Backpacking with a Baby. Is it possible?

[mtngirl79]

Mama mtn grl has kept hundreds of infants warm in tents, she knows.

Easy peasy

I have actually backpacked with parent with infants and toddlers quite a bit.

[Gerome]

Pretty sure CPS will get called on you if you smoke in your car with the kid. People might not be aware of the responsibility and danger of a class 2 river for a toddler. Commercial class 3 rafting on the South Fork American minimum age is 7 or 8 years depending on the company. That photo is from a class 1 river with four adults per one baby on a previously commercial 14 foot raft.

[BFD]

this showed up on my Facebook today. Tomorrow would of been his 59th birthday

upper Purches ck Talkeeetna Mountains 1992. I took the photo we were two families with 1 year olds.

[Gerome]

BFD, that is a sweet photo, inspiring. And it sucks losing friends way too young...

[bodywhomper]

Island lake or there abouts. Easy walk into the BC, easy drive, and easy to bail, even in the middle of the night. Trial run.

[AKbruin]

I've got an almost one year old, a Kelty Kids carrier, lots of camping equipment, a pack-n-play and I'm not afraid to carry 60-80 pounds. Is it possible to take my wife and kid on an overnight backpacking trip somewhere? To get a real night sleep the baby needs to sleep in a pack-n-play and in another room from the parents. Has anyone done an overnight trip with a baby or toddler?

Yeah, dude. We did it with A all the time in Alaska. The tent acts as a pack-n-play. I think you're good for another couple months. Once they're fully walking on their own, it becomes really hard because they want to putter about by themselves.

[muted]

There is a lot of bad advice in this thread. Just because some random joe-shmoe has had success with his kid means nothing. Depends on the kid, and also the patience of the dad. Try car camping first, close to your house. Or your backyard in a tent. Hopefully it goes well!

[AKbruin]

There is a lot of bad advice in this thread. Just because some random joe-shmoe has had success with his kid means nothing. Depends on the kid, and also the patience of the dad. Try car camping first, close to your house. Or your backyard in a tent. Hopefully it goes well!

Yes, of course it depends on the kid. I don't think anyone is saying it's going to be a guaranteed success. But there are a lot of anecdotal experiences that answer Gerome's question (is it possible?) in the affirmative. I know Gerome, and he'll probably be fine. And if not, he loses a night of sleep and retreats the next day.

Incidentally, our system was that I carried my stuff, my wife's stuff, and all communal stuff. The wife carried the baby and all the baby stuff. The dog carried his own stuff. Ten years ago when A was about 12 months old . . . .

[muted]

Yes, of course it depends on the kid. I don't think anyone is saying it's going to be a guaranteed success. But there are a lot of anecdotal experiences that answer Gerome's question (is it possible?) in the affirmative. I know Gerome, and he'll probably be fine. And if not, he loses a night of sleep and retreats the next day.

Incidentally, our system was that I carried my stuff, my wife's stuff, and all communal stuff. The wife carried the baby and all the baby stuff. The dog carried his own stuff. Ten years ago when A was about 12 months old . . . .

Cute kid! And you are right, I didn't comprehend the question correctly last night....sorry.

[MrB]

Great way to get most kids to hate the outdoors. Backpacking is really just kind of a suffer fest anyways and most kids don’t understand why they have to be outside in the cold rain.

Back yard....car camp...base camp with hikes...then simple backpack

[that dude who did that thing]

My kids grew up camping and, when they were a little older, backpacking. But attempts at backpacking with an infant/toddler did not go well. But that was us, not you. The reason it didn't go well for us, is that we have always been weight-weenies. I've spent some trips with a 60lb pack, but I don't really want to do that again. And I can carry an 80lb pack, but it makes me miserable and ruins the trip. And if you start adding weight to the Kelty so as to better share the load, it becomes an unweildy and dangerously top-heavy beast in no time at all.

So, if you've been favorably compared to a reincarnated sherpa, you can do it and have a blast. My little family had to wait until the kids could walk, until then we did lots of car camping.

[JamieConway88]

Possible. I took my 2 year old daughter with the trip. One thing I would like to talk is sleeping issue.
Sleep was the most difficult part of our trip — our daughter just doesn’t sleep well in tents.

[m648d7]

How......????

can you help me........ For my Wife........???

[Nwsno]

Check out Backpacking Trailers on google. There are a number of single wheel options that would help with hauling a family worth of gear. Never used one but look like a neat idea.


Sent from my iPad using TGR Forums

[Gerome]

Haha, there are strong opinions on this subject. I had a caddying job from age 13 to 18 carrying two golf bags 18 holes or about 5 miles each round, and have since not found issue with carrying heavy packs, so I might fit into the sherpa category. My wife however can carry about 20-25 pounds in a backpack, total. Our little guy liked the xc ski pulk Saturday, although I haven't had him in the kid kelty in awhile. And he is picky about his nap and sleep places and times. We haven't tried an overnight camping trip yet, but I'll post an update whenever it happens.

[Sirshredalot]

Haha, there are strong opinions on this subject. I had a caddying job from age 13 to 18 carrying two golf bags 18 holes or about 5 miles each round, and have since not found issue with carrying heavy packs, so I might fit into the sherpa category. My wife however can carry about 20-25 pounds in a backpack, total. Our little guy liked the xc ski pulk Saturday, although I haven't had him in the kid kelty in awhile. And he is picky about his nap and sleep places and times. We haven't tried an overnight camping trip yet, but I'll post an update whenever it happens.

We just car camp with the massive REI Kingdom tent and assemble the pack and play in it for nap time and bed time. Fuck camping with no naps. That is bullshit.

[skaredshtles]

Anything is possible.

That said: fuck backpacking with an infant/toddler.

[rockcreek]

Do it.
I agree that it depends a lot on your child. When mine would get antsy in her pack, we would stop, take her out and fart around a bit. We would always have a snack for her to munch on while she was in the pack. Did she have melt downs? of course, often times she would sleep upright in her pack after a good wail. Plus it seemed to keep the bears away. We kept her entertained on hikes with singing, playing with leaves and bugs or rocks or whatever seems interesting. Patience, being ok with not going fast, and gear to keep the family warm, dry and fed are key. This photo was taken in the beartooth absaroka wilderness, about 5 miles in and the first day of a four night stay on a chain of lakes. The rangers were a little surprised to see us back there.

If your not having fun its not worth it.

[RyanT]

Anything is possible.

That said: fuck backpacking with an infant/toddler.

LOL!

My wife and I overnight a few times with 2 small kids. 1 could walk, so only 1 was a true infant in a child carrier. The sleep piece is difficult. The little toddler was 28-30 pounds and we carried him extremely easily in an Osprey we were using. Yes, he has slept in it a handful of times on the trail. Yes, he has thrown fits. Sun can be an issue. But yes, it's possible. Don't trick yourself into thinking that the backpacking will be the main course. The kid will be the main course--the voyage will be an occasional perk! :-)

[Gerome]

Trip Update: SUCCESS!!!!!

I had a weekend with just my kid and I so I took him to hike from Wrights Lake to the western side of Desolation Wilderness. We hiked in about 4 miles to a sweet little lake campsite.

[AK47bp]

Nice work!


Sent from my iPhone using TGR Forums

[Sirshredalot]

I realize you have all the shit laid out on the bed of the truck, but I am still baffled by how you fit it all in and on the kid carrier pack. I'll be damned if I can figure out how to get more than sunscreen, a sandwich, and a bottle of water in mine.

I've been all car-camping for the past couple years. I'm looking forward to some easy backpacking next year.

[BFD]

right on 20 years from now you will spend more time looking at these photos than anything you did prior to your son.

[cravenmorhead]

Nice! I've had good luck car (truck) camping with my 2.5 year old this summer. We've gotten four trips in so far. First one was a little rough sleep-wise, but numbers 2-4 she has slept great (knock on wood).

[Gerome]

I realize you have all the shit laid out on the bed of the truck, but I am still baffled by how you fit it all in and on the kid carrier pack. I'll be damned if I can figure out how to get more than sunscreen, a sandwich, and a bottle of water in mine.

I've been all car-camping for the past couple years. I'm looking forward to some easy backpacking next year.

Yeah, it's all about cam straps and attaching everything to the frame. I had the giant double sleeping bag under the kid, and a new bikepacking 20L bag (never used for bikepacking) and a Camp superlight backpack strapped to the back. I tried better weight distribution with the heavy stuff under the kid, and sleeping bag out back, but the weight pushed on my kids legs, so I had to revert to the forward lean. I'm pretty sure the pack was around 50 lbs, and the kid is 30 lbs. so it's not lightweight at all. In fact, my 10 year old 5.10 river shoes blew out about a mile in. The old foam decided to quit under the 275lb load.

Sleeping isn't really all that great overnight, especially since we were fighting over the teddy/cat as a pillow, and the kid ended up everywhere, including the head of the sleeping bag, the bottom of the sleeping bag. But we still managed to be totally awake for the hike out and the strider ride to the lake, and lake swim.