Packing list for a walking holiday with children

Looking for a packing list for a walking holiday with children? Are you going on a walking holiday with children and you don’t know exactly what to take with you? Then this is the article for you, because we have collected all our items in a handy packing list for your walking holiday with children. Including our must-have items, gadgets that make it even more fun for children to go for a walk and our favorite webshops where you can order the stuff.

Packing list for a walking holiday with children: think about this!

First of all, what you need to take with you on your walking holiday depends of course on what you are going to do. If you spend the night in hotels or cottages, basic items such as towels and pillowcases are often available there. For example, if you are hiking in the mountains with your kids, you will need other items. That is why we have made a special packing list for your hut trip with children.

In the list below you will find a basic list for anyone who goes for a walk with children, but spends the night in a ‘fixed’ place every night.

Of course, the items mentioned depend on the destination you choose to go for a walk with your kids, but we at the editors think that you should go a long way with the following!

Where to buy your hiking gear?

This is of course always a bit of a question…

We can well imagine that not every family has the budget to purchase expensive outdoor gear for the whole family. Moreover, your kids will grow out of it in no time. We are therefore a fan of Decathlon, because you can buy hiking clothing there for relatively little money. We must of course add that Decathlon is still a budget brand in the chain of outdoor gear and that it cannot compete with top stores such as Bever and Vrijbuiter and brands such as Fjällräven and The North Face.

In addition, it is useful to consider whether you might be able to buy stuff on second-hand websites, such as Marktplaats or Vinted. Always test these items well before you travel, because you don’t want to be in the mountains and find out that your raincoat is no longer completely waterproof as soon as the rain comes down or that hiking boots are too small (with crying children…).

The basic items that should be just right for a hiking holiday with children are a raincoat, hiking boots and a backpack. You can buy the other things at cheaper stores such as Hema.

A good water and windproof jacket

A good water and windproof jacket is indispensable when you go on a walking holiday with your children and the most important item to invest in, next to sturdy walking shoes. Nothing is more annoying than children who get cold because the rain seeps into their coat.

When purchasing a good jacket, the following things are still useful to take into account:

– does the jacket have a good hood?
– are there enough pockets in the jacket?
– does the jacket have a striking color?

The latter is useful in bad weather so that you can clearly recognize them in the misty or rainy landscape when they walk a little further on or behind you. It is better not to choose a color such as black or dark green.

Decent raincoats are available at Decathlon. The Quechua brand is the best option for raincoats within Decathlon. View all Decahtlon raincoats here.

Prefer a slightly better raincoat? View the options here at Bever from, for example, The North Face and Vaude.

Tip: It is also often said that a softshell jacket is sufficient for going for a walk with children. In fact, this is not correct, because a softshell is made to keep you dry during a light rain shower. They are water resistant and not waterproof. Only hardshells are completely waterproof and suitable for walking in the rain for a long time. Are you a fair weather hiker, like many families? Then a softshell jacket is of course enough.

Sturdy walking boots

If you are going on longer trips with children, it is advisable to buy sturdy walking shoes for them. These don’t necessarily have to be high shoes (unless you’re really going into alpine terrain) because nowadays low hiking boots also often have a sturdy enough profile for a nice walk. It is useful if the shoes are waterproof.

Gympies are nice for short trips, but not practical for longer trips. Blistering is no fun for children and can cause quite a delay.

By the way, we ourselves are fans of LOWA’s walking shoes, you can read why in this article.

By the way, our blogger Iris wrote this handy article about how to buy the right hiking boots for your kids.

View Decathlon hiking boots here
View Bever’s hiking boots here

A comfortable backpack

A comfortable backpack is of course also indispensable. As soon as your children get a little older, they can of course carry some of the things they need with them, such as a drinking bottle, dry socks and some food for the road.

How many liters the backpack should be depends entirely on how long you want to go hiking and ultimately want to carry on your back. We ourselves are a fan of Deuter’s backpacks, they have various options for every age.

Deuter is known for its solid backpacks with a cool design, which also makes it fun for children to pack and carry them themselves. We have tested the following Deuter backpacks ourselves:

You can also take it with you in terms of clothing during a walking holiday with children

The above three items are the most important of this packing list for walking holiday with kids.

You can buy the items listed below at a budget store like Decathlon:

Handy essential items for the backpack

Gadgets that are useful but not necessary

In the backpack of the parents

We have also collected some items of which one per family is enough to take with you:

Have we forgotten anything in this packing list for a walking holiday with children?

We hope that we have given you an idea of ​​what to pack when you go hiking with children and that you found this packing list useful for your hiking holiday with children. If you have any useful additions, feel free to leave them in the comments for the next reader!

Our favorite stores to order your hiking gear are:

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