Bare Necessities

Let’s be honest: hiking with kids is mayhem. You imagine peaceful trails and bonding… and you end up carrying a pocket full of rocks and pinecones, someone’s wet sock, and a half-eaten granola bar.

But with the right essentials — a hike with kids can be a memory-making adventure. Here’s our go-to bare essentials hiking list for kids

🎒 1. A Kid-Sized Backpack (That They Like)

Dinosaurs, fairies, camo, whatever sparks joy. If they feel ownership over their gear, they’re way more likely to pack it and carry it (and not hand it off 2 minutes in).

💧 2. Water Bottle

Spill-proof is key. Dehydrated kids = grumpy hikers.

🍎 3. Easy, Mess-Free Snacks

Think:

• Trail mix

• Granola bars

• Bananas

• Cheese sticks

• Gummy worms (yes, guilty, not above hiking with some bribery)

🧢 4. Weather-Friendly Clothing

• Layers: Mornings can be cold, Alaska is rainy, and the weather is tempermental

• Hat: Sun or rain — it’s a must. Wet hair from rain will be body heat lost. For my sun burn prone blondie boy, a hat is a must, rain or shine.

• Rain jacket or light windbreaker: Lightweight and easy to stuff in their pack.

Pro tip: Always bring an extra pair of socks — soggy toes are the enemy of little hikers.

🧻 5. Bathroom Basics

Nature calls.

• Travel-size wipes

• A travel size pack of tissues and some folded up TP in a ziploc

🐛 6. Adventure Add-Ons (Optional, but Fun)

• Binoculars

• Walkie Talkies

• A small zip pouch for collecting “treasures” (aka rocks)

• Berry pickers, we talk a lot about the bounty Alaskan wilderness provides and how to safely harvest

🩹 7. First Aid

• Band-aids

• Liquid Band Aid (we like new skin)

•Sun screen, Aveeno baby is our favorite for our sensitive skin guys

•Plant Therapy, essential oil bug repellent, in the heat and humidity of summer the Alaskan mosquitos are FIERCE

• Antiseptic wipes

• Tweezers (in case of splinters)

• I keep a Welly first aid kit in my pack. A bright color band aid always eases the tears from a scraped knee.

👣 8. Sturdy Shoes

Doesn’t need to be fancy — just closed-toed, grippy, and broken in. Hiking in Crocs? That’s bold. Ask me how I know.

Both boys and I hike in Keen mid Targhee boots. We have so many miles and memories in those boots!

💬 9. A Hype Phrase

Not gear, but essential.

Something like:

🗣️ “You’re stronger than this mountain!”

🗣️ “Let’s race to that tree up ahead!”

🗣️ “Snack break around the next turn!”

Encouragement goes a long way when those little legs are working so hard.

Final Tip: Keep It Light

Kids don’t need a full backpack — just a few chosen essentials, a sense of wonder, and probably a gummy worm or two.

Let them set the pace. Let them ask 47 questions. Let them get muddy. That’s where the good stuff lives. Happy hiking!

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I pack everything in my small Osprey Daylite pack and water bladder, that I LOVE! They pack up their water bottle, snack, dry socks, and their Grundens jacket in their Deuter kids packs. I’ll link our gear list below! Happy hiking!

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