A Hiking First Aid Kit Is Essential

A hiking first aid kit should be an essential part of your outdoor gear and readily available for any hiking mishaps. While having a great time you must remember that hiking is a sport where you can easily get injured. It is a good idea to keep a large general kit for all recreational activities, as well as a smaller more specific one tailored to the event at hand. For instance, you don't need the same first aid gear for a softball game as you might carry on your back for a hike up an incline to a ridgetop. You will want to make sure your hiking first aid kit is lightweight and that it doesn't take up much space in your backpack.

When finding something to carry your hiking first aid kit in, think outside of the box. We recommend you keep an ID, emergency contact numbers and any medical instructions on your person at all times. You might want to have a few Band-aids handy in your pocket, since small puncture wounds are probably the biggest risk faced on wilderness trails and having an adequate supply of Band-aids to last the length of your journey is possibly the most important part of packing a hiking first aid kit. It’s a good idea to also keep aspirin or meds in a capsule attached to your carabiner, or to a lanyard about your neck with your compass and whistle.

You would then keep a more involved hiking first aid kit, such as a larger lightweight container (ziplock bag, soapbox, or soft sack) in your pack, which should contain more significant emergency items. It should offer convenient access and never be buried in your pack

Hikes with Kids: Preserving The Outdoor Natural Habitat

When hiking with kids, make sure to stay on the trail at all times. Not only can children get lost, but going off the trail can damage fragile plant life and cutting across switch- backs creates a pattern of erosion. Teach your kids to treat the outdoors kindly. Be sure to pack out everything you pack in (carry a trash bag). Keep in mind, when hiking with kids, some of our trails may be marked with a Forest Service trail number, which means we may not pick or dig up wildflowers or other plants, may not cut on living trees or plants, may not remove moss or take souvenirs. As nature lovers, we are welcome to look and touch and take photos, but we must leave everything in place, to treat the forest as a living museum.

Hiking with Kids: Encountering Wildlife

You can be sure that when you are hiking with kids, they will be very excited to see wildlife on their adventure. This can make for a memorable experience and a great photo op, however you need to make sure to follow all safety precautions when encountering wildlife. Hiking with kids at dawn or dusk may increase your chances of meeting a bear. Use extra caution in places where hearing or visibility is limited: in brushy areas, near streams, where trails round a bend or on windy days. Avoid berry patches in fall. Reduce your chances of surprising a bear by making noise—talk or sing.
Make sure children are close to you or at least within your sight at all times. Leave your dog at home or have it on a leash. Here are some great books on how to react when encountering wildlife while hiking with kids.

Hiking With Kids Is Loaded With Teachable Moments

Hiking with kids can present a great opportunity to teach some basic outdoor survival skills. You can have them help navigate by using a map and compass to find your way. Children love being an expert. Have them identify birds, rocks, plants and wildlife along the way or use guide books to help identify what you observe. Teach kids to be aware of their environment and appreciate earth’s suttle details by looking for signs of wildlife (feathers on the ground, claw scratches on tree trunks, animal tracks or droppings, bird holes in dead trees, fur along the trail, slugs, water striders on lakes, frogs in pond). May we suggest some good hiking with kids resources to get you and the kids up to snuff on your adventure.

Packing For Hiking With Kids

The first thing to consider when hiking with kids is how much should kids carry on their backs? Adults generally use 1/4 of body weight as a guideline, but we think this is too much for kids. Most kids find it much more enjoyable carrying a 10 pound pack or less. They can get most of the stuff in at 10 lbs, and the adult ends up carrying almost all of the food.

To start with, a school backpack will suffice for a beginning hike with kids. Let them pack a flashlight, their own water, a favorite snack, lightweight jacket or long sleeve shirt. If you have a child that’s of the indoor creative sort and not the kind to be outdoors roughing it, let them take a comfort creature of their choice that they will be responsible to carry throughout the hike. This will allow for a smile and cooperation on their new outdoor adventure as they show their plaything a good time and ultimately will make hiking with kids a successful day out.

If you’re wondering about hiking with kids that are infants or toddlers, don’t count them out yet. State of the art kid carriers, which are both adjustable and comfortable for family hiking events are available, and are very common practice for the well seasoned hiker.

You will want to prevent blisters when hiking with kids, so pay attention to their feet and stop immediately if they say their feet hurt, they may have a hot spot. If you put Moleskin on that hot spot soon enough and a blister won’t form. If a blister has already formed, never put Moleskin directly on it. Instead, cut a hole in the Moleskin the same size as the blister. That will keep the boot from rubbing the blister and inevitably keep the kids on the trail.

Hiking Colorado: Hiking with Kids

Hiking with kids should be kept simple and open-ended. A good planned hiking excursion is one that appeals to a child’s sense of exploration and adventure. It helps if you are familiar with the trail before you go hiking with kids, so that you can plan short scenic rest stops for munchies and water breaks and fun destinations to explore along the way, like waterfalls and caves, or even wildlife trees to observe. This will keep the children’s interests alive and their energy levels excited with anticipation. Encourage imaginative games that work into the context of a hike. Take a child's friend along; they'll be more likely to stay entertained. Make hiking with kids a family tradition so that when your child grows up, they will have experience and knowledge to pass on to friends and family for generations to come.

Types of Hiking Backpacks: Internal Frames vs External Frames

Lightweight Hiking Backpacks
Hiking lightweight is not a new concept. Lightweight hiking backpacks, also called daypacks, weigh less than three pounds, and are suitable for shorter hikes. They often come in hydration styles which feature internal bladders and drinking tubes. The mesh outer pockets are a great idea for lightweight backpacks. You can stuff any wet articles of clothing in them and dry them in the sun later. Most lightweight hiking backpacks don't have frames. We’ve come to the conclusion that lightweight hiking backpacks are less about high-tech materials than they are about simple design. If there's a new fabric or lighter/stronger frame material it's been tried before, often without significantly lowering the weight. Although some manufacturers may use the newest and coolest of material developments and some may be remarkably traditional, that, when it’s all said and done, they all share the same lay out: single compartment top-loaders with no access zippers, molded back panels, multiple pockets, etc.

Internal-frame Design Hiking Backpacks
Almost all trail and hiking backpacks feature an internal-frame design as an option. The body-hugging nature of internal frame hiking backpacks enhance your balance and freedom of movement. This is ideal for many hiking backpacking activities, such as mountaineering, skiing, scrambling and hiking in rough terrain. An internal frame pack generally fits better. This means you will stay balanced because the load moves when you move and doesn’t sway or shift. Many people who use packs in light to medium applications value the comfort, versatility and balance of an internal frame pack. More people buy internals than externals.

External-frame Design Hiking Backpacks
External frame hiking backpacks cost less and are often purchased by beginners. External frame packs are better for carrying extra-heavy loads because they shift the pack’s weight to the appropriate areas of the body where large bones and muscles can manage the load more efficiently. External frames act as extensions of bones and muscles although you may have problems with the pack’s balance.

Proper Packing Methods Can Lighten Your Load
The use of all types of hiking backpacks can be made more comfortable by proper packing methods. Hard objects against the body will quickly become uncomfortable and spare clothing and other soft items should be used as padding between those types of items and the body inside the pack. Whether you are carrying an internal or external frame hiking backpack, you should load it with balance and the convenient location of gear in mind. Carry clothing, cooking essentials and food in the main compartment. The heaviest gear should be stowed toward your back and centered in the pack to provide proper balance. Midweight gear should be carried toward the top and outside portion of the pack. In order to make sure you keep essentials handy, carry sunglasses, guidebook, map, compass, water bottles, snacks, and camera in the outer pockets. If you consistently pack your essential items in the same compartment each time, you will avoid frustration during your hiking adventures.

The best reason to buy lightweight hiking backpacks is to spur you on to lighten the rest of your load. You will find yourself moving farther, faster, and in less pain. A lighter backpack can not only help propel one up that hill, save your back from bearing the burden, or help ones knees on the backside of that hill, but also can help one enjoy the overall venture even more.

Make It Uplifting
Well, now you’ve got your work cut out for you. It’s up to you how you want to feel after a day of hiking extravaganza…will you live to see another glorious upright adventure or will you find yourself ailing and bent with your hands on your hips, tail between your legs, stumbling back to civilization. Since you don’t want to miss out when nature summons you to her beauty, take your time in finding hiking backpacks that will be uplifting.

Hiking Colorado: Basic Essentials of Hiking Backpacks

Adjustable Straps
First of all, hiking backpacks should have contoured padded shoulder straps that are easily adjustable to fit your body frame. It is a must for any backpack to have tightening straps. The straps are used to take off stress from parts of your back and redirect it elsewhere. They will keep the pack from sliding to the side while hiking, not hold the pack tightly to your back.

Hipbelt
The pack should also have a hipbelt. The hipbelt allows the weight of the pack to be evenly distributed and keep the pressure off stress points. Without a good hipbelt, all the weight would end up on your shoulder, neck and back muscles instead of your stronger hips and legs.

Pockets
The next thing that hiking backpacks should have are plenty of pockets. From cell phones to water bottles, you will need places to keep each thing separately and be easily accessible. There are some hiking backpacks that have a significant amount of pockets – these backpacks will cost more money, especially if the pockets are hidden, so make sure you choose wisely.

Lumbar Pad
Quality hiking backpacks will also have a lumbar pad situated at the small of your back to keep the pack's frame or hard items packed inside from digging into your back. Most of the downward force ends up at this point, so a lumbar pad with high-friction fabric is nice because it helps keep the belt from slipping.


Waterproof
It is also very important that hiking backpacks be weather resistant so we recommend hiking backpacks that feature waterproof outer shells and protective inner compartments. The backpack should be able to withstand blaring heat and a cold rain. Thus, look for backpacks that have a nylon base. If you have had nylon products before, then you will notice that it does an excellent job at repelling water.

Hiking Colorado: Backpacks

Hiking backpacks should be lightweight and comfortable and be able to hold everything that you need them to hold! With this in mind, make sure you don’t compromise the construction of the pack. It should be made of a strong material that is abrasion resistant.

It may seem daunting when it comes to shopping for hiking backpacks, because as you will notice, there are many different styles available on the market. It is important that you choose the size of your pack based on the length of your trip. We recommend smaller-capacity day or lumbar packs for local nature hikes. For longer trips, a pack in the larger size range for this category would be recommended. Perhaps you want a hiking backpack that does not necessarily look fashionable, one that is practical instead and suitable for the length and ruggedness of the hike. Or, maybe you want a backpack that has both fashion and functionality. Whatever the preference, there are some basic things that all hiking backpacks should have.