Is it too soon to go family hiking with an infant? Packing tips?
It is almost summer here and me and my wife would like to get back to hiking after recently having a kid in September. He is almost 9 months old now and we would like to take him with us.
I have a Manduca to carry him, but it is not very comfortable after a while.
I was wondering if you guys have any gear and packing tips for weekend hikes of this sort. We will be camping in huts and he sleeps well and quiet from 22 to 8 in the morning.
Is it too soon for this?
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As others suggest, it's almost certainly best to go with a backpack style kid-carrier.
One option you might not know about is the Aarn Universal Balance Bag which attaches to your pack.
http://www.aarnpacks.com/#!balance-bags/c1paj
The balance bag counterbalances the awkward weight of a kid on your back, and gives you easy access to water, maps, hats etc etc without having to go through the difficult process of taking off your pack. I use their backpacks, and you'd be surprised by the difference the counterbalance can make.
No affiliation - just a fan of their products.
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Last month I camped with my then-nine-month-old son. This was his second time sleeping in a tent with us, the first time he was four months old.
It helps that my family, including our 7- and 9-year old daughters, have been camping in tents since they were infants. I'm not sure what the conditions in a hut are, so I'll give advise for tents which I should imagine are as rough or rougher than huts. Just pack for the baby like you would pack for any over-night stay, and ensure that the baby has a safe, fenced-in place to sleep in the tent. In our case, we put one large sack on the extreme side of the tent, the baby's crib's mattress up against it, and another large sack to the other side of that. Myself and the wife slept squished over to the side, and the 7- and 9- year olds slept in their own tent next to ours. The baby was well-dressed and additionally had a light blanket covering him.
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Carrying all the gear won't be easy. Whoever has the baby will probably only be able to carry one day's worth of baby stuff and nothing else. Either you get a rucksack carrier as Russell suggested (I recommend this as well, a Deuter kid comfort fitted me and was still usable over age 2), or you wear a daypack as well as a front carrier and have 2 sets of straps. In neither case is the weight distribution very good. Babies aren't amenable to being packed in an ergonomic (for you) way.
So the other person will be carrying a lot - even if the adults travel ultra light, babies don't. So try it for day hikes first. This will also help with the weight distribution - you'll need to work out what works for you.
Also, don't forget protection from the elements for your baby - the sun shades on many baby carriers are no more than a good start.
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It's not strictly too soon. I have known plenty of people who camped with a nine month old in rougher conditions than you describe. It's too early if you are not in condition to carry a baby in addition to all of your gear.
They make packs specifically for carrying wee ones. That's really the best way to go.
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