To be blunt – traditional hiking gear with kids has got to be the worst idea ever. Or maybe not kids but toddlers and under. I have learned one big truth when hiking with kids: No matter the distance, long or far, no matter how light I pack, in the end I will be hoisting my son on my shoulders and trekking with him as well as all the gear. So I am positive that if my gear alone weighed 20 kilos /40 lbs – I would never bother going out in the wild, as my son weighs an additional 20 kilos. 40 kilos or 80 lbs just wouldn’t be happening.
As it is, I am an ultralight hiker – imagine that. So carrying a 5 kilo pack and a 20 kilo kid isn’t the worst thing on the planet to suffer through. Though, the kid does weigh alot considering that he doesn’t exactly fasten onto my hips like a backpack (lord knows I try to fasten his legs around my hips). In any case I’m not going to lie and say I walk miles and hike for days when backpacking with my little one. Not at all, usually just a short 1-2 mile hike and an overnighter by a lake followed with a camp fire and hotdogs. It’s enough.
My gear for camping with the little one:
Zpacks arc-blast backpack. More than enough room for one or two nights out (650 grams)
Mountain laurel designs Duomid with my homemade twin pole setup (700grams)
DD hammocks ultralight – Really light hammock for me and alexander to lie around in and look at the stars (280grams total)
I bring a light homemade synthetic quilt for alex and my standard enlightened equipment pro-revolution quilt for myself (combined weight of 1.1 kilos)
UL Sleep pad and Klymit inertia (total 459 grams)
I also like to bring extra stuff for fun, such as a bushbuddy woodgas stove (kids love fire)
hot chocolate, energy bars and so on
