Our family’s Top 10 hiking gear essentials for families. Updated 5/21/22. Note: this post contains affiliate links, we may receive a small commission if you purchase something through the links.
Hiking with kids can be a challenge, but it’s so great to experience all the sights through your kid’s eyes. It makes those amazing views at the end of the trail that much more fun and beautiful when you’re enjoying it with your entire family. If you’re planning to hike with your kids (or with adults for that matter), the most important thing to remember is to be prepared for anything.
On one of our family hikes in Arizona, “JoyJoy” slipped on a rock while crossing a stream and skinned her knee. Luckily Ross was prepared with a small first aid kit and got her patched up quickly. Other than the obvious things like water and snacks, our family has compiled a top 10 list, in no particular order, of some of our favorite and/or essential hiking gear items below.
Top 10 Hiking Gear Essentials for Families
1. Hiking Poles
This can be a stick found along the side of the trail or legitimate hiking poles. We have used both and they both work. However, if you want legitimate ones we like the collapsible telescoping kind that can fit in our carry-on suitcases, especially if we need to pack them when flying somewhere. Something like these. We have found that hiking poles tend to help motivate the kids to keep moving. They have also been invaluable to have when crossing slippery rocks on a stream crossing. We bought a pair whenever we found one on sale and shared them amongst all of us until we all had our own.
2. Backpacks
A good backpack is essential for carrying water, snacks, the first aid kit and whatever else you may need. When the kids were younger, Ross and I carried everything for everyone. Now that they are getting older, they have their own backpacks so they can at least carry their water.
We are partial to Timbuktu backpacks even though they are not necessarily “hiking backpacks.” I have this one and I absolutely LOVE it, all the compartments are perfect for everything I need to carry. The top right pocket is lined for a phone and the bottom right pocket fits my tester (for my type 1 diabetes) perfectly. It also holds my laptop, which is really heavy to carry, but I have needed to carry it on some shorter hikes when we stop somewhere to hike before checking into wherever we’re staying.
The kids now have these Osprey Daypacks which are great as well, they are nice and lightweight and have a spot for a water bladder. It is a bit big on “Tots” still, but it works well. The water bottle holders don’t work very well, so the water bladder is the way to go.
3. First Aid Kit
As I mentioned at the beginning of the post, we were fortunate to have had this with us on our hike. It may seem like something extra that you might not want to carry, but you never know when you’re going to need it. You will be thankful you have it with, if and when you do need it. Any small travel first aid kit will do. We have a small one similar to this.
4. Bear Spray
You obviously won’t need this for every hike, but if you’re in an area with bears (like Glacier or the Smokies) this is an essential item. We have one that hooks to your belt. (NOTE: Some parks, like Yosemite, have bears but don’t allow bear spray within the park boundaries.)
5. Sunblock
I have read a lot about safe sunblocks and how some can do you more harm than good. Our family uses and recommends Badger sunscreen. We prefer the clear zinc one.
6. Bug Repellant
Again, I am pretty picky about the bug spray my family uses, as our skin absorbs so much of what we put on it. I have been mixing up my own bug spray the past couple years using an essential oil recipe. I have also used this natural bug spray that I got from Costco and more recently, Cedarcide, since it is safe for both our pup and us. When I know we will be in tick infested areas, we wear this bug spray (I don’t take chances with ticks after having lyme). Keep in mind that whenever you are using a natural bug repellant you need to apply it more often. When we fly we pack these in separate bags so they don’t leak all over our other liquids or clothes.
7. Tissues or toilet paper and a ziplock bag
This one is something I didn’t think about initially, but it has come in handy on more than one occasion. You never know when the need may arise along the trail, if you catch my drift. There are often no pit toilets along the trails. If you happen to be lucky enough to find a pit toilet out on the trail, they often don’t have toilet paper, so this in my book is an essential item. Enough said.
8. Hiking shoes
Hiking shoes are so individual based on your foot. Therefore, I can’t really recommend any specific ones. The kids wear KEEN sandals or hiking shoes on the trail and have liked those. Recently (2017) we tried these Saucony Kids’ water-resistent running shoes for our trip to WA (because they had outgrown their Keens) and they worked well. “Tots” now wears the LEMS Primals like I do (2022).
Currently, I have been loving these Salomon Trail Runners with ClimaShield so they are water-resistant, which came in handy on our recent trip to WA. (Note: I no longer recommend these shoes. The tread was too aggressive and caused my knees to hurt on steeper hikes.) I have been venturing into the world of barefoot shoes to try to help my knees. I have yet to find a good barefoot hiking shoes (mainly because they are so expensive and I can’t return them if I don’t like them).
I really like these LEMS so far, but they are not waterproof and they can be slippery in some situations, as well as the Merrell Vapor Gloves. I really want to try these Vivobarefoot hiking shoes as I have heard good things about them. We always like to buy our hiking shoes at REI if possible because we can wear them on a hiking trip and return them if they end up not being comfortable (but they, unfortunately, do not have a good selection of barefoot/minimalist shoes).
Ross has KEEN hiking boots and trail runners with that same sole and really likes them but he has a wider foot settled on Lems Boulder boots and the Chillum tennis style shoe for hiking more recently. I do not recommend their Mesa or Trailhead shoes as I had them and on each a hard plastic part on the heel broke and made them unwearable as it dug into my heel.
9. Sun hats
Any lightweight, packable hat that keeps the sun off of your face and neck will work.
10. Hiking pants
This is not an essential, but I want to mention these because I love them so much. I am short (5 feet, 1.5 inches, yes, that half an inch makes a difference, ha!) and I had a hard time finding hiking pants that fit. That is until I came across these prAna Halle pants in the short length. They fit perfectly (size down, they run a bit big), the pockets on the rear look nice (a requirement in my book) and they roll up into capris (extra bonus!). They are also lightweight, water repellant, and have sun protection.
I also recently got a chance to try out the KÜHL TREKR™ PANT and liked them equally as much as the Pranas. The fit is pretty similar, but I wear my regular size in these KÜHL pants (rather than sizing down like I needed to for the Halles). They have a snap waist with a drawstring for a perfect fit, similar to the Halle pants, and are very comfortable and seem like they will be pretty durable as well. These also have a way to cinch up the legs into capris, a feature I have not tried yet, but I am happy about the option.
For men’s pants, Ross likes the men’s prAna Zion hiking pants and shorts as well. He has also added KÜHL pants to his closet and suitcase and likes the versatility of the KANVUS Jean in the Klassik Fit as it can be worn on casual work days, travel days, or on a trail. The KÜHL jeans are comfortable and flexible enough for hiking and have a nice rubber ring in the waist that helps them stay put. The only downside to some KÜHL pants is I feel their logo is too prominent on the back pocket in certain colors.
So there you have it, our top 10 hiking gear essentials for families. What does your family deem as “essential” on your hiking trips? Comment below, we’d love to know. Happy hiking everyone! Also don’t miss our post on road trip activities for kids for great ideas to keep your kids busy in the car and our road trip packing tips!
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