Day hike gear questions.

1623

1623

Joined
Jul 5, 2011
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As a family, we'd like to start taking some short to moderate day hikes on the weekends starting this Spring (we have two kids ages four and eight) and I've recently started looking into gear. The majority of our outings here in New Hampshire will be on maintained trails within State parks and mountains with the occasional walk through the woods. Though I'm a gear hound with my other hobbies, I'm a minimalist by nature so I'm trying to keep things light but I want to be certain that we are well prepared. I won't say no to the occasional extra item that's just too cool to not have :)

I currently use a Maxpedition Anemone pouch for daily carry of some small items including a Klarus NT10 (excellent little light by the way) and find it to be very well made and user friendly, so I've naturally looked into their larger bags and Versipacks. The Fatboy and Fatboy G.T.G. are appealing to me due to their size, carry and affordability as well as being less tactical in nature to some of their other packs. I'm leaning toward the standard Fatboy with the only drawback being the lack of a water bottle pouch for my 18oz Hydro Flask bottle. The G.T.G. offers a bottle pouch on the side but less cargo space overall.

With regard to first aid; I've seen a few people utilize the Maxped Micro Organizer for this purpose and I'm considering the same, but with so many items available I'm not sure what is most appropriate to have on hand other than the common sense things that the average person would carry such as band aids, comfort meds, after bite etc.

My wife plans to carry an average size backpack (non-hiking specific) for bulkier items such as sweatshirts for the kids as well as snacks and her water.

I'd like to ask for feedback with regard to theses Maxpedition bags or recommendations on others, along with any suggestions in general for a well stocked but light weight and efficient carry.

Thanks much.
 
For lightweight with family day hikes, I went with a homemade murse.
You can check out most of the details here: http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/s...Let-s-See-Those-Murses-(Accessories-Optional)
Some of the gear has shifted. Instead of the Snowpeak kit, I'm now carrying a prototype alcohol stove from End2End Trail Supply. And a Nalgene guyot with Olicamp Space Saver mug.
I also added another magazine pouch onto the front for slipping in my Garmin GPS.

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I'm about to do something similar with a Maxpedition 12x5 water bottle holder.
It will hold my Stanley Outdoor Thermos (hot chocolate for the kids) or a Jetboil PCS with room to spare.
I've got a few different pouches on the way to "mursify" this carrier.

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Im a fan of the military surplus shoulder bags...you can get one for every member of the family and still pay less than you would for a small maxped pouch. And the german bag I like is heavy canvas lined with rubber, so its damn near waterproof. Its not as organiser friendly with its one big pouch for storage, but I keep most of my items in separate bags (crown royal bags are great for this) :D
 
save your money on the Maxpedition stuff - overpriced IMHO, and accessories are ridiculously priced - much better to take a look at the various offerings from The Sportsmansguide - some very nice, less expensive, and better crafted gear (tactical hipster, sidekick sling, etc.), and molle stuff from your local Army Navy
 
+1 on making everyone pull their weight!
I found these little Camelbak Mini-Mules on super close-out.
The kids love them, though dealing with four different reservoirs can be a bit of a chore.

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I carry the same CamelBak MULE pack on day hikes, that I use for day hunting. It holds everything I need, or expect to use, including water, food, TP, shelter, compass, map...........
 
Yes, my kids love carrying their *very own* stuff - especially if it looks cool like a grown-ups.

Make sure they have lots of their own favorite drinks and snacks and keep your expectations of what you think you're going to do to about 50% of what you initially hope for. If they can do more - great!! - but, if your expectations are more realistic for their abilities then it helps curtail frustration. I speak from experience on this (having an 8 and 6 year-old).

Also, initially keep their load to snacks, drinks and a hat/extra gloves/extra sweater or fleece. If you over-burden 'em too early it can lead to frustration as they get overly tired too quick carrying extraneous "survival gear". If, after the 1st couple longer hikes, they're really into it then by all means add to their load-out, but be ready to take some of their burden if they're really dragging.
 
I appreciate the responses thus far everyone, thanks.

Guyon, I like the idea of using the large water bottle holder. I was checking that out the other night on their site and was surprised at the possibilities and versatility that may be had with some attachments to that unit. Since you have one I'll ask if you don't mind; do you think that a Bottle Holder (10x4) would mount comfortably somewhere on a Fatboy via PALS or Tac Ties?

With regard to the price on Maxped items, I agree that some are quite costly, however there's a Maxpedition dealer closing out the entire line on their site so cost isn't a factor at present. As I mentioned, I'm quite pleased and impressed with my Anemone and would think that the rest of their gear is of similar quality. Not one to be blind to other options though, I will check out the other bags that were mentioned, thanks linux.

The REI packs for the kids are an excellent idea, I think they would really enjoy having a legit pack of their own...may have to get one for Mom as well and bail on the old backpack. Keeping their load to a minimum is wise and will give them a sense of responsibility as well as a bit of freedom from Mom and Dad. Thanks for that suggestion fmajor.

Bob W. thanks for the link to the Ten Essentials. I'm going to do a bit more research to see if I can find a good general listing of first aid supplies so I can put together a nice kit.
 
1623 said:
Guyon, I like the idea of using the large water bottle holder. I was checking that out the other night on their site and was surprised at the possibilities and versatility that may be had with some attachments to that unit. Since you have one I'll ask if you don't mind; do you think that a Bottle Holder (10x4) would mount comfortably somewhere on a Fatboy via PALS or Tac Ties?
Click to expand...

I don't own a Fatboy, but I think it might become a little bit of a lopsided affair if you're trucking a full water bottle or thermos in there. Water is heavy.
 
Ya know, i like to use a platypus/camelbak water reservior - they're super for sipping while on the go and usually have a lot of volume for their weight. However, they can get spendy if you're supplying one for each family member.

So, our we generally (and more specifically our kids) just use a plain 'ol 20oz plastic soda bottle or two for each. They're easy to clean, light weight and FREE!!! We're fond of the Sprite brand 'cause the green bottle looks nice, but any and all serve the same purpose.

Just a thought....
 
I use a very small (and light! :)) Osprey pack (Talon 5.5) for most of my day hikes (winter and very long day hikes I go w/ the slightly bigger Talon 10), I don't like to go too minimal because a day hike can become an overnighter. You can fit a rather complete kit in a not so big pack. If any (or all) of my family goes, the youngest carry at a minimum- extra clothing, snacks, some water and a whistle

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A First Aid Kit will be very specific to your situation (location, people, etc). Anyone have allergies? Make sure you have Epi-Pens and meds for that. Rough terrain? You may want to pack a SAM Splint or athletic tape. Frequent weather changes? Better bring a poncho or three. When I used to take my youngest brother, now 14, with me, I made sure I had the following ready:

Band-Aids, varying sizes but only a handful for a dayhike
Band-Aid Foam-He couldn't handle the burn of alcohol
Tweezers & Magnifying Glass-stickers and thorns are our biggest pain
Tylenol
Pepto Bismol
Benadryl
Mole Skin-blisters are killer!

All of this fits in a small pouch I found at Wal-Mart. In fact, they have some small FAK's that are a great base to build from.
 
1623 said:
Bob W. thanks for the link to the Ten Essentials.
Click to expand...

Keep in mind that's a guideline, a starting point to get you thinking. Fine-tune it for the environment, personal comfort levels, and other circumstances.
The "map" you need for hiking a suburban nature preserve trail is not the same thing as the "map" you'll need for exploring a remote Utah canyon.
And the "extra clothes" for a June dayhike on the Ozark Highlands Trail is not the same thing as "extra clothes" for a November hike in Wyoming.
 
My wife plans to carry an average size backpack (non-hiking specific) for bulkier items such as sweatshirts for the kids as well as snacks and her water.
Click to expand...

May I suggest you do the same, just a little bigger, so you can carry what ever the flavor of the day schlep you need to carry.
I found with my girls, I was carring all sorts of stuff for them(like their favorite chips in that huge package, or the bag of marshmellows)

I was happy for them to carry nothing at all and they feel happy, than have any sort of regime imposed on them
It worked, they love the outside (now 24 to 16)
 
My daughter has the same Pink Camelbak as in the picture.......

I take my Kifaru Mollex everywere, day hike or overnighter.
 
TP and wet wipes, bandanna, poncho, first aid kit, small bungees to construct a shelter with the poncho-My daughter thinks it's cool when I set up the poncho fly for a hot chocolate/snack break.
 
Guyon is spot on with having your kids pack their own. It doesn’t have to be heavy as it’s more for them to just feel like they’re “backpacking” and it gets them in the habit of carrying their own weight. Water is what I liked the Camelback type carriers for…they will keep themselves hydrated more often and without having to be told. The additional storage can hold a few snacks and you can eventually work up to a “72-Hour” bag in case they get lost.

Here’s one I made for my two children when we just started backpacking. They were around four and eight; both were given instruction on use of the items, what to do if lost, signaling, etc.

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ROCK6
 
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