Last week my seven year old when on his first overnight hike with his dad and grandpa–just three men from three different generations enjoying some time together outdoors. My son was so excited, but I know from previous experience taking our kids camping (without the hiking involved) or participating in other physical outdoor activities that it’s always best to be prepared. Here are some tips to help your kiddos prepare for their first overnight hike experience! This post contains affiliate links which are provided for your convenience. As always, all opinions are completely my own.
tips to prepare for your child’s first overnight hike
research the hike and equipment
My husband did so much research for this experience ahead of time. From what type of backpack, to the right sleeping bag, and kid-friendly mess kit. Although our son already had a sleeping bag, it wasn’t rated for very low temperatures. Mike was also trying to find a bag that would grow with our son and would be relatively lightweight and suitable for backpacking. That’s a lot of requirements! Mike finally settled on the TETON Sports Leef sleeping bag. The great thing is that it’s one that should last our son many years to come.
Another purchase that he researched extensively was our son’s backpack. Mike choose the Deuter Fox 30 Kid’s Hiking Backpack for a good introductory backpack for our little buddy. It’s one that he will grow out of, but it’s good quality and we have a few other kids that should be able to get some good use out of it.
| Read: How to Take your Kids Camping and Stay Sane |
prepare for all circumstances
We made sure to do a lot of physical preparation for my son in the weeks leading up to his first overnight hike. He’s a pretty active boy and we go on walks nearly every morning, but hiking with a backpack is another story, even when you’re only going a couple of miles. Mike made sure to order his backpack well enough in advance so that our son could start carrying it on his morning walks. First we merely stuffed his sleeping bag in there, then we added small weights to simulate what he’d be carrying. Keep in mind he’s only seven so his bag weighed just a little over ten pounds, but it’s still a good idea to get used to carrying the weight around–a well-prepared hiker is a happy hiker!
| Read: 5 National Parks to Take Your Kids To |
plan that first overnight hike
Something that I really appreciate about Mike is that he is a meticulous planner. Not only had he done so much research beforehand on different equipment, but he also picked a hike that would be easy enough for a little first-time backpacker. It also helps that we just happen to live in a beautiful area of California (seriously, I think it’s one of the prettiest parts of the state) and there was a fun (albeit freezing!) lake at their destination where they could splash around and even do a little fishing. This hike actually had several potential stopping points along the way just in case our son wasn’t able to make it to the planned destination. I think when planning a trip like this with little ones (especially when it’s their first time) it’s important to be flexible and have a back-up plan.
Does your family like to go on overnight hikes? Is it on your family travel bucket list?
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14 Responses to preparing your child for their first overnight hike
Thanks for the tips on this! I am so glad he had such a fun time =)
Ah! Exciting! Overnight hikes are always so fun. My husband is a meticulous planner as well. I love that you’re doing this to raise awareness for for a disease. So often we get so busy with our lives we don’t often reach out to others to help. I love this! I hope this isn’t your last overnight hike! We’re planning on taking one when our youngest is at least a year 🙂
Thank you for participating in hike for Grayson! I know it means a lot to the family! And I love this post! Can I just strap backpacks to my kids to wear them out?? lol, just kidding.
Great tips for getting a child prepared to go on a first hike.
What a fun hike for your little guy! We’ll need to go on a hike soon!
Wow, an overnight hike sounds great. My boys probably wouldn’t enjoy it though!
I love that he did his first backpacking trip at 7! It’s so cool placing a little responsibility on their shoulders early on, letting them learn to carry their own weight and experience trips.
What an awesome trip for a great cause! We just started backyard camping, so I don’t think we are quite at this level yet, but pinning for a few summers from now when we kick things into high gear!!
How fun, thanks for these tips!
Although I think we’re a few years out from this, these are great tips!
Wow, this is so cool! My husband and I love to hike & we’re really looking forward to taking the kids someday.
We haven’t done an overnight hike yet. Looking forward to when we do.
I can’t wait till RHys is old enough to do stuff like tht!
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