To get your kids to enjoy the backcountry in general, you have to get them out there and stay the night, and that will involve carrying gear. Just how much gear can your kid carry?
Backpacker magazine addresses this for a ten-year old at Backpacker Magazine - Kids and Backpacking.
I didn't get into the backcountry with 3 1/2 year old Paul this year like I was hoping to. The plan now is to start in June in the Little Firehole Meadows area of Yellowstone National Park. That's a relatively short hike at 2-3 miles, mostly flat, and at a low enough elevation to be relatively warm at night. Oh yeah, there is some fishing available, too!
This summer, Paul was able to carry his little camelback with a couple toys, a rain jacket, and about
12 ounces of water. He could carry that for an hour or so, covering about 1.5- 2 miles.
Noah is 18 months old and still in diapers. I don't do diapers in bear country.
Bottome line is that I'm planning to carry most of the stuff next summer. The goal is to get the kids to want to go back to the backcountry as their favorite place, not to see what their carrying capacity is.
Backpacker magazine addresses this for a ten-year old at Backpacker Magazine - Kids and Backpacking.
I didn't get into the backcountry with 3 1/2 year old Paul this year like I was hoping to. The plan now is to start in June in the Little Firehole Meadows area of Yellowstone National Park. That's a relatively short hike at 2-3 miles, mostly flat, and at a low enough elevation to be relatively warm at night. Oh yeah, there is some fishing available, too!
This summer, Paul was able to carry his little camelback with a couple toys, a rain jacket, and about
12 ounces of water. He could carry that for an hour or so, covering about 1.5- 2 miles.
Noah is 18 months old and still in diapers. I don't do diapers in bear country.
Bottome line is that I'm planning to carry most of the stuff next summer. The goal is to get the kids to want to go back to the backcountry as their favorite place, not to see what their carrying capacity is.
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