Why Oh Why

Why did we start this blog? Well, we have been taking our kids hiking for years. I don't want to say how old we are, my sister might not like that. But her oldest is in his 20's and my oldest is 10. I remember hiking with her kiddos. I started doing serious backpacking with my kiddos, and hers, a couple of years ago. We have taken our kiddos many places and wanted to share our camping, hiking, and backpacking adventures with other people that have younger kids.

I have also had a hard time finding real good gear for my younger kids. Backpacks just don't come with hip belts for a 4 year old and decent hip belts for 7 year olds. I remember reading a description of a "youth" backpack that said"...when your child is ready to carry their own gear..." the pack was for a 12 year old and older. I am ready for my child to carry some of their own gear when they are 5 and to be honest they want to as well.

I also want other parents to understand that just because you have little kids doesn't mean you can't take them out hiking and backpacking. It is possible, maybe just a little bit more preporation and a lot of patience.

Here is the first little tip I am going to share with you today. The most common question we get on the trail when other backpackers see my young kiddos backpacking -

How do you get them to carry their own packs? Simple...we start them out yearly.
When they were little little our husbands would carry them in a Kelty Child Carrier. (wow have those come a long way over the years). Then when they got too heavy to carry, they walk. We put a backpack on them a soon as they can do it. A small school backpack with just some snacks. I didn't start my youngest backpacking till he was 4.