Beginner’s Guide to Backpacking With Kids
We believe childhood is built on ordinary weekends, not extraordinary vacations. So when we tell you our first family backpacking trip was nowhere near perfect we mean it as an invitation, not a warning label.
Backpacking with kids can feel intimidating before you’ve done it. Between the gear, the safety concerns, the unpredictable weather, and the fear of carrying tiny humans into the wilderness, it’s easy to think your family just isn’t “outdoorsy enough” for it.
Here’s the truth: you don’t need to be elite hikers. You don’t need thousands of dollars in gear. You need realistic expectations, a little preparation, and the willingness to let the trip be imperfect.
We didn’t start backpacking with our kids because we wanted another activity to check off. We started because we believe children grow up inside the lifestyle their parents choose to live, and we wanted that lifestyle to include tents, trail dirt, and skies without ceilings.
If you’ve been curious about backpacking with kids but don’t know where to begin, here’s everything we’ve learned along the way.
Everything We Wish We Knew Before Our First Family Backpacking Trip
Why Backpacking With Kids Is Worth It
Before the gear lists and logistics, it’s worth remembering why families do this at all.
Backpacking teaches kids resilience, confidence, adaptability, patience, and problem-solving. But just as importantly, it slows family life down in the best possible way.
Without screens, schedules, or distractions, you spend time together differently. Kids notice things adults overlook. They get curious, creative, and surprisingly capable and parents grow through it too.
This is the part of backpacking nobody puts on the gear list, but it’s the entire reason we keep going back: it’s not the miles that stay with you. It’s the ordinary, unremarkable hour by the fire where nobody wanted to be anywhere else.
Can You Really Backpack With Young Kids?
Yes! Families backpack with babies, toddlers, preschoolers, and elementary-age kids. It just looks different than backpacking without them.
Your pace will be slower. Your mileage will be shorter. Plans will change. Flexibility becomes part of the adventure, not a failure of it.
The goal was never to cover distance. The goal is to build a family who feels at home outside, one short trip at a time.t build confidence over time.
The Biggest Mistake Beginner Families Make
The most common mistake: trying to do too much, too soon.
Your first trip does not need huge mileage, difficult terrain, epic elevation gain, extreme weather, or remote wilderness.
The best first family backpacking trip is short, simple, low-stress, and close to home. A successful easy trip builds confidence and helps kids associate backpacking with fun not exhaustion. That association is everything for trip number two.confidence and helps kids associate backpacking with fun instead of exhaustion.
How to Choose Your First Backpacking Trip With Kids
When choosing your first backpacking trail with kids, prioritize simplicity over scenery.
One of the best tools we use to plan family backpacking trips is AllTrails. It helps us research trails ahead of time and decide whether a route is actually realistic for our family. Before every trip, we check mileage, elevation gain, recent trail conditions, water availability, campsite information, and photos from other hikers, because a trail description and a trail reality are often two different things.
For your first family backpacking trip, look for:
- short mileage (1–4 miles to camp)
- reliable water access
- minimal elevation gain
- established campsites
- mild weather
- easy navigation
- options to turn around if needed
We also look for trails with things kids actually care about — rivers, bridges, lakes, waterfalls, rocks to climb, open space to explore. Long, flat, feature-less miles are harder for kids than shorter adventurous ones, every single time.
The right first trail can completely change how your family feels about backpacking. A well-chosen beginner trip builds the confidence that makes kids ask to go again — which, if we’re honest, is the actual goal.
(We go much deeper on exactly how we choose a first trail — mileage, campsites, water sources, drive time, and our after-lunch timing trick — in How to Choose Your First Overnight Backpacking Trail.). A well-planned beginner trail builds confidence and makes kids excited to go again.
Realistic Mileage Expectations by Age
Every child is different, but these ranges can help set realistic expectations:
Toddlers (1–3 years): Usually carried most or all of the time. Short hiking days work best. Focus on comfort and flexibility over distance.When we’re backpacking with a toddler, a comfortable carrying system changes everything. One setup we personally use and trust is the Trail Magik Kid Carrier, which attaches to a backpacking pack and lets us carry our toddler comfortably without sacrificing our own gear capacity.
Preschoolers (3–5 years): May hike portions independently. Frequent breaks are essential. Adventure matters more than distance, a good stick or a stream crossing will get you further than a trail map ever will.
Ages 5–8: Can often hike several miles with encouragement. Snacks and involvement in decision-making (which way should we go? where should we stop?) go a long way.
Kids are usually capable of more than we expect, as long as the experience stays positive.
Backpacking Gear You Actually Need
One of the biggest myths about backpacking is that you need thousands of dollars in gear before you start. You don’t.
Start simple. Borrow gear. Rent gear. Buy secondhand. Build your kit gradually over seasons, not all at once.
Prioritize safety, warmth, and staying dry, not an expensive ultralight setup.
Shelter: Lightweight tent, ground tarp if needed Sleep system: Sleeping bags rated for temperature, sleeping pads, warm sleep layers Water: Filter or purification system, bottles or reservoirs Cooking: Small backpacking stove, fuel, lightweight cookware, easy meals Clothing: Avoid cotton. Bring rain protection, warm layers, extra socks Safety: First aid kit, headlamps, navigation tools, emergency layers, sunscreen, bug protection
(Want the exact checklist we run through before every trip? Grab our free Family Backpacking Checklist, it’s the same one we use.)
Backpacking With Toddlers: What Nobody Tells You
Toddlers are honestly one of the hardest and funniest ages to backpack with.
They may refuse to walk, demand snacks constantly, melt down without warning, become deeply obsessed with a single stick, and take twenty minutes to cover a hundred feet.
They also find wonder everywhere, love dirt more than any toy you’ve ever bought them, and adapt in ways that will surprise you.
The key is adjusting what “success” means. Success isn’t mileage. Sometimes success is: everyone stayed warm, everyone ate, everyone smiled at least once, and nobody had to hike out at midnight. That counts. That’s a win. Write it down as one.
Our Best Advice for Backpacking With Kids
- Start smaller than you think. Your first trip should feel almost too easy.
- Prioritize fun over distance. Play, explore, snack, let the process take longer than planned.
- Expect things to go wrong. Rain happens. Meltdowns happen. Plans change. That’s normal — not a sign you did it wrong.
- Bring more snacks than you think you need. Snacks solve more outdoor problems than any piece of gear.
- Don’t compare your family to anyone else’s trail photos. Every family moves at its own pace, and comparison is the fastest way to talk yourself out of going at all.
- Build confidence gradually. You don’t need to become expert backpackers overnight. You just need one good trip to lead to the next one.
Backpacking on a Budget
Outdoor gear adds up fast, especially for kids who outgrow everything by next season. Buy used, borrow from friends, shop the seasonal sales, and prioritize the essentials first. Secondhand gear for kids is almost always the right call, they’ll be a size bigger before it’s worn out anyway.
Is Backpacking With Kids Hard?
Sometimes, yes. It’s not always relaxing, it’s not always peaceful, and it definitely doesn’t always look Instagram-perfect.
But most things worth doing as a family aren’t easy, they’re just worth it. The confidence kids build outdoors carries into everyday life. And the memories become part of the story your family tells about itself.
Final Thoughts
You don’t need to wait until your kids are older. You don’t need perfect gear. You don’t need to be expert hikers.
You need one weekend, chosen on purpose.
Because years from now, your kids won’t remember the exact mileage or the perfect campsite. They’ll remember falling asleep under the stars, eating snacks by the lake, watching the sunrise from a tent, and the quiet, ordinary feeling that adventure was simply part of family life.
Because the truth is you don’t need more money or more time. You need more intentional weekends.
Free Family Backpacking Checklist
If you’re preparing for your first family backpacking trip, grab our free Family Backpacking Checklist, the exact one we use before every trip.
Follow more of our real (not-always-perfect) outdoor family adventures on Instagram @reunitedbyadventures.
