Hiking with Kids

Its been through California, Spain, all over the eastern seaboard, Wyoming, Idaho, Colorado and more. Choose this pack if you prefer a smaller yet spacious design, as it has useful features and the durability of larger options. If you need a large pack, or are heading on a days-long adventure, this pack won’t work for you.

The route extends from the St. Louis metropolitan area southwest through the Ozarks. Trailspace’s community of gear reviewers has field-tested and rated the top daypacks. As far as color options go, you can purchase this in one of two colors, Greystone which is the one featured in this article and a lighter grey. The constant color feature among the two are the orange rimmed wheels which I don’t love but, it is not a deal breaker. The set-up was understandably a few steps shorter, which is always nice when setting up in the dark. More than once in the dark I’ve attached a rain fly upside down and we had to restart that particular step.

Pouch for water storage and it doubles as a pillow filled with air and wrapped in fabric. I use one-liter Vapur collapsible bottles while walking. Which size you need really comes down to what all you plan to have in your pack. While this pack won’t work for everyone, it’s a practical size for day trips, light travelers, and kids. Before purchasing this pack I used a more traditionally styled, and heavier, backpack for daily walks. I recently attended a seminar that explained the major difference of carrying lighter gear while outdoors.

ozark trail backpack

I bought this pack recently on a whim while shopping Walmart. I needed a day pack and didn’t really have lots of time to search at REI for the various styles provided having only gone to one store. This daypack ended up being the cheapest after ozark trail canopy a quick perusal. For the second overnight hike in which I used the pack, I left the hammock at home and stuffed an REI Stratus insulated pad and lightweight bivy inside. I was a little concerned with how the straps would distribute weight.

My kids were toddlers the first time we went backpacking on a short, level trail where I carried everything and I knew they could do the hike with no problem. My four-year-old wanted to know when we could go again but my three-year-old was uninterested in another trip. Now he’s 12 and carries almost the same weight as I do and loves to help me plan trips with 10-mile days. Back in 2020 my wife and I decide on a last-minute backing trip to the Wichita Mountains National Wildlife Refuge. Because of this we realized we didn’t have all the gear we needed.

In the following paragraphs I share just a few design features that, in my opinion, make this a well-designed product. The Ozark Trail 1-Person Backpacking Tent is on the cheaper end of the spectrum. A variety of websites have it currently priced for less than $50. Many higher quality tents could cost 3 or 4 times that amount. Its storage and treatment can add even more weight. I avoid Nalgene bottles because they’re heavy and bulky.