GEAR

Outdoor gear manufacturers discovered children in the 1990s. The amount of kid gear on the market steadily increased during that decade and continues.

Mummy-designed sleeping bags rated for 15 °F can be purchased for children up to 48 inches. Manufacturers making kid bags include Feathered Friends, Eastern Mountain Sports, Peak 1, REI, and The North Face.

There are also packs designed especially for children as well as for parents who carry their children. Tough Traveler, Gerry, and Kelty all make superb packs to carry your infant or toddler. Designed to hold kids up to 35 or 40 pounds, all include a pocket to carry diapers and other essentials. An optional rain/sunscreen and extra pockets can be purchased with the Tough Traveler.

Children’s packs are made by a number of manufacturers, including Tough Traveler, REI, Kelty, Jansport, and Osprey.

Manufacturers also offer children’s hiking boots. Vasque, Hi-Tec, Tecnica, and others make hiking boots starting at about children’s size ten. You can even find little boots for toddlers, but make sure they can actually walk in them before you purchase them for your child—they may be absolutely adorable but too rigid for a toddler’s intrepid step.