What’s In My Summer Hiking (B)ackpack #SummerAtoZ

Both Tanya and I enjoy hiking and do quite a bit of it. We thought it would be fun to compare what’s in our hiking backpacks.

Kim … We’ve typically got our two year old with us so we stick to popular hikes that are only a couple of miles long. This means we don’t need to carry a bunch of gear. Here’s what I took with us on our last hike.

✼ Kid Carry Back Pack – This Deuter Kid Comfort II is the one we have and we love it. It’s got a ton of space for extra gear. Plus the side pockets up by the seat are great for stashing our toddler’s water bottle and snacks. He can reach them himself and pull them out whenever he wants. Side note- I actually put my son in this backpack when he was younger any time that I needed to mow the lawn. It’s also got a great shade cover that is removable.

✼ Water Shoes – These Keen toddler shoes are perfect to slip on our toddler when we come across streams or waterfalls. He loves splashing! He could hike in these too but sometimes doesn’t like to walk the trail in wet shoes.

✼ Water Bottle – Right now we have Contigo water bottles. I love the toddler size version but I’m not quite sold on the adult version. I love that they close up tight and don’t spill but they are a little awkward to carry around. If we’re going on a longer hike I’ll put on my Camelbak.

✼ First Aid Kit – You just never know when you’re going to need it. I love this one because it’s small but has everything we’d need on a short hike.

✼ Snacks – We usually carry apples and granola bars. I’m partial to Kind bars.

For right now, hiking is as simple as it gets for us. We stick to popular trails so if we have any trouble along the way with our toddler, we can get help quick. He won’t tolerate any more than a couple of miles right now so it’s pretty easy. We have dreams of doing a week long backpacking trip when he’s a bit older.

Tanya … My husband has finally bitten the outdoor bug, and we’ve been walking a lot on the local trails. No hikes for him yet – but I’ll start scoping out some places in our new state this weekend to get him into it slowly but surely. I’m still using some of the things I tried last year, and mentioned in Hiking Gear for a Hard Summer Hike.

✼ Camelbak Water Bottle. I’ve strayed to Contigo like Kim, but it wasn’t the same. Don’t ask me how or why … it just wasn’t. Camelbak Chute (0.75L).

✼ Cutters Insect Repellent pre-hike. Right now I’m using Cutter’s Skinsation Insect Repellent Pump which seems to work quite well.

✼ Sunnies. I have a growing collection of sunglasses and just pick any pair I’m in the mood to wear. No favorites yet.

✼ AllTrail app. I use this to find hikes in my area. I’m also trying to use it to keep track of the hikes that I do (but I usually forget). I promised myself I’d could pay for the Pro version when I get to a certain number of hikes.

✼ Garmin Vivoactive HR. I bought it for myself as my Garmin 920XT Watch went to my brother … but my husband has now commandeered the Vivoactive! We love it for tracking distance, heart rate and it’s auto sync to the Garmin Connect app (via bluetooth) is pretty sweet too and it shows us all kinds of graphs and stuff like elevation change (very technical there).

✼ Google Maps and a Phone. Always, ALWAYS have a fully charged phone pre-hike, especially if you have a very bad sense of direction like I do – and will more than likely need it during long hikes.

Gear I’m looking to get …

Lightweight hiking shoes. I hate the hot and heavy ones during the summer.

A small, but sturdy backpack. My husband really likes his Osprey FlapJack Backpack so I’ll probably get something from that brand.

There’s more gear I use, but what’s above are the brands that I keep going back to. What’s your favorite way to spend a day outside?

(Image Credit)

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