In July, we threw shelter, food, and warmth into a pack and walked into the woods, hoping we had all we needed to enjoy a night in the backcountry with a toddler. While we broke the seal on car camping when West was only four months old, we had waited on this adventure until it felt like it would be fun… for everyone.
We spent the first couple of years of West’s life devoted to things we love the most in the mountains and desert – hiking, car camping, road tripping, and just being outside. It felt good to establish a family rhythm around adventure.
But the solitude of getting deep into the woods on a backpack is hard to match and we felt ready to rock this year. Prior to West, we weren’t avid backpackers, but we did try to get into the backcountry at least once or twice a year.
It can be a little intimidating to put everything you have into two packs and feel confident that you are prepared for a night out with a little human whose demands can be plentiful and ever changing.
On the flip side, there is something beautiful in the simplicity of having all you need on your back and relying on nature to provide the rest.
Simplicity as the Winning Strategy
We hiked a short distance (1.5 miles) to a place we knew. We did it so we could feel secure and have a bailout if needed – a mental escape valve.
Getting ready to go was like working a muscle you haven’t used in awhile. We had to remember what kind of food we packed… How to pack a pack… How much weight can you tolerate… And on top of all of that, then we had to consider West’s and River’s needs.
What Was in Our Backpacks?
- REI 3 Half Dome 3 Plus Tent– This tent fits 2 adults, a toddler, and a dog no problem. So easy to set up.
- The Morrison Outdoors Big Mo 20 sleeping back for the kid- We use this for all camping. We tend to camp in temperatures between 30-45 degrees overnight and this has worked well over that range.
- The Nemo Switchback sleeping pad for West– This was the first time West slept without any walls. He slept fantastically on this pad wedged between me and the tent wall. It has the added benefit of being affordable.
- Nemo Tensor Ultralight Insulated sleep pad for me-I have to call this out, because it is light, comfortable, and so easy to inflate. It was a sleep pad revelation for me.
- Katadyn Microfilter– We have used this product for years. Easy to use and reliable.
- Trail Magik– The Trail Magik serves its purpose, which is to help carry a little human, when you have gear on your back. We did a combination of West hiking and being carried in the Trail Magik on this trip. It does shift some weight to your shoulders, but it’s simple to use and enables you to realize your backpacking dreams.
- The REI Flexlite Camp Chair– A chair is a backpacking luxury, but we really liked having it with a two year old.
- MSR PocketRocket– The PocketRocket boils water faster than my stove at home. Light, compact, easy to use. I always think this thing is genius.
- Pact Outdoors- What can I say? On more than one occasion, I have declared “what an elegant way to poop in the woods!” And it is elegant. It’s important to protect the outdoors from all our use. This product is awesome.
- Food-we consistently make this red pepper pasta from Half Baked Harvest on camping trips and used it backpacking too. The sauce is easy to prep in a blender and then you pour it over pasta at camp. It is good. Snacks included all the usual staples like Annie’s bunnies, bars, cookies, gummies, pretzels. Breakfast was a pre-baked muffin for West and Taos bakes granola bars for us. Simple things, light things, carbtastic things.
- Footless PJs- we brought his Patagonia puffy and lots of layers, but I think my real camp key has been PJs that don’t have the footies. In the cold morning, you don’t want to have to change your toddler right away. Throwing clothes over the footless PJs is for the win.
And all that gear aside, West loved the trip. After the setup it felt easy and good to have nothing to do but wander in the mountains.
