Consider bringing along specific gear for desert hikes with children

Mojave Desert, Calfornia

As a dry, severe environment, deserts offer both incredible scenic wonders and grave dangers. Because of the former, they make for great hiking terrain…because of the latter, specific hiking gear and equipment is essential for a day hike there.

Whenever on a desert hike, be sure to have the following equipment or items:
g Boots – You’ll want footgear with ankle support, that breathes, and that has a soft, flexible sole to ensure traction. To that end, wear lightweight, breathable hiking boots. Sandals will expose your skin to sunburn, thorns and sharp rocks while running shoes lack the ankle support needed for crossing rocky terrain.
g Sun hat – A brim provides the extra protection needed to shade your face, not just to avoid sunburn but to prevent being blinded by the sun. Consider getting a sun hat that includes a flap to keep the sunlight off your neck.
g Lighter colored clothing – White and other light colors will better reflect the sunlight than black and dark clothing, which absorb it, resulting in more heat upon the body.
g Sunscreen – An SPF 50 is essential as the sand reflects sunlight back onto the body, resulting in a burn. Sweat will wash away sunscreen, so you likely will need to reapply it during rest breaks.
g Lip balm – The lips also can be burned or chapped by sunlight as well a wind. An SPF 30 balm will protect them. Reapply the balm after drinking water.
g Extra water – Any arid environment requires that you take in more water than usual. Consider carrying it in collapsible canteens to lessen the weight or in a hydration pack, which kids are more likely to regularly use as they can more easily sip water as walking.
g Insect repellent – Usually dry areas are low on bug count, but don’t be surprised to run into sand flies and midges or when near a wet area into mosquitoes.

Read more about day hiking with children in my Hikes with Tykes guidebooks.

Packing checklist for day hiking with kids

Illustration courtesy of By GitHub (github.com/
github/octicons) via Wikimedia Commons

As the following items are placed in your fanny pack or backpack, cross them off (some items may be connected to your belt or backpack, carried around your neck on a lanyard, or worn). You may wish to add items to the list:
g Camera w/ extra batteries
g Candle
g Canteens filled w/ water
g Carabiners
g Compass
g Diapers (if applicable)
g First-aid kit
g Flashlight w/ extra batteries
g GPS (if applicable)
g Insect repellent
g Lip balm
g Maps
g Matches
g Mobile phone
g Multi-purpose tool
g Picnic lunch ingredients (if picnic is planned)
g Prescription medications (if applicable)
g Rain gear (poncho or jacket w/ trousers)
g Re-sealable plastic bags
g Rope
g Safety whistle
g Snacks
g Space blanket
g Sunscreen
g Tarpaulin (if backpack is used)
g Toilet paper
g Toilet trowel
g Wet wipes
g Wristwatch

If an unweaned infant or toddler is with you:
g Bottle w/ nipple
g Milk or formula
g Pacifier

If children are carrying daypacks, place in them:
g Jacket (for rain or wind)
g Maps (duplicates of yours)
g Safety whistle
g Snack

Read more about day hiking with children in my Hikes with Tykes guidebooks.

Consider using fanny pack with child carrier

Parents carrying their child in a carrier will find a fanny pack useful for
storing needed supplies. Photo courtesy of bartt / Photoree.

Also known as a belt bag, a fanny pack is virtually a must for anyone with a baby carrier as you can’t otherwise haul a backpack. If your significant other is with you, he or she can carry the backpack, of course. Still, the fanny pack also is a good alternative to a backpack in hot weather, as it will reduce back sweat.

If you have only one or two kids on a hike, or if they also are old enough to carry daypacks, your fanny pack need not be large. A mid-size pouch can carry at least 200 cubic inches of supplies, which is more than enough to accommodate all the supplies you need.

A good fanny pack also has a spot for hooking canteens to.

Read more about day hiking with children in my Hikes with Tykes guidebooks.

How to pack for your very first hike with kids

Error on the side of going light when day hiking.
Photo courtesy of Petr Kratochvil. 

If you’re new to day hiking with kids (or hiking at all), you’ll probably find that the most difficult hike to pack for is the first one. As you’re not quite certain what to bring, your tendency is to either way overpack or way underpack.

Go seek advice from a hiking guidebook, and you’ll find each author has a slightly different take on what to pack. That’s because everyone has somewhat different needs and creature comforts. What is a throwaway for one hiking parent may be an absolute necessity for you and your children.

Don’t worry: The first couple of hikes are an opportunity to figure out what you need and what you don’t.

Begin by going through the lists of what to pack in three or four hiking books. Write down what all lists have in common; these items probably include a backpack, trekking pole, canteens, walking shoes, layered clothing, first-aid kit, map, and compass, to name a few objects.

Make a second list for the items that aren’t recommended in every hiking book – these items probably include binoculars, head lamps, cords, emergency blankets – and decide if you want to carry them or not. Error on the side of going light, especially if you haven’t gone hiking in a while (or maybe never at all, shame on you!).

Then adjust on the second trip, adding items that you need. But don’t subtract anything!

After going on three or four hikes, review the list of items that not every hiking book recommended. If you haven’t used those items, seriously consider removing them from your load to help lighten it.

Read more about day hiking with children in my guidebook Hikes with Tykes.

Check, maintain gear following your hike

When returning from a day hike, you don’t want to leave your gear in the trunk or toss it in the garage. If you do, you’ll quickly find it deteriorating or even broken (and usually you won’t realize the latter until on the next trail). Instead, spend a few minutes looking over the gear and performing some basic maintenance if necessary.

Get your kids involved in maintaining the gear, too. If they’re preschoolers, they may seem to get in the way more than help, but they’ll develop some important values in taking care of equipment and valuables. Older kids may groan, considering it a chore, but if you’re positive rather than negative in your comments about their cleaning, and spend time talking with them during the work, they’ll quickly come around.

When maintaining gear, take the following steps:
g Check over gear to see if there are any cracks or tears; if so, either mend it or obtain replacement gear
g Empty canteens of water and packs of food bags and garbage
g Brush dust, grit and leaves off of gear
g If wet, set the gear out to dry; don’t place it over or near a fire, however, as this can cause cracking, especially of leather
g Replace used supplies, such as those in first-aid kits and extra re-sealable bags

Fortunately, gear won’t get too beat up on a day hike, as opposed to a multi-day backpacking trip. Given this, the work should go quick.

Read more about day hiking with children in my guidebook Hikes with Tykes.

Canteens needed even on day hikes

Canteens or plastic bottles filled with water are vital for any hike, no matter how short the trail. You'll need to have enough of them to carry about 2 pints of water per person for every hour of hiking. If going into arid regions, you'll probably need more.

When looking for a canteen or a water bottle, make sure it seals tight and can be stored upright in a carrying case. The carrying case should hook to your backpack or fanny pack belt. You don't want to place canteens or water bottles loose in your backpack, or they could drip, leaving your gear and extra clothing wet.

Another possibility - and one popular with kids - is a hydration system. The lightweight plastic bag connected to a plastic tube can be filled with water and placed inside the daypack or a fanny pack (some backpacks come with them built in). The child then can drink water as walking simply by sucking on a tube, as if an astronaut in a space capsule. Since it's so effortless to use, kids tend to stay hydrated with it. Some hydration systems will hold up to 35 ounces of water, which is little more than a quart.

Read more about day hiking with children in the guidebook Hikes with Tykes.