First overnight walk with kids

[colebatchd]

Hi Everyone,

This is my first post here, and whilst I've done a bit of searching around the site, if I've missed something that answers some of the below please point me in the right direction.

I used to do a bit of camping when I was a kid, but that was a long time ago. More recently I've done a few day walks with the kids, generally in the 2-3 hour range. The kids (6 and are now champing at the bit for an overnight walk. A mate (who has more hiking pedigree than I do, but also hasn't done much recently) and I are planning on some overnight walks in spring through autumn, and so I've been making my way through a shopping list (informed by http://bushwalk.com/wiki/index.php/Stan ... _or_Longer). I have a few questions, partly relating to gear, partly relating to walking with kids, and partly relating to some middle age bloke who can't remember anything about childhood camping anymore (ie me).

From a gear perspective:

Back packs => Want the kids to carry something, but am realistic so planning on giving them a day pack each with their sleeping mat and bag, then day food and water. Any suggestions on how much they can carry? Our first walk will probably be ~7km/day.

tend, sleeping bags, mats => tick
pans/billy/stove/etc etc => my mate has put his hand up to take care of this, so I'm leaving the kitchening to him.

walking boots => for kids, is it ok to scotchguard an old pair of sneakers? I struggle with the concept of buying hiking boots that will be worn once or twice before they grow out of them.
comfy shoes (eg, sneakers) => do I need to take a 2nd pair? I assume I should in case the first pair get soaked?
gaiters (mud/bushes/snakes) => would the bunnings style lawnmowing gaiters do? or do I get proper gaiters?

cutlery and crockery => assume I can just get something from disposals store, any pros and cons of metal vs plastic I should consider (other than weight)

waterproofs => I have full waterproofs for myself, but only tops for the kids. If the weather or forecast is bad we simply won't go, so I'm assuming this will be ok. Likewise if we get stuck and end up on a short walk instead and pitch tents somewhere earlier, well so be it. However - let me ask the question -> am I being overly tight? Should I just ante up for some waterproof pants for the kids?

In terms of clothing, the kids have thermals, puffer jackets (kathmandu 550), and then normal kid stuff. From what I've read I'll be finding a weekend's supply of non-cotton clothing (may require a few more purchases) but I'm assuming that apart from making sure we have ample supply of warm clothes there isn't much to worry about here.

Is there anything else I should think of in terms of doing some gentle walking with the kids? They're both pretty stoic, but haven't done anything like this before (haven't even been car camping). Any general suggestions?

Cheers,
Dim

[sim1oz]

Hi Dim,

Good on you for planning to get your kids out there - starting early is great!

It might be good to go car camping one time, just to get them used to a tent, before you do an overnight walk. If you do too many new things at once... well some kids find it overwhelming. Or at least make their first overnight walk very short, say 1-2km so you can always pull out easily if you have to.

With regards to gear, we didn't buy anything the first time and just chose from the clothes and gear they already had. Start SIMPLE, and if they love it then build up your gear slowly. Focus first on the things they won't grow out of or can wear every day anyway. Since those early days our kids now they have their own packs, walking poles, snow shoes, thermals, etc.

We took our younger two daughters for their first overnight walk in June (winter!) a few years ago. They wore a whistle on a lanyard around their necks and used small/school backpacks with headlamp,change of clothes which were used as PJs or spare dry set, day snacks, water bottle (filled to 1/2 L), soft toy, and the warm and waterproof layers worn or stuffed into the top of their pack. From memory, their packs weighed around 2-3 kg. Apparently, the weight guide is about 25% of body weight but we wanted them to be happy so they only carried the minimum. Can't remember if they also carried their sleeping bags. We carried everything else, shelter, cook gear, food (lunch/dinner/breakfast), some wood for a fire, etc.

Don't take too much for you or them. One set of clothes to be worn, the extra layers to keep warmer and dry (eg. parka, beanie, gloves, poncho), and a set of thermals (or leggings and skivvy) to change into for bedtime if your clothes get wet.

Watch the weight and space in your pack in case you need to pull some things out of theirs to lighten their load.

Shoes - They wore their sneakers with woollen socks - and carried a spare set for sleeping in. Think they also took crocs for camp shoes in case their shoes got wet. Kids are typically much less fussy about getting wet and muddy, so we didn't worry about waterproofing since their sneakers are mesh anyway. You could use bread bags between two layers of socks as a cheap solution if you want.

We walked on a trail so we didn't worry about gaiters, as they were wearing long track pants.

There was no rain forecast, so we took some cheap $2 disposable plastic ponchos for the kids just in case.

Cutlery/crockery - just take some disposable paper (great as fire starter for campfire) or plastic. If you are doing simple pasta or rice, a disposable plastic spoon is lightweight. We have plastic bowls that fit inside our bushwalking pot and some of those Light My Fire sporks which the kids found exciting but I wouldn't rush out and buy them, it is just that we already had them. Or try the knoons that come with packs of kiwi fruit from the supermarket - knife and spoon combined.

Suprise treats - this worked well for motivation, eg. marshmallows for roasting on the campfire (a special treat for them since it was winter, not really my thing) and for hot chocolate in the morning, jelly bears for energy on the trail (a real treat from me as I usually go for healthy food), dinner food they love, etc.

If I forgot to answer any of your questions, just ask away.

All set for first overnight walk

Beeripmo with Girls 013 SML.jpg (79.88 KiB) Viewed 3652 times

[colebatchd]

Thanks Sim - really helpful list. Whistle around the neck is a great idea. Will take your advice on purchases.

[Moondog55]

As per Sims post
My kids had car camped quite a few times before we did any real walking and we didn't do any Alpine stuff until the youngest was 8YO but they got used to carrying a backpack early and always carried the basic emergency gear for themselves
We practiced putting on raincoats etc but did that as a game at home
Basic emergency gear for kids was water bottle/ beanie/raincoat / torch and glowstick and the whistle and chocolate, of these the most expensive was the raincoats but in those days Katmandu had good cheap kids gear but best value were marked down football team japaras after the AFL season had finished
I don't remember ever having to eat the emergency Freddos

[perfectlydark]

Ditto on the backpack. Took my 4yo on a tester (last year...time flies). We just did a short 2-3km walk in on a local firetrail and it was about as far as she wanted luckily. I knew we could bail if we had to. Have your child carry their own food and maybe a clothing item or something. Dont give them too much if they are young but just enough to make them feel they are contributing

[akl168]

Exciting times! Always good to see folks taking their kids outdoors. I'm not a medical practitioner at all, just need to state that first. We were once a full days walk back to anywhere when my youngest developed a toothache at night. Luckily the kids panadol worked. So, in addition to the useful lists already posted, I would recommend thinking about your basic first aid kit plus the usual medicines.

[sim1oz]

Great advice, akl! Quite a few children's medicines come in a chewable tablet form (eg. Panadol), so speak to your Pharmacist. I'd look for pain relief and an antihistamine. The rest of your first aid kit should be fine, eg. bandaids, ointments, etc.