How to Select a Childrens Backpack and Encouraging Them to Hike

Hi to everyone and hope you like hiking and also I hope you get your kids hiking as well. Yes get them off those WII and playstation boxes and get them out in the open air with their Childrens Backpack and amongst the mountains, hills and valleys to really appreciate nature

If you love hiking but are struggling to get your children to hike so you can buy a childrens backpack then hopefully this will help you. I have some great information to get you and your kids going on future hikes. It worked for me and it can work for you. I'm also going to show you a "how to" video and a great trip up Ben Nevis - just take a look

Yes once you encourage your kids to hike you can reward them by buying a Childrens Backpack

Since I was a young boy I have always loved hiking. Now being a father of 2 boys I have always wanted to bring up my two boys to also love hiking. I could not wait for the day I bought them their first rucksack - a childrens backpack. There was of course quite a problem. The problem was how could I encourage them to get off their computer games (which is big ask as they are on them right now and go on a hike carrying a heavy rucksack, having aching feet and being quite tired?

I needed to encourage my two boys to hike. I needed to show then that wearing the rucksack was great fun. So I always suggested that hiking was fantastic fun. You had to be big and very grown up to hike and wear a childrens rucksack. Also it was the big boys that like to carry the rucksack. What will also help is to be a great example and hike yourself. So I took them on small local hikes. I found that planning small hikes is the key to ensuring your kids grow with the pastime. They even joined in with the planning

It was very tempting to go and rush to the shops and buy their childrens backpack. I thought NO lets find out if they really like it and not potentially waste the money.

I found that by putting all the above into action we not only bought a children's rucksack for him but he cannot put it down and nearly went to bed wearing it. Now is the time where I am being pestered by my youngest to buy a childrens backpack.

In addition to this I also made sure they were involved with outside groups like boy scouting. My eldest is 10 years old and has just finished a 12 mile local hike with the local scouts.

Also last year I took my kids up Ben Nevis which is the highest point in the UK. They achieved this being at the ages of 9 and 5 and yes with a childrens rucksack. This year we are going to the Lake District and climbing Scafell Pike and we are all very much looking forward to it.

So if you want to get your children involved and enjoying hiking I suggest positively encouraging your kids, show by example and get them involved slowly. This will lead onto more adventurous things very quickly and soon you will be proud to buy them a childrens backpack and being as proud as I am. Have a great Hike!

As a family we went to Scotland for a great holiday. During the 11 hour car journey I remember talking to Matthew and Keenan - my two children telling them that we will be going to Fort William and seeing the great mountain Ben Nevis. Ben Nevis being the largest mountain in the UK.

It did not take too long for them to ask me to take them up Ben Nevis. I was a bit nervous especially my youngest Keenan who was only 5 or 6 at the time. Was he too young? I then made the mistake of telling them that if they did go up Ben Nevis then they will probably be walking in the clouds. THAT WAS IT! I had no choice I had to take them up.

We drove to the foot of Ben Nevis at the Ben Nevis Centre and took some local advise as to when to go up. There was one particular day and that was the day we planned.

We had a really great breakfast and left at 09:00 in the morning. The trail started to be nice and gentle but I knew this would change. The weather was very wet and damp but it was not raining - and I had second thoughts - but carried on. The cloud was low however as we climbed the cloud started to rise.

The first real milestone is the Loch (lake) at the foot of the mountain. As we reached there I looked up and saw hikers ahead of us and it appeared that they were climbing in the cloud. They were as it was the low cloud you get on most mountains. I mentioned this to my kids and it absolutely blew there minds. We are going in the clouds as well!

The climb was very tough. Most of it was rock and stone and zig zagging all the way. However you know what? Guess who was the weakest hiker? Yep you guessed it was me. My kids raced up the mountain like mountain goats and for the very first time in my life I was the weakest hiker. I could not blame the rucksack as they also had a childrens backpack

It took 4 hours to reach the top and yes we reached the top in the clouds. The magic part was that the cloud was clearing all the time and just as we decided to descend everything was clear.

On the way down we had absolutely fantastic views. Also on the way down my wife Louise met us about 5 miles from the start.

The point of this story? Now my kids love hiking and we are going again and they have their childrens backpack. So hopefully this will give hope to give other parents the motivation to get their kids hiking

So you to can be leaving on a hike just like in the picture here

So I made a video of the climb and it is just below this article. Take a look and enjoy

There are many different aspects to buying a travel backpack. In particular is the question - what do you want to use it for? It can get very detailed and you can get very bogged down in the detail. This is the same for a childrens backpack. So here are a few tips and advice I have picked up.

You need to make sure the travel backpack is fit for purpose. Is it for hiking or travelling? Its is important as your need to understand how waterproof and strong it needs to be.

You need to make sure that the rucksack is comfortable. These days most travel backpacks are very comfortable compared to rucksacks years ago. Some backpack have a breathing system to allow air to your back. In addition the straps are adjustable not only to fit your shoulders but adjustable so you can wear the rucksack high or low on your back.

Most travel backpacks which are large (not a day sack) now come with the all important belt. This is very important as your hips should take more of the weight rather than your shoulders. So make sure that this is included. Yes and the same for a childrens backpack

Get a good waterproof travel backpack. A nice feature is a rain cover complete with a zip away bag cover. So that when the heavens do open (which is known to happen) then you unzip your backpack rain cover and cover the rucksack for rain protection. The only disadvantage with this is that a handy top pocket is wasted by the rain cover. I suppose it is a personal trade off.

Another great feature is a unique movable bio system which means as you bend or twist, the pack remains upright. This means that the centre of gravity remains the same reducing the risk of falling or loosing your balance.

In addition I like to see a large number of pockets. Pockets in my view make it easy to store and retrieve the smaller but all important things like map, compass, emergency whistle, pocket knife etc.

Have a great hike and enjoy your travel backpack as a childrens backpack as its all part of the fun.

Well I have really enjoyed putting this one together. It has been so rewarding to share my experiences and hopefully to help someone who has children and want to get them to appreciate nature and get out their and hike to earn their Childrens Backpack

So what have we covered here? I have shared with you how I managed to get my children off the computer and got them out hiking. Mind you as soon as we returned they we right back on there computer games – but hey ho it was great while it lasted until next time. I mentioned the important point of getting your children to see that it’s the big boys (or girls) that go hiking and that leading by example and hiking yourself.

I  then covered a personal experience. The family holiday to Scotland and the hike up Ben Nevis. That was a fantastic experience and as a father I was so proud. I hope you watched this video as well as it is quite fun to watch.

I finally cover what backpack to buy including being comfortable and waterproof

So I hope you found this useful and enjoyable.

I said I had enjoyed sharing my hiking experiences however what I would really would like is to hear your experiences and your achievements. Would really love to here these and to here your adventures. Place these in the comments below

Above all have a great hiking experience