Page 1 of 4 123 ... LastLast
Results 1 to 10 of 33
  1. #1
    Senior Member
    Join Date
    Jul 2011
    Location
    Springfield,TN
    Hammock
    DIY Whipped End
    Tarp
    DIY Cat Cut
    Insulation
    Synthetic bag/PLUQ
    Suspension
    Whoopies
    Posts
    500

    back packing with kids

    so i have ran across just jeff page and a few others and i was wondering how do you pack for kids?

    my kids are 7 and 9... and we have all been doing 5 - 7 mile day hikes and everyone has been doing just fine but I have been the mule lol. so the wife and I are planning on doing a 1-2 night hike at land between the lakes here soon. So I am tring to get all my gear together to see what all is going in the wife bag and mine. as for the kids their bags are 1 pound 3 oz and I plan on them just carring water and hammock with top quilt( we will be going when it is a low of 70 out ( wives' request) so I now have to get a bag for the wife and I. will Rei let me take all my gear in and pack a bag to see hgow it fits? Because i don't know what size to get.

    any advice on what and how you pack with kids would be awesome and bonus for excel spread sheets on the bags( I am an addict already)

  2. #2
    all secure in sector 7 Shug's Avatar
    Join Date
    Oct 2007
    Location
    Minnesota
    Hammock
    I have many so....
    Tarp
    Blackcrow DIY Tarp
    Insulation
    FrankenquiltUQ/Pod
    Suspension
    Whoopie Slings
    Posts
    23,394
    Images
    62
    Friend of mine just did a video showing what goes in his 7 year old daughters pack.....this may help give some ideas.....http://youtu.be/2qPAishYXfY
    Shug
    Whooooo Buddy)))) All Secure in Sector Seven

  3. #3
    Senior Member
    Join Date
    Jul 2011
    Location
    Springfield,TN
    Hammock
    DIY Whipped End
    Tarp
    DIY Cat Cut
    Insulation
    Synthetic bag/PLUQ
    Suspension
    Whoopies
    Posts
    500

    Re: back packing with kids

    Quote Originally Posted by Shug View Post
    Friend of mine just did a video showing what goes in his 7 year old daughters pack.....this may help give some ideas.....http://youtu.be/2qPAishYXfY
    Shug
    Awesome video. With a lot of insight. He mentioned the first aid kit is going to be in his bag in the video does he up the contents of the kit since it is for more people?

  4. #4
    Senior Member
    Join Date
    Jul 2011
    Location
    Springfield,TN
    Hammock
    DIY Whipped End
    Tarp
    DIY Cat Cut
    Insulation
    Synthetic bag/PLUQ
    Suspension
    Whoopies
    Posts
    500

    Re: back packing with kids

    Anyone else have ideas, sugestions, or wisdom.

    What did you all learn the hard way?

  5. #5
    Senior Member Brute1100's Avatar
    Join Date
    May 2012
    Location
    South Texas
    Hammock
    WWM or tablecloth
    Tarp
    SuperFly
    Insulation
    shamu 40*
    Suspension
    UCR whoopie
    Posts
    2,319
    Images
    1

    Re: back packing with kids

    Make them carry essentials... Water, some food, whistle, bad weather gear if it's that area for you... That will take some load off of you and also give them some security if they get split off from you...
    Live, Laugh, Love, if that doesn't work. Load, Aim and Fire, repeat as necessary...

    Buy, Try, Learn, Repeat

  6. #6
    Member Gone Native's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2010
    Location
    sarasota, fl.
    Hammock
    wbbb
    Tarp
    camo diamond fly
    Insulation
    hammock gear 3-sea
    Suspension
    wbbb stock set up
    Posts
    64
    My 10 yo boy carries all his own stuff, including water for the last 3 years. These are trips in the 5 to 9 mile range.
    SPECIALK

  7. #7
    Senior Member Detail Man's Avatar
    Join Date
    Aug 2010
    Location
    Knoxville, TN
    Hammock
    DIY or Bonefire Whisper
    Tarp
    DIY Silpoly
    Insulation
    Incubator, Burrow
    Suspension
    Bonefire Deluxe
    Posts
    889
    Images
    5
    Quote Originally Posted by Brute1100 View Post
    Make them carry essentials... Water, some food, whistle, bad weather gear if it's that area for you... That will take some load off of you and also give them some security if they get split off from you...
    Definitely these few essentials. Each of my kids is in charge of their water bottle and snack bag. My kids like trail mix as a snack. They get a small bag each for the whole day, and have permission to eat when they need some calories. I'd add a headlamp to this list.

    Depending on the size of your kids, they could carry their hammock and/or quilts. My kids think it's a big thing to carry their own setup.

    Supper meals, tarps, cook kits, and so on get carried by me.

    As a rule of thumb, I try to keep their pack weight 10-12% of body weight at most.

  8. #8
    Senior Member breyman's Avatar
    Join Date
    Aug 2012
    Location
    Denver, CO
    Hammock
    WBRR
    Tarp
    Superfly
    Insulation
    Lynx/Quilts
    Suspension
    Straps
    Posts
    1,703
    Images
    2
    +1 to what everyone else has said. Good rules for sure. 10-12% by detail man is solid, especially with growing kids. But, be prepared to adjust that up or down a bit depending on the person. Each child responds differently (in both strength and enthusiasm).

    We have 4 kids (5, 6, 8, 10) and are backpacking with them more and more. As others have mentioned, their packs typically include the following. For now, our trips are short - not even for them so much as the fact that my wife and I can only carry so much for distances to make up for what they can't yet carry. We're excited, though, as each year they carry a bit more.

    - Backpack (1-3 pounds)
    - Water bottle
    - Sleeping bag
    - Pad (gotta love that z-lites work for the kids!)
    - Snack
    - Misc. items (headlamp, spork, one stuffed animal/toy)

    The 5 year old (just turned 5) doesn't yet carry her sleeping bag and pad. Probably later this year or next.


    Other tips for backpacking. You probably do some or all of these on your longer day hikes, but I thought I'd toss them out.
    - If the kids sleep in hammocks, practice in the back yard first. This builds their confidence. With four kids, ours sleep in a lightweight 4-man tent while the wife and I hammock. They get hammocks in any trips where I take just one or two of them at a time.
    - Lots of food - frequently. Energy and attitude is directly related to the frequency of eating.
    - Find fun things along the way to motivate them. We'll mix in identifying plants, taking off the packs to play a game, provide an M&M or similar candy for each time someone can spot something specific.
    - Sometimes we'll even bring one of those little extension claws used to pick up trash and my wife will nip anyone in the hat, arm or leg that she gets too close to. It doesn't last forever, but it'll motivate them to pick up the pace for a while when they start dragging their feet. It's also handy for picking up trash on the trail to help reinforce leave no trace.
    - Depending on the temperatures, we'll sometimes play a game right when we get up or right before bed. Even in the summer here in Colorado, it can drop to around freezing overnight. We'll get up and go on a walk, run around or do something similar to get their internal engines going to help with not getting cold.
    - We assign one of the children (rotating them) to be a planner for each and every trip. We work closely with them to provide some guidelines to operate within, but then let them plan the location, food, etc. (with our input). Letting them make the decisions and be the "leader" on the trip gives them concrete planning and outdoor/navigation skills and keeps them even more motivated on the trail.

    Okay - enough thoughts for now. Hope that helps.
    Brian
    Denver, CO
    Father. Husband. Scoutmaster.

  9. #9
    Member Second Wind's Avatar
    Join Date
    Aug 2012
    Location
    MDI, ME
    Hammock
    Dutch Chameleon
    Tarp
    Warbonnet Mamajamb
    Insulation
    Down UQ and TQ
    Suspension
    Whoopies or Cinch
    Posts
    74
    Very good ideas there Breyman. My 8 & 10 yr olds say they want to backpack, but worried about getting 1/2 mile down the trail and having one of them poop out on me

  10. #10
    Senior Member breyman's Avatar
    Join Date
    Aug 2012
    Location
    Denver, CO
    Hammock
    WBRR
    Tarp
    Superfly
    Insulation
    Lynx/Quilts
    Suspension
    Straps
    Posts
    1,703
    Images
    2
    Quote Originally Posted by Second Wind View Post
    Very good ideas there Breyman. My 8 & 10 yr olds say they want to backpack, but worried about getting 1/2 mile down the trail and having one of them poop out on me
    Thanks!

    Yah, it's definitely a marathon, not a sprint. Our first trip was 3/4 of a mile (and we still do that one frequently as it's close by). We're going a bit longer and longer each time but still can't do too much quite yet. We want them to enjoy it so that they keep wanting to do it as they get older.
    Brian
    Denver, CO
    Father. Husband. Scoutmaster.

  • + New Posts
  • Page 1 of 4 123 ... LastLast

    Similar Threads

    1. Back Packing Gear Test Review
      By Peter_pan in forum Jacks-R-Better
      Replies: 7
      Last Post: 12-10-2013, 07:08
    2. Kids Donations to end up donating back
      By phatpacker in forum Archived WTB
      Replies: 2
      Last Post: 08-05-2012, 20:57

    Bookmarks

    Posting Permissions

    • You may not post new threads
    • You may not post replies
    • You may not post attachments
    • You may not edit your posts
    •