Must Haves for Backpacking with a Baby

After my first year of exploring the outdoors with our daughter, Wiggle, I decided to make a list of the 5 most valuable things to have for hiking and backpacking with a baby. These things made our adventures a more fun, safe, and hassle-free experience overall. Hopefully you find them helpful too. For a complete gear list SKIP to the end of this post!

Friendly disclaimer: Every family is different. This is what worked for us, and while I hope some of these tips and must haves do for you as well, they may not. Also nothing is sponsored. I am in no way affiliated with any of the brands mentioned in this post. Everything shared here is based on my own opinion and experience using these products while hiking and backpacking with a baby.

The Right Carrier

I know I'm stating the obvious, but having the right soft structured carrier is essential for taking a baby on the trail. So, which carrier is the right one? It depends. When deciding on a SSC for hiking and backpacking, some things to look for include: breathable material, a wide range of adjustability, and a lightweight design. Something else to consider is whether it's comfortable enough to wear over a long period of time. Not just for you, but your baby too. While it would be much easier to have an outdoor influencer tell you exactly what product is best; the reality is what works for their family may not work for yours. You'll likely have to take a couple different SSCs for a test drive before finding one that suits you. I'll also say, what might be the right carrier during one stage might not be in another. Having to search for a new SSC certainly isn't convenient. Especially after finding one you really like! Trust me, though, it's better to renew your search efforts than continuing to tote your baby around in an ill-fitting carrier.

For me, there were two right carriers. From 0 to 12 months old it was the Infantino Carry On Active. I think it strikes the perfect balance between simplicity and versatility. The padding is soft enough to take the pressure off your waist and shoulders, but not too bulky to wear under a backpack. The stretchy mesh pockets provide a secure yet easily accessible place store the essentials. Like a phone, car keys, an extra diaper, and more. This carrier also offers multiple babywearing positions, without being too complicated. I could easily switch Wiggle from inward facing to outward facing or from my front to my back without any help. Best of all, this carrier is budget friendly at just $40 - 50. Despite the low price tag, I never felt like I was sacrificing quality to save a couple bucks. If you want to know more about my experience with this carrier, you can find a detailed review of it here.

Unfortunately I had to retire the Infantino and look for a new SSC shortly after Wiggle turned one. If I'm being honest, though, I should've retired it a little earlier. The carrier didn't support her weight like it used to, and just a few minutes of wearing it put major strain on my lower back. It wasn't much better for Wiggle either. To say she outgrew it would be an understatement. Forget about supporting her knees, the seat barely covered her butt anymore! Around this time, my husband and I had an overnight trip with friends coming up. Without my trusty Infantino carrier I wasn't entirely sure how things would play out. Wiggle was starting to figure out the basics of walking, but still needed to be carried most of the way. Thankfully, one of our friends let me borrow the carrier she uses with her son for part of the hike. I couldn't believe how comfortably it cradled my 20 something pound toddler. Best of all, the adjustable seat still had room to grow! I was sold, and the Contours Journey GO became a new essential for our outdoor adventures. It made backpacking and long day hikes during the early toddler stage possible again!

Odor Proof Bags

Diaper changes are a messy stinky part of hiking and backpacking with a baby; along with having to carry all those dirty diapers until you reach a trash can. So, how do you keep your tent and backpack from smelling like literal crap? Odor proof bags of course! Specifically Ubbi diaper pail liners. There's only one other product I've found that can truly trap smells quite like these. More on that in a minute. As a mom who's been using Ubbi’s innovative steel diaper pail for the last 2 years, I can honestly say it does trap odors like they say. Equally as impressive, are the purple liner bags. On their journey from the pail, to the garage, to the dump I’ve never had a problem with unwanted smells (or contents) escaping. Naturally, I started bringing these bags along on hikes. One hot July day, I decided to really put one to the test. After reaching the trailhead, I changed Wiggle and placed the diaper in an Ubbi pail liner. Then I tied it shut and left it in the back of my car. When we returned from our hike hours later, I expected the cab to smell like… Well, a poopy diaper baking in the sun. To my amazement there was NO smell at all!

Among the things I don't gamble with, human waste is one of them. While Ubbi’s pail liners are impervious to smells, they aren't impervious to punctures or tears. The last thing I want is to open my pack at the end of the day to find a sack of dirty diapers leaking all over my gear... or heaven forbid our food! That's why I bag each one individually before throwing it away in an Ubbi pail liner. I started out using dog waste bags, but every time I had to untie the Ubbi liner to toss another diaper, all the awful smells came pouring out. In my search for smaller bags with the same odor resistance, I discovered BOS bags!

Designed in Japan, BOS bags were initially made for waste disposal in a medical setting. The way they completely seal in smells and bacteria makes them ideal for a number of uses, including diaper changes. I decided to repeat the dirty-diaper-in-a-hot-car-all-day test with one of these bags. Once again, there was no odor! Like the Ubbi pail liners, these are unscented. So you can be confident they aren't just masking unwanted smells with a more powerful one. You also don't run the risk of attracting wildlife with artificial fragrances. BOS does make bags specifically for diapers, but I've just been using the Home & Food kind (size small). Together, Ubbi diaper pail liners and BOS bags are an unstoppable combo for containing both the mess and stink of diapers on the trail!

*Side note: I love Ubbi’s diaper pail liners, but I can’t say the same about their on-the-go bags. They completely fail to lock in odors. On top that, they're covered in a sickeningly sweet “lavender” scent.

A Kettle

When preparing bottles in the backcountry, a lightweight kettle quickly becomes your best friend. Especially for moms like me that had to formula feed! Trying to pour hot water directly into the narrow opening of a bottle can be really tricky a typical cookpot. A kettle, on the other hand, gives you more precision and spill prevention. No need to worry about over or under pouring. It also makes controlling the temperature of formula easier. By alternating hot and cold from my kettle and water bottle, I could get the water to perfect drinking temperature before adding the powder. Thanks to the mess-free and hassle-free nature a kettle, keeping up with a baby's ongoing feeding schedule on the trail wasn't nearly as intimidating as I expected it to be. Unzipping the vestibule and starting the stove in the morning (or middle of the night) became second nature on our trips. There's a few different anodized aluminum kettles on the market, but the MSR Pika is my pick! For a quick overview of the pros, cons, specs ,and features check out my micro gear review.

Making formula isn't the only thing a kettle is good for. It really came in handy when purees became a regular part of Wiggle's diet. Rather than packing jars or pouches of baby food, I brought crushed up fruit & veggie yogurt melts. At camp I could quickly rehydrate the freeze dried powder into a puree with warm water from the kettle. Being able to add small amounts of water at a time made getting her food to the right consistency much easier.

Whether my daughter was crawling or toddling, I didn't have a lot of time to cook in between camp chores and chasing after her. So, why pack a pot if all I plan to do is boil water? When Wiggle reached the age where we could share most of our food, the kettle made prepping dehydrated and freeze dried meals quick and easy. And with all the options out there these days, it wasn't hard to find prepackaged meals with minimally processed ingredients. While dinner "cooked" in the background, I was free to filter water, change Wiggle's diaper, or admire the latest rock she found. In my opinion, a kettle is a worthwhile addition to your cook kit regardless of the stage your baby is in.

Sun Protection

Hats, sunglasses, and sunscreen are all great ways to protect you and your little one from UV rays. However, one of my favorite (less common) gear items to block the sun is a reflective umbrella. I decided to get one in preparation for our first overnight trip with a baby. The trail we would be taking followed old gravel roads with little tree coverage. I was doubtful a hat and sunscreen would be enough, but wasn't sure what else I could do to keep Wiggle out of the sun. Then I remembered seeing videos of PCT thru-hikers using reflective umbrellas. If it worked for trekking through the deserts out West, then why not on the Palmetto Trail in the Southeast?

Gossamer Gear, Zpacks, and Six Moon Designs make highly rated hiking umbrellas. They're also some of the most expensive options. Rather than buying from a big name, I went the budget conscious route and got an umbrella from G4Free on Amazon. It wasn't the sturdiest, but it quite literally saved our skin on many occasions. Most memorable of which was at Roan Mountain in the Summer. We hit the trail early in the morning to get a head start on the heat, but it caught up quick. After hours of hiking across exposed ridges and balds, Wiggle and I made it back to the car completely burn-free. Sadly, my budget umbrella met an untimely end at the beach a month later. Although it served me well in the 8 months I had it, looking back I probably should've just shelled out the extra cash for a Six Moon Silver Shadow.

Even as a toddler my daughter doesn't have a lot of hair. So, keeping her head and neck covered outside is a must. From the backcountry to the backyard Wiggle's wide brimmed hat goes everywhere with her! The material is light and flexible while still having good structure. Unless it gets saturated by rain or playing in water, the hat's brim stays rigid. I can bend it up out of her eyes and it won't flop back down. These hats also have a soft mesh liner on the inside that helps with breathability. Both the chin strap and band is adjustable, leaving plenty of room for baby to grow into it. Wiggle was able to wear the 0 - 6 month size from the time she was 10 weeks old until around 10 months old. After she turned one I replaced her hats with the 12 - 24 month size. You can get them individually or in a double pack. I prefer to have two. That way when one is in the wash, she has another to wear in the meantime.

*Side note: We gave baby sunglasses a try, but Wiggle hated it! I couldn't keep them on her for the life of me. I know it works well for some families. Just not ours.

A Backup Plan

"The best laid plans of mice and men often go awry." And that's especially true when it comes to backpacking with a baby. Which brings us the the fifth and final must have - a backup plan! Sometimes you get out the door hours later than expected, have to pull over repeatedly to clean up blowouts and spit up, and your "campsite" that night ends up looking more like the Holiday Inn Express. Other times you make it all the way to your backcountry site to find thousands of ravenous mosquitoes waiting, and your only hope for escape is to make a mad dash back to the car before the ranger locks the gate for the night. Whatever the case, when the need for a backup plan arises, staying calm and collected is critical. Just as important is researching the area ahead of time. Like potential bailout points, alternate campsites, and emergency support presence. (i.e. camp host, onsite ranger, or emergency call box.)

If you haven’t already guessed, those oddly specific examples are how two of my own trips went. With the first, I had plenty of time to come up with another plan. Despite getting a late start, there was still a chance of making it to our destination in time. However, as the unexpected stops piled up the probability of that decreased. With sunset approaching and another hour of driving left to go, I had to decide whether or not to change course. As a new mom, I wasn't confident in my ability to hike in and set up camp with my baby in the dark. So, instead of continuing to the trailhead, I detoured to a hotel in town. The next morning, I took Wiggle on one of my favorite day hikes nearby.

With the second trip, I had to make a snap decision as well as consider a few different outcomes. I'm not the type to call it quits over some bugs. So believe me when I say trying to fight through the swarm was unbearable. My first response was to set up the tent. There I could calm Wiggle down and weigh our options. But the moment I unzipped the door, the mosquitoes flooded inside. That was all the convincing I needed to hightail it out of there. This is where previous research and experience at the park paid off. I knew there was a shorter route I could take to get back to the car faster. I also knew there was an onsite ranger I could go if I needed help. What I could not remember was what time they locked the entrance/exit gate. It was almost 5 p.m. by the time I started hiking back. So, I had to think through the "what if's." Like what if the gate is already closed when I get there? And what if I can't find the ranger to open it? With everything needed for the night in my pack, my worst case scenario plan became sleep in the car and ask forgiveness later. It took a couple tries, but I was eventually able to get phone service long enough to tell someone I was coming. When I reached the parking lot, a ranger was there to make sure Wiggle and I were okay.

To sum it up - Having to unexpectedly deviate from the original plan can be overwhelming. Even scary at times. However, being knowledgeable about the area, utilizing your resources, and keeping a cool head are all important parts of executing an effective backup plan. The last thing I'll say is if you plan on hiking, camping, or backpacking with a baby a satellite device is an excellent investment. I personally use a Garmin InReach mini (version 1) and haven't regretted it once. It give me peace of mind knowing I can contact SAR should the need arise.

Sample Gear List

Wondering what else I bring on the trail? Below is my gear list for a typical weekend or 2 night camping or backpacking trip with a baby. This PDF includes three lists based on developmental stage - 0 to 6 months, 6 to 12 months, and 12 to 24 months. External links to specific gear items are also included.

Baby Gear Checklist by Stage.pdf

Download PDF • 232KB

Thanks for stopping by! I hope you found this post helpful. For even more content on this topic, please check out some of my other posts as well as my YouTube channel : Jessica Sojournering