by Son of a Beach » Thu 13 Aug, 2015 12:54 pm
This is a really tricky one, and last time the question was asked, there was a wide range of opinions.
My kids came on overnight walks with us from the age of a few months, but the first few of these were VERY short walks, and sleeping at a well-equipped hut, which dramatically limited what we had to carry. However, it still meant that we each had to carry either two full packs, or two kids, or one full pack and one kid. The walk in was 45 min and usually easy, however, with the two kids needing to be carried (and all the kid-gear) it was exceedingly difficult (in bad weather too). To be honest, I wouldn't recommend it highly. Perhaps one kid between two adults would be a bit more achievable, but even then, they key factor is to...
Plan to do only the most easy and short walk you can think of (ie, something that's usually an easy, short day walk) and make an overnighter of it. If you find that works well, then you can think of doing something more adventurous afterwards. You will be amazed at just how much more difficult it is with kids who are not old enough to walk themselves. Several people told me this before I tried it, but I still could not appreciate it until it was my turn to give it a shot.
We did the same walk again two years later, and one of the kids walked the whole way. Even still, I chose to walk back to the car and get a second full pack of stuff rather than try to carry it all at once. It was so much better that way (I had to do the walk four times to get everything in and then back out again).
Another point to ponder is: Why are you wanting to take the kids bushwalking at that age? The chances are they are probably not old enough to appreciate it, so it may be worth leaving them with a grandparent for a night or two.
With each of the kids, we did a variety of small walks, including tent-camping near the car, and hut walks.
Soon after they turned 4, they went on their first 'real' overnight-camping-in-a-tent-away-from-the-car-walking-all-the-way bushwalk (to Lees Paddocks in both cases). Just one-on-one, one kid with me (Dad), each in their turn when they turned 4. It depends very much on the child, but one of my kids was MUCH easier than the other one to walk with, but with both of them, I worked out how they work and what makes them tick, and how to make the walking work for/with them.
Critical point: If you kids are walking, feed them frequently! They will be using lots of energy, and if kids get low on energy, they start to get grumpy and difficult and it can be very hard to get them motivated or even moving again. So have plenty of small snacks handy so that you can often give them something nice to eat. They'll love it, and it helps keep the spirits up. If you get any hint of grumpiness, hit the food fast! (I'd personally recommend avoiding lollies, if possible, but if you really do need an fast hit, urgently, then they can help).
Since these 4-yo 'initiation' walks, we've done a few overnighters with the entire family. They mostly love it, but occasionally they do get a bit down and tired (one moreso than the other) and that can make the whole thing a bit tiresome for all of us.
Note that kids are born gear freaks. I think the bit they liked most about their first big walk with Dad, was that they got their own head torch - to keep! And a whistle!
Once your kids are old enough to walk, make sure they carry their own back pack. Even if there's not much in it, they need to get used to the idea, from the very start, that they need to be responsible for carrying their own pack when bushwalking. Getting tiny packs for tiny people is difficult. DO NOT LOAD THEIR PACKS FULL! Tightly packed packs are unconfortable, (as well as heavy). As they get bigger and stronger, they can carry bigger packs with more stuff in them. To start with, the packs are just for psychological training, to make them feel like they're carrying something.
My kids are now 7 and 8 years old, and have done a few overnight walks. These days they carry all their own stuff apart from their sleeping bags and food, and they're on their third back pack each (they just keep growing!). Last year, they walked for 7.5 hours on the first day of a 3 day walk, and a similar time on the 3rd day, carrying their full packs.
Oh, yes, I just remembered... our kids were not fast at learning to use the toilet properly, so I actually had to carry a toilet seat with me on the first few walks, and every time I dug a hole for them, I'd have to place it over the hole in order to make it as easy as possible for them to go (and sometimes they'd have to sit there for a very long time, so it was important for them to be comfortable). That's one of the more interesting bits of gear I've had to carry walking (another was a remote controlled boat, but that's another story for another day).