What's (not) in your pack, kid?

“First books and then bed, right?”

“No, first brush teeth, then books, then bed,” I reply, “remember?”

He never remembers. Not the important things anyways, like the importance of brushing your teeth or washing your hands or eating dinner(though he’s always game for dessert). 

He opens his backpack and spills its contents onto the floor of the tent: Paper and pens, a small plastic dinosaur gifted him by a fellow hiker, loose change he’s found, a rock or two, and a bolt that must be saved for building his ghost busting proton pack when he gets home. Also in there is the book we’ve been reading the past several nights. He grabs it, leaving everything else in a pile, and we settle down to read for the night.

While Bedtime can keep pace with most hikers when talking about snacks, when they transition to talking gear he easily loses interest. He must have heard the age old wisdom that “the gear don’t carry itself.”  Regardless of which camp you fall in, the gear does matter and carrying too many random nuts, bolts and rocks will slow you down. What Bedtime carries (and what he doesn’t) are critically important aspects of our hike. To follow is a breakdown of what you will find in his backpack and the things of his he doesn’t carry. As always, what works for one hiker doesn’t work for all but the basics are the same (and hopefully instructive).

Worn:

Hiking Shirt- REI brand, long sleeves and snaps which make it easy for him to put on/take off independently (buttons are a pain!)

Fleece- NorthFace hoodie/full-zip. We tend to shy away from puffy coats/down with Bedtime due to his seeming inability to stay dry/clean when near mud or water. Fleece stays warm even when wet and dirty. Great for hiking during cold mornings and for sleeping.

Socks- two pairs of Darn Toughs to alternate between during the hiking day, one warm pair for camp. Grandparents are great for this as thru-hiking is the ONLY time socks are a welcome present for anyone under 18 and they ALWAYS want to buy kids socks for some reason…

Shoes- Altra makes Lone Peaks as small as size 1. Bedtime has pretty large feet for a 5 year old so we are able to take advantage. Kids are strong so any good sneaker should do.

Kilt- obviously we have an in for this one. Custom made but Purple Rain usually has a few children’s sized kilts and skirts at events.

Hat- Sunday Afternoons make the best hats for kids. So many styles to choose from.

Carried:

Backpack- like most gear for this trip we have had this Osprey Jet 12 pack for several years. Bedtime has used it almost daily as his outdoor school bag and the wear shows. The main body material is bombproof. The mesh back and side pockets are poorly constructed and easily torn. Luckily they are not super necessary for his setup. Best parts of the pack are that it has a chest and hip belt (which are crucial for skipping and running down the trail) and the external hydration sleeve.

Hydration Bladder- we didn’t start with this but quickly realized Bedtime was not going to drink enough water without constant access. We bought a 2-liter platypus with hose in Julian (yay for 2 Foot Adventures) about 80 miles into the trip. Total game changer. We never put more than 1-liter in at a time to keep the load manageable but 1-liter bladders are hard to find. For really hot/dry sections we have also had him carry a small Gatorade bottle to sip on during the day.

Layers- while the bulk of Bedtime’s clothes are worn or carried by a parent we always have him carry emergency layers as we don’t always hike as a trio. In his backpack he has a warm hat, gloves and his raincoat (Columbia). He also carries a headlamp.

Etc- the majority of Bedtime’s carry is relegated to fun stuff such as books, games, drawing materials, stickers, and random collectibles he finds along the way. While a lot of us forgo these luxuries in our own kits they are as important as food and water when hiking with a child.

He also has a sit-pad that he found in the hiker-box at Paradise Valley Cafe and just had to have!

Not in his pack (i.e. carried by an adult)

Camp clothes- Bedtime has a set of wool base layers made by Reima. We’ve had them for a long time and they are definitely on their last leg. It doesn’t help that Bedtime is adamant about hiking in them most mornings. As the weather warms (and these are laid to rest) we will just switch out to cotton/poly PJs from thrift stores along the way. 

Camp shoes- Native shoes are Croc like but less bulky and lighter. These are his daily summer shoes at home and can double as hiking shoes when terrain is easy and he wants to let his feet breathe.

Quilt- DIY Costco down throw mod. Purple Rain took one of those inexpensive down throws and modified it into a quilt by shortening it up a bit and sewing in the sides. There are some good online examples we borrowed ideas from for this. Just ask the google machine.

Sleeping Pad- accordion style closed cell foam pad. We’ve all gone this direction for the hike as we knew he’d inevitably pop a blow-up pad, especially in the desert.

Tent- we are sharing a Six Moon Designs Lunar Duo for shelter (thanks All Good!) The size is a great fit for our family and the double vestibule design is crucial. It also weighs only 45 oz!

Food and extra water- way too much to go into here. While hydration was touched on earlier, nutrition has not been. This is a post in itself and has probably been the most difficult part of our hike so far. Bedtime usually leaves each break with a “pocket snack” in his kilt, usually a fruit bar or dried mango. These are always winners. Otherwise all food is carried by parents. Both Purple Rain and I are rocking Six Moon Designs Fusion packs. She has a 50 liter and I am carrying the 65. These packs can handle the extra weight and bulk of hiking with a child. Highly recommended.

Please feel free to leave your recommendations and/or ask questions about specific pieces of gear in the comment section and we’ll try to answer them!