safe, emergencies can happen anywhere. Take a common-sense approach to choosing the supplies you will need.
Comfort Items
If you have the space and it’s not too heavy, it can be a good idea to bring a comfort item for toddlers and young children. If your baby has a favorite stuffed animal or lovey, they will be more content if it comes along on hikes. Some older kids enjoy having a stuffy, doll, or toy along as well.
Survival and Safety Gear
It makes sense to bring some survival supplies when you are hiking. If the trail is very short and popular, you might choose not to bring any survival items. But on longer and more remote hikes, take basic and lightweight supplies like a flashlight and first aid kit. Other items that you might consider bringing, depending on location and weather, include:
- Multitool or knife
- Emergency foil blanket
- Toilet paper and Bags
- Phone
- Extra water
- Firestarter
- Energy drinks or snacks
- Water filter
- Handwarmers
- Navigation tools
Consider purchasing a small survival kit designed for hikers. They can be more affordable than buying supplies individually and are made to be lightweight. In addition, they likely contain items you hadn’t thought of, like the fishing supplies in this kit.
Packing Light
Even though you may be carrying extra gear and snacks for your kids, try to pack light. For trails under around 5 miles, consider minimizing your load by only bringing what you need such as water and the most basic supplies. This will reduce your back and shoulder strain and make the hike more enjoyable.
Why You Should Bring Your Phone When Hiking
Your phone can be a valuable survival tool if you encounter an emergency while hiking. If you truly need to be rescued, search and rescue teams may be able to use your phone to locate you. You can also use your phone to call for help if you have service and to help find your location through GPS even if you don’t have service.
How to Pack Snacks and Meals for Day Hikes
Even the shortest hike can be enhanced by the addition of a snack. Kids love looking forward to a treat, especially if it’s something they don’t usually get to have at home, and they enjoy carrying their own snack in their pocket or backpack for later.
Snacks Kids Can Bring on Day Hikes
When planning day hikes for your kids, make sure to plan for snacking. Stopping for a snack is a highlight of hiking for my kids. Not only do healthy snacks refuel their little bodies and help them keep going, but they break up the hike and help keep kids from getting bored and grumpy. I try to bring enough food so that kids will be able to eat something every 30 minutes or so. Younger children might need more frequent snack breaks.
Kids can bring their own snacks as long as they don’t weigh too much, and they enjoy the feeling of independence of carrying their own snacks. Here are easy, lightweight snack ideas for hikes with kids:
- Crackers
- Dried or fresh fruit
- Trail mix
- Snack mix
- Cheese sticks
- Pepperoni or Jerky
- Vegetables
- Fruit snacks
- Nuts
For more snack ideas, visit my list of the best snacks to bring hiking with kids.
How to Plan and Pack for Meals on Longer Hikes
On longer hikes, you might need more than snacks. If you are bringing a meal on your hiking trip, try to keep a few things in mind: Weight, trash, and simplicity.
- Weight: Keep your meals lightweight. If you are packing lunch for several people, especially little people who can’t carry much, it’s important to keep things from getting too heavy.
- Trash: Haul it in, haul it out. When packing meals and snacks, remember that you will need to carry out everything you bring with you. Try to minimize waste and packaging materials, because it’s easy for kids to drop their trash or allow it to blow away.
- Simplicity: Try to keep things simple. While a delicious, hot, freeze-dried meal sounds tempting, sometimes it’s better to just stick with a sandwich and some fresh veggies, especially if you are new to hiking.
In our family, we often take short hikes but drive a few hours to get to our trailhead. In these cases, we usually bring a picnic lunch to eat at the trailhead before or after our hike. This way, we can get a good meal (and avoid eating out) without having to carry food on our hike with us.
Keeping Kids Hydrated While Hiking
Staying hydrated while hiking is one of the most important things to plan for. Kids will drink more water than normal while hiking, and they can’t always carry enough water for the day in their own packs. If you want to learn more, read my detailed post addressing how to plan, prepare, and pack enough water.
Most people recommend bringing 1-2 cups of water for each hour a child will hike. This is a good start, but I recommend bringing more for older children, or when the weather is warm and sunny. I have also noticed that we tend to drink more per hour on a long hike because by mile 3 or 4 you are feeling tired and thirsty.
Choosing Water Bottles
When you are choosing a water bottle for your kids, make sure that you aren’t buying something that is too heavy. While features such as insulation and fancy lids are appealing, having a lightweight bottle is more important. Also, make sure that the bottles you select won’t leak if they get tipped over in a backpack.
Hydration Packs
Several of our kids have purchased hydration packs or asked for them as gifts. These packs are excellent choices for children: They are small, so they won’t be tempted to bring too much gear. They hold the weight of the water close to the child’s back, which helps the pack sit more comfortably and stay balanced. And because kids love the novelty and ease of using hydration packs, they tend to sip water more frequently, which is a good way to stay hydrated.
How to Pack Your Kid’s Backpacks For Day Hikes
Are your kids clambering for their own hiking packs? My kids enjoy having their own packs and bringing their own supplies, as long as they aren’t too heavy. Bringing their own water, snacks, sweater, and other supplies gives kids a feeling of independence and participation.
How to Stick to Weight Limits
People who carry too much weight in their backpacks can develop neck, back, and shoulder pain. They also tend to lean forward to balance the weight and tire easily. Because people are only supposed to carry 10-15% of their weight, it’s very easy for kids to overload their hiking packs. For example, a child who weighs 40 lbs can only carry about 4 lbs. If you calculate the weight of the pack and a water bottle, they are close to their limit already. Learn more about healthy backpack weights when hiking with kids, including charts for kids of different ages.
What Does Your Child NOT Need in Their Hiking Backpack?
Along with what items to bring when hiking, you should also consider what NOT to bring. It’s so easy to overload your kids’ packs or try to bring something for every possible situation. In fact, most of the time you won’t need much for a hike and you will enjoy your time much more if you aren’t carrying too much stuff. Here are some of the things your kids might not want to bring on day hikes:
- Survival supplies
- Fire-starting supplies
- Bear Spray
- Freeze-dried meals
- Heavy snack items
- Too much water
- Water filter
- Large backpacks
- Trekking poles
What to Bring When You Are Hiking With a Baby or Toddler
When you are hiking with a baby, you have to plan ahead. Check the weather and conditions you will be hiking in so you can prepare or postpone your hike when needed. Make sure that you consider the needs your baby will have, such as extra food and water, diapering needs, clothes changes, and entertainment needs.
In addition to considering the extra supplies you will need, you should also plan for how you will carry everything. The weight of your supplies, the baby’s supplies, and the baby themselves can mean a heavy load for a parent. If you can, double up with another adult to share the load. I also have a complete list of what to bring hiking with a baby.
Packing Lightly With a Baby
Even though you will need to bring more supplies, gear, and baby items when you have your little one along, it’s still possible to pack lightly. Minimizing what you take can help you enjoy the hike and have more energy to take care of your baby. Here are some tips for packing lightly:
- Keep extra baby supplies in the car: While you need some baby supplies on the hike with you, consider leaving extras and larger items in the car for your return.
- Consider how long you will be gone: If you are heading out on a very short hike (less than a mile or so) you can likely get by with minimal baby supplies. You will want water with you, but you may be able to skip the diapering supplies and snacks, especially with an older baby.
- Feed and change your baby before you head out: If you give your baby a snack and do a diaper change before you start down the trail, you will need to bring fewer of these supplies along with you.
- Stick to lightweight supplies: When you have a choice between baby supplies, choose a lighter option. For example, rather than bringing the whole baby wipe container stick a few in a ziplock bag. Choose lightweight snacks and bring individual portions.
Using a Stroller or Carrier
Most babies will go hiking in either a baby carrier or a stroller. Baby carriers and backpacks are probably the most popular way to take babies hiking because they allow families to go places where strollers can’t go, as well as giving the parents more freedom to move around. In addition, babies are often content and happy in carriers for long periods of time because they feel like they’re being held.
Parents who choose to hike with strollers often do so because their babies or toddler are too heavy for them to carry comfortably. Other people use strollers because their children are more independent or don’t enjoy being in carriers. This post has more tips on hiking with a stroller.
What to Bring When Hiking With Teens
How Much Can Your Teen Carry in Their Pack?
Once your kids are teenagers, they will be able to carry more weight.
Kids ages 13-18 can carry 10-15% of their weight when hiking. For most teens, this is around 10-20 lbs. Teens can carry all of their own supplies for day hikes, including extra water and survival supplies. If your teen is new to hiking, they may need to work up to that weight slowly.
Make sure that your teen chooses a pack that fits well. By the time your kid is older and close to their adult size, it makes sense to invest in a high-quality, well-fitting, and long-lasting outdoor hiking backpack. Have your teen measured and fit for their pack and it will be more comfortable.
Teaching Your Teen to Pack Lightly
Many teens, just like younger children, are eager to carry more in their packs than they need. Hiking enthusiasts of this age may need a restraining hand to help them learn how to pack lightly and which items are most important. Help them weigh different items, brainstorm different scenarios and situations they may find themselves in, and strategize what they should bring and what they should leave in the car.
Survival and Safety Supplies for Teens
Teens can start bringing survival and safety supplies once they are big enough to support more weight. First aid kits, knives, multi-tools, survival blankets, fire starters, water filters, and similar supplies are fun and useful. In an emergency situation, your teen needs to have experience with these supplies in order to use them properly. This is why it makes sense for them to start carrying and practicing with them on ordinary hiking expeditions. Once your kids are ready for this, hiking and camping trips become even more fun and educational.
Conclusion
This post is the first in a series of articles about what to bring when hiking with kids. Here are the rest of the posts:
What to Bring Hiking With a Baby or Toddler
What Your Kids Should Carry When Hiking
How Much Weight Should Kids Carry on a Hike? Tips and Tricks
The BEST Snacks to Bring Hiking With Kids