We have been camping with both of our kids since they were 6 months or so. We started with car camping and moved into backpacking with my oldest when he was 3 last year. When they were very little and to keep them warm we would use a three person 3-4 season convertible tent (one with zip shut mesh panels so our body heat would warm the tent) we put them in a porta crib like this one that isn't much wider than a standard sleeping mat (it uses a 48"x20" mat inside of it). We also brought a light weight sheet and a old rectangular down sleeping bag that we would drape over the crib for warmth/darkness. This worked out well for both of them.
For my son at 2ish we started him in his own sleeping bag. At first we put him in one of ours but that was horrible he was swimming in it and inched himself all around the tent. We then found this Big Agnes kids sleeping bag that has an integrated pad sleeve which with him zipped into it keeps him in one place. We highly recommended it. With that bag find that every now and then I have to open the bottom and reach in, grab his ankle and pull him back in after he starts to drift out but that is it. After switching to that sleeping bag he has been a champ. We also have him wear a pull up for now as he is not 100% at not wetting the bed on normal nights and don't want to deal with it in a tent. Next spring will be the transition from porta crib to bag for our daughter.
The last two summers we have even done short backpacking over nights. Near us there is a nice lean-to that is about a mile walk in and we have gone out to it a few times. I carry all the gear and he has a little backpack with his stuffed animals, some snacks and a whistle. It takes a bit and he gets tired of walking but we stop a couple times to check out something neat or have an energy breaks with dried fruit.
Most importantly it I will also say is to practice at home before you don't have better options. Try the setup and tune it as needed. It will start to train your kids that this is normal so they get used to it. We camp out with our kids regularly in the back yard. I would say at a minimum of one night each month all summer and with my son we try to do at least a few nights around the year as he gets more comfortable.
Here are some shameless shots of us camping...
Little man getting ready for us to cook dinner over the fire at the lean-to. (3 years old)
Saying goodnight to mommy on our winter campout in the back yard last winter.
Warm and cozy that night.
and our tent in the morning.
Our son loves it. He gets super excited when we tell him we are going to camp out. Hope that helps out and is a good encouragement. Camping is great and camping with kids as amazing as well when done correctly. The first couple times when we were getting the gear figured out and he was getting used to it were a little rough but it gets much better.
Monochelli, that looks f*cking awesome. Well done.
Keeping an eye on all these kid camping tips...
As we're drive-in drive-out camping we just bring the mattress from the cot and have it by our camping mattress in the tent. We have no real sleep issues, possibly in part because we do some co sleeping at home.
I'll have more of an idea after our trip in about a month's time, though it's a bit different camping down here, generally much warmer temperatures.
I'm devising a new coffee rig which has me quite excited.
PS, as an Australian, that last photo terrifies me.
Anyone have a preferred reference website to find backpacking/hiking trails? In my head it seems there would be a database somewhere with trails sortable by difficulty, features, wildlife, etc. But maybe it's not so simple?
I don't think it's quite so simple. However, this site seems like a good starting point.
Kid camping!
We only started at age four and we realized we could have started earlier. However I will say that I think it would be much more difficult before about age four. Our daughter can walk a lot further now. Hiking in before four might be a real challenge, so car camping is probably smart for the first bit.
Here are some shots of our last fall trip (down around 40f at night; as cold as I'd reasonably go with the gear we have now). I think it's about a two mile hike in? This was the first time with the dog, and both she and the kid did great.
I'd say the biggest challenge is having to carry all the extra gear for the kid. Although she needs less stuff than a full grown adult human, it still adds up, and I end up having to lash some of her stuff to the outside of my pack. Just like MonoCheli mentioned, our daughter carries a backpack of her own, but it's only got stuffed animals and other toys in it, which is not actually very helpful. It gets worse when she says *that* is too heavy to carry 
Yeah, kids are funny with hiking. They can go a surprisingly long way, they just don't necessarily want to. When my twins were 3 1/2 we actually did a 7 mile (round trip) hill climb in Glacier National Park up to a snowmelt lake. We took time out to investigate stuff on the way, climb rocks, take photos, etc, but they were actually fine. The biggest problem we had was that our oldest (5) started getting a hotspot on one of her feet on the way down, so I carried her for a bit, then we got some socks on her (the kids were wearing hiking sandals and had taken off their socks to play in the lake) and she was fine.
Looking back, the hike was really a bit too long for them, but mostly in terms of their interest level. The stops helped a lot though, as did playing in the snowmelt lake at the top. I also had a firm policy about not carrying kids or their stuff, because on our previous shorter hikes I often ended up carrying multiple kids, sometimes simultaneously, mostly because they asked and I'm a sucker. I said carrying would only happen in emergencies, like if someone hurt their leg. We also thoroughly prepared them for the fact that deciding to turn around means you still have to walk all the way back to the start, and really stayed on top of how they were feeling, taking frequent water and snack breaks, etc.
For a backpacking trip... I probably wouldn't do more than 5 miles in a day with my kids. Figure that's a 3 hour walk for short legs, which is a significant portion of the day once you figure in play breaks and lunchtime. You want to have tons of time to set up camp and play once you get to your destination as well.
I am really looking forward to getting a camping/biking session going this spring/summer. I just picked up a bike rack for my car, and I am raring to go!
Also, my oldest will be going on his first camping outings with the Boy Scouts this year too.
Anyone have a preferred reference website to find backpacking/hiking trails? In my head it seems there would be a database somewhere with trails sortable by difficulty, features, wildlife, etc. But maybe it's not so simple?
This'll be no use to you, but over on the west/best coast, we have Washington Trails Association , which is a non-profit that does exactly that. Not sure if you have something similar in Mass.
Also, the State has decent information on trails in state parks.
But your best bet may be to get down to your local bookstore or outdoor retailer (do you have REI over there?). There'll be loads of options of books listing trails in your area. Or, you know, Amazon. I have a whole host of books of hiking trails for areas around me, one for trail running, another for snowshoeing and another couple for cycling. They're well thumbed
Anyone have a preferred reference website to find backpacking/hiking trails? In my head it seems there would be a database somewhere with trails sortable by difficulty, features, wildlife, etc. But maybe it's not so simple?
Also probably not much help to you, but for VA, MD, and NC there is Hiking Upward.
For every hike, it gives a general 5 star rating, and 5 star ratings for Difficulty, Streams, Views, Solitude, & Camping. It also gives a synopsis, elevation gain, time estimate, topos, elevation profile, location maps, special instructions for staying on the right trail, user pictures & reviews, and an easy google maps directions input field.
There's also a map of all the hikes (with parameter filters, which is news to me!), and listing by park/forest.
I've done a bunch of hikes near my home and it always amazes me how difficult it is to find trail maps online. There also doesn't seem to be a leading website or service for it either. I can't tell if it's because folks want to charge for maps or that they're trying to keep trails hidden.
Thanks for the links above, I'll try them out!
Personally, I find maps and trails for day hikes using iOS apps: Park Finder, Sierra Club Trail Explorer (which I can't find a link for and may be dead), and Maplets. Also Gaia GPS if I want anything resembling a topo map.
Took a short hike up Mt. Battie in Camden, ME. It's only 780 feet or so, but it overlooks Penobscot Bay which is pretty cool. I was in the area to celebrate two years with my girlfriend.
Panoramic view, let's see if this works...
Fantastic view
Took a short hike up Mt. Battie in Camden, ME.
Looks beautiful. I had to look up where Camden is...and now I want to go there.
I'm happy this thread is semi-active again. It's making me excited for spring. I turned into a parent last year, but by March I think we'll be ready to try some hikes with a baby-carrier backpack.
Blind_Evil wrote:Took a short hike up Mt. Battie in Camden, ME.
Looks beautiful. I had to look up where Camden is...and now I want to go there.
I'm happy this thread is semi-active again. It's making me excited for spring. I turned into a parent last year, but by March I think we'll be ready to try some hikes with a baby-carrier backpack.
For what it's worth, I took Olive out for her first hike in the woods in a Baby Bjorn around 3 months old, and in a backpack carrier from 6 months. It was a blatant attempt to indoctrinate her into how awesome being in the woods is, and I'm happy to report that it totally worked - she gets super excited to go hiking now, and at 2 years old, she's spending roughly half our hiking time on foot herself, and I load her into the backpack once she gets tired, or when we need to navigate steep terrain.
TL:DR version - you're totally ready to get out there with the kid
Totally second that. I've been walking/hiking with the Jabberwocky since she was about a month old. Get you a nice, supportive soft structured carrier (I use and love Lillebaby) or backpack carrier and just go for it! There's a pretty strong used market for these if you don't want to pay full price.
I'm now a co-lead of my local branch, so I would be remiss if I didn't plug Hike it Baby. Even if there's no branch in your area, there are a lot of good tips and info about hiking with littles on the blog, including in cold weather.
I personally haven't been on any big epic hikes with a baby, but I've seen many FB posts from folks who have. Let me just say that the Alaska mamas really take advantage of their short summers and gorgeous landscapes!
Looking for a recommendation. I want a larger daypack that happens to be unisex so my girlfriend can lug it if and when I ever tempt her into a backpacking trip. Any recommendations? Osprey's Exos 38 seems solid.
I love Osprey packs. However, even though they do have unisex packs, sizing is super important for them to fit comfortably, so unless she's about as tall as you are, they might be a pass. Best bet is to check em out in person.
We're both 5'10", luckily in this case. She may have a longer torso than me, but this is primarily for me so my measurements get priority.
As long as you're both pretty close in height, a slight difference in torso length shouldn't be an issue at all.
My wife and I are 5'10" and have Osprey Talon 33s and they are a good size and the best thing is you can half fill them or over stuff them and they still sit well. They hold a lot of stuff. They are great for airport travel as well.
Looking for a recommendation. I want a larger daypack that happens to be unisex so my girlfriend can lug it if and when I ever tempt her into a backpacking trip. Any recommendations? Osprey's Exos 38 seems solid.
Best recommendation is for both of you to go shopping together for that pack. Without you both trying it on, it's a crapshoot as to whether it'll fit both of you.
We are all over the Lillebaby. My bean is only four months, so we've only done short walks around the block so far. I can't wait to hit the woods as soon as the weather warms up a bit and the snow melts.
I'm partial to Osprey packs, too. I've got my eye on an Osprey child carrier for when we're ready to tackle some of the more rugged trails around here.
We are all over the Lillebaby. My bean is only four months, so we've only done short walks around the block so far. I can't wait to hit the woods as soon as the weather warms up a bit and the snow melts.
I'm partial to Osprey packs, too. I've got my eye on an Osprey child carrier for when we're ready to tackle some of the more rugged trails around here.
More love for Osprey packs, both backpacking and kid-carriers. I have a Poco, and it's the *bomb*. Super comfortable for both of us, and really smartly designed. My only complaint is that the the cell-phone pocket on one of the straps is too small for the iPhone 6 I got literally a month after I got the pack
Hiked the Tongariro Crossing (in New Zealand) over the weekend, amazing place:
Pythagean that looks rad. Really want to get back to NZ, we were there for our honeymoon and did the Milford Track. Very special.
Super jealous of that NZ trip.
I have a question for people in snowy states. I moved a few years ago from NC to MA, and my hiking has been pretty much coming to a halt whenever the first permanent snow falls. I want that to change. Should I buy snowshoes, or can waterproof boots handle the tamer hikes I would probably lean towards in the winter? There's a pretty expensive set of snowshoes for 40% off and I get an additional $25 off, so...
Unless you're talking about really deep snow, like knee deep or better, you'll be fine with a good set of goretex hiking boots and some really good socks.
Here in WA, I find that a decent traction system, something like Yak Trax, works as an affordable way to keep hiking through winter. It deals with packed ice that would be way overkill to have snowshoes on, but is too slippery to just go with hiking boots.
I've even hiked places where for safety, I really should have had snowshoes, but the Yak Trax were good enough. Not necessarily wise, but good enough.
Like Anime and Jonman said you don't need snow shoes (in fact they can be a problem) if it isn't deep (knee). I would also strongly recommend a good gater (I love my ORs) to keep snow out of you boots/pants when it is a little deep. And a small cleat/crampon to prevent slipping on ice.
If you are looking into Snow shoes as they are very useful to get out in the deep stuff I highly recommend the MSR shoes. They have ones that are just amazing. They have removable tails for when you need more lift (like backpacking), they also have a nice long cleet section in the middle not just the toes which most shoes have, and best of all many of them have heel raisers so if you are climbing a hill/mountain you can raise up your heel to reduce calf fatigue. I love love love my MSR shoes.
Edit: As a fellow north easterner I often also just use gaiters and yaktrax around woods near me but for trips up to the ADKs or the Whites in NH you need snow shoes. I also for more vertical/exposed (i.e. Mt. Washington in January, etc.) areas bring general mountaineering crampons with small front points and a light mountaineering axe.
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