Hiking with Children

Outdoor Gear Manufacturers have discovered children in the 1990s. The amount of kid gear on the market has been steadily increasing during the decade.

Sleeping Bags

Sleeping bags can be purchased for children between the sizes of 48 and 54 inches. From $40 to $100, a 15-degree or higher bag in the backpacker's mummy design is available. Griffin loves her Tough Traveler Growing Bear. It's a 25-degree bag that weighs 2 pounds and costs about $145. It grows from 39 to 55 inches with zip-on extensions. Other manufacturers making kid bags include Feathered Friends, Eastern Mountain Sports, Peak 1, REI and The North Face.

Packs

There are also packs designed especially for children as well as for parents who carry their children. Tough Traveler, Gerry and Kelty all make superb packs to carry your infant or toddler. Designed to hold kids up to 40 pounds, all include a pocket to carry diapers and other essentials for your baby. An optional rain/sunscreen can be purchased with the Tough Traveler as can extra pockets. Child carriers cost from $50 to $120.

Children's packs are made by a number of manufacturers, including Tough Traveler, REI, Kelty, Jansport, and Osprey. The Osprey Pika costs $95 and Tough Traveler's Camper costs about $105.

Boots

Manufacturers offer children's hiking boots, too! Vasque, Hi-Tec, Tecnica and others make hiking boots for children starting at about children's size ten. You can even find little boots for toddlers, but make sure they can actually walk in them before you purchase them for your child— they may be absolutely adorable but too rigid for a toddler's intrepid step. Hiking boots for children cost $30 to $50. When Griffin spent more time riding than walking, we had success with tough tennis shoes and non-name brand boots from discount shoe stores. That kept the cost down to about $15 to $20. Now her hiking style demands boots as rugged as our own.

© Article copyright Menasha Ridge Press. All rights reserved.