Your Essential Family Hiking Packing List 2021

Important items you & your kids will need for day hiking

With outdoor adventures becoming all the more popular for families in 2020, we’ve been investigating all the best gear you need for day hiking.

Understandably our desert hikes are in quite stark contrast to our friends and family who live much further north in the world – and have already seen their first snowfall for the year!

So with thanks to these many friends we’ve reached out to for all their suggestions, we’ve put together for you this bumper guide to hiking gear to bring on day trips and family hiking adventures, wherever you are in the world.

If you’re still thinking ‘my kids can’t even walk around the block without moaning’, don’t worry; your hiking trips will get easier, bigger and better as the years go on. We have called in some expert tips from family hiking here to help you with toddler hiking tips.

This post is part of our packing lists series. You can see our complete family packing lists here – or sign up to our newsletter if you’d like to get them in a handy PDF download format

Daypacks for Hiking

The start of a great day hiking begins with a lightweight and comfortable day bag. When our kids were small and our walks were not so long, we were able to get away with our travel diaper backpack.

However, we’ve enjoyed lightening the load now they are bigger and the “essentials” list for a day out has changed! A good daypack for hiking should be lightweight, comfortable, and big enough to hold your essential items including sun protection, water and snacks (more on these below!)

You will find a daypack with supportive chest and waist straps work best (especially if you’re carrying gear on behalf of the family!) but still try and keep your day pack under 30L.

Best daypacks for hiking

If you can keep all your gear in one bag that’s great, especially for keeping up enthusiasm in the younger ones. If kids want their own kit though, keep it small and light.

Best kids hiking daypacks

Hiking boots or shoes

I’ve gotten away for years with simply my everyday trainers for trekking locally, but if you want to get serious you will need to invest in a good pair of hiking shoes or hiking boots, depending on your terrain.

Hiking shoes work well in arid and dry conditions, whilst trekking in cold and snowy climates will require a much more structured waterproof hiking boot.

Best ladies hiking shoes and hiking boots

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Do bear in mind a good pair of boots will take a couple of goes to break in, try and wear them on your every day outtings before a tempt a long hike.

Best kids hiking shoes

Hiking with a toddler? We have a detailed guide here to the best hiking shoes for smaller feet

Hiking Socks

Along with your hiking shoes, don’t underestimate the importance of hiking socks! Remeber, they are likely to be bulkier than your everyday socks so you’re best testing your hiking shoes when you already have your hiking socks sorted.

If you will be hiking in cold climates, warm and durable wool socks are essential. Remember to always pack at least one extra pair, if accidents happen you don’t want to be stuck all day in soggy socks!

Best ladies hiking socks

Best Kids Hiking socks

Hiking Pants

A separate pair of hiking pants? Yep, it only took one long trek in my ‘comfy jeans’ to work out in many situations a well-fitted pair of hiking pants were in order. There is no set style for ladies hiking pants, it’s really what you’re comfortable with and dressing for the conditions.

In a hot climate hiking shorts or a comfortable pair of cargos will suffice (just check for chaffing qualities!). Cooler climates a comfy pair of warm leggings is great for ladies while colder climates you will be seeking out a thicker waterproof material.

Best ladies hiking pants

The kids we’ve found you simply need to decide between a comfortable pair or their everyday shorts, or in colder climates waterproof pants. If you think the kids are quite prone to the occasional scratch and bump we recommend choosing a longer trouser length. We also recommend keeping a nice warm pair of track pants in the car for afterwards.

Best kids hiking pants

Hiking Jacket

A good hiking jacket will not only keep you warm but dry, as well as fitting comfortably back in your day pack without adding too much bulk. Of course, it will be season-dependent how thick a jacket you need.

Best ladies hiking jacket

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Best kids hiking jacket

Hiking Vest

Wearing layers is essential with hiking. From the frostiest of starts to your day through to reaching your peak in brilliant sunlight, layer upon layer! This is why we love a transitional vest which can be easily layers with your hiking gear.

Best ladies hiking vest

Best kids hiking vest

Hiking water bottle

Keeping energy levels up is essential for a family hike. This includes hydration – ie water and snacks (and with kids, snack, snacks, and more snacks. In fact, forget packing your camera, make room for snacks!)

You’ll want a water bottle that’s big enough to fit the amount of water you need for the duration of your hike, whilst not adding too much weight to your day pack.

Best water bottle for hiking

Best kids water bottle for hiking

Sun protection while hiking

On all but the bleakest of days out hiking a sun hat is essential when hiking with kids (we cover more on those wintery hikes below!). Something with a drawstring or at least a velcro strap is handing for making sure this sticks on kids heads and leaves their hands free to explore.

Best ladies sun hat for hiking

Best kids sun hats for hiking

You can find our complete guide to baby & kids waterproof sunhats here

Keeping Warm While Hiking

One of the biggest things that can put us off hiking with our kids is the constant string of complaints! Right after I’m hungry – taken care of above – check! is I’m cold!

Hats and beanies are an excellent idea for keeping your extremeties warm, and they can always be stripped off later and carried in your day pack if you start to get too hot.

Family Hiking with beanies for winter warmth

Best Ladies Beanies for hiking

Best Kids Beanies for hiking

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Infant Carrier for hiking

If you’re a family that loves your outdoor adventures and don’t want this to stop once kids come along, we strongly suggest you invest early on in a toddler hiking carrier. They come in all manner of shapes and sizes from simply using your everyday toddler carrier – superb for city travel and navigating through airports – all the way through to some pretty complex hiking kit for the pros!

We personally got away with using our Ergo 360 Baby Carrier as we were infrequent hikers when ours were little but as explained by our far more outdoorsy friend Shelley

“a hiking carrier gives you extra padding and support over a longer period of time. You will find the weight is spread more evenly and suspension better too, making it a more comfortable ride all around for you and your infant”

A good hiking carrier will also have plenty of pockets for all your essentials so you do not need to carry a day pack as well, or you can share the load between two adults.

Best toddler hiking carriers

You can find our complete guide to the best toddler carriers here

Safety Gear for Hiking

You can never be too prepared when it comes to outdoor adventures – especially with kids! As well as your own clothing essentials, you won’t want to miss these basic day pack items off your list:

Remember, hiking with kids doesn’t have to go on for miles. A small bushwalk trek for some fresh air is a great start. If you’re unsure how your small kids especially will take to hiking and longer outdoor adventures, then check out our guide to hiking with toddlers.

With thanks to friend Shelley for helping pull much of this list together – especially the cold weather suggestions – from her outdoor experience with kids.

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Important items you & your kids will need for day hiking

This post is part of our packing lists series. You can see our complete family packing lists here – or sign up to our newsletter if you’d like to get them in a handy PDF download format