Our favourite things

Getting outside with kids can be muddy, messy, cold, hot, wet and everything in between! Having the right gear is so important to getting out and staying out, without tears and whining about wet socks and cold hands. 

We love purchasing our kids' gear secondhand whenever possible. High quality gear can last through multiple kiddos. Below are our absolute favourite items to get outside with our families. Snap them up when you see them posted secondhand, or check the links below to buy new. 

Backpacking camping

MSR Elixir 4 person tent: We have recently started doing overnight hikes with our kids. As our kids get bigger, they need their own sleeping pads, so the idea of squishing all four of us into our old (beloved!!) MSR Hubba Bubba 2 person tent is sadly not going to happen. It's still early days, but we like the Elixir so far, there's plenty of room inside for four sleeping pads and it is relatively simple to set up. The vestibules could be a little bigger, especially when we think of our kids carrying bigger packs in the future, but we'll cross that bridge when we come to it! 

NeoAir sleeping pads and Thermarest ProLite sleeping pad: We have had our NeoAirs for about 10 years (i.e. pre kids) and they are still going strong, they are so warm to sleep on and lightweight to pack. For the kids, we already had an older Thermarest Prolite, and the price of a NeoAir seemed a bit excessive, so we recently bought an additional ProLite. We decided to get the full adult size one, since it seems like it won't be long before our tall children need the extra length! And given how long we've had our NeoAirs, we know this gear lasts.

MEC Centasaurus youth 0C sleeping bag: Both our kids have the Centasaurus and we love it. They stay warm and toasty. Unlike the sleeping pads mentioned above, we opted for children's sized sleeping bags as the smaller bags keep them much warmer. We have the Regular youth size (we ordered the Small by accident and it would only have worked until our kids were maybe 5 years old).

For cooking on backpacking trips, we use an MSR PocketRocket stove with the GSI Pinnacle Dualist II, which has enough pieces for our family of four. We also pack this little scraper, which is awesome for cleaning the dishes and leaving no trace!

Day hiking gear

MEC Trail 24 pack: We have had this backpack for a few years and it's holding up well to pretty intense use on hiking and other outdoor adventures. It's quite lightweight and has useful side pockets. It doesn't have a waist band, which is a negative, but we picked it up on sale and for the price, it's been good value. 

Kids' sun gear

Sunday Afternoon Play Hat: These hats are awesome! They have a breakaway chin strap, a sturdy front brim, and amazing neck coverage at the back. These hats are lightweight and have been shoved into a backpack many times and retain their shape well. As an Australian, sun protection is pretty important to me and it's very satisfying to see how much coverage these hats provide!

Patagonia Baggies shorts: We have had multiple pairs of these shorts since our kids were babies and they are amazing. They're lightweight, durable, fast drying, and somehow seem to repel the dirt? I'm not sure how that's possible, but it seems to be true! In fact, they're so good, I'm considering getting the women's version.

MEC Rapidi-T Long Sleeve Sun Shirt: Our youngest kid has one of these and it's great. It's lightweight to wear on hot days to provide a little extra sun protection. She did spill chocolate pudding on it the very first time she used it, but I guess that's user error rather than poor design!

Kids' rain gear

1. MEC Newt Suit for Infants and MEC Newt Suit for Children: These rain suits are amazing. The Newt Suit is our favourite rain suit to stand up to the rainy weather on the Pacific Northwest (it rains a lot here). The material lasts well, the zippers are smooth, and the seams stay waterproof for a long time.

2. Bogs Waterproof Boots: Once our kids started wearing these, it was hard to go back to anything else! They are easy to pull on, and they're warm and cosy. They kept our kids' feet drier than any other boots we've tried.

Pro tip: if your kid rides their bike in these a lot and uses their feet to brake, they may eventually wear a hole in them. It's always a good idea to use non-winter boots for biking for this reason! 

3. Crocs Rain Boots: These rain boots are made all in piece, with no seams to crack, break, and leak. Unless of course your kid rides their balance bike in them and brakes with their feet... but still, they stand up to the rain pretty well!

Kids' snow gear

1. MEC Toaster Suit and Toaster Jacket: We understand why these are called "Toaster" now, they are SO WARM. If you want a reliable snow suit to zip your kiddo into and not have to think about again (until the next potty break), the suit is great. The Jacket is a great everyday winter jacket. 

2. Bogs Waterproof Boots: These boots do really well in the rain and the snow!

3. MEC Neck Gaiter: Simple little lightweight neck warmer to keep the warm air inside the snow suit. Also doubles as a hat if you forget your kid's. We love to have a spare one of these in our pockets because inevitably something gets lost or wet in the snow. 

Baby and toddler carriers and backpacks

1. Deuter Kid Comfort Carrier: Between the two of us, we have four kids, and we have tried a lot of carriers. The Deuter was the one that we both liked the best. The most important thing to look for in a carrier is how comfortable it is for you, and this one worked really well for both of us, and our partners. There's plenty of storage, durable buckles, a sunshade, and a solid kickstand for when your kid falls asleep and you need to take the backpack off. (For more tips on choosing a baby carrier or backpack, listen to our episode: How to choose a baby carrier (including backpacks)). 

2. Tula Explore Baby Carrier: We loved this one, because it can be used from birth with no chunky inserts. The buckles were easy to use and robust. Really versatile, super comfortable, and perhaps the cherry on the top, awesome colours and prints to choose from! If you're going to be using your baby carrier everyday, you might as well look good while you're doing it.

Strollers and Accessories

1. Thule Urban Glide Stroller: We love using jogging strollers from Thule and BOB to get outside with smaller kids. These rugged strollers can handle offroading on trails and bumpy paths. But even on regular paths, they are so much easier to push. You can even push them with one hand, while carrying a toddler, bike, snack, backpack, and stuffed dinosaur in your other hand! We also had a Thule Urban Glide Double Stroller just after our second kid was born and that thing was a lifesaver for getting out with two little ones. Don't forget the rain cover!

Adult Gear

1. MEC Aquanator Rain Pants: Don't forget to keep yourself dry! I've had these MEC Aquanator Rain Pants for years now, and they hold up well to the wettest days (even when I'm riding my bike). They even work for snowy adventures in the spring, so you can sit down in the snow without getting wet pants!

2. Blundstone Boots: There is a reason these boots are so popular, we love 'em! They're great for getting outside with your kids in cool and wet weather. I used to try wearing rubber rain boots, but found that they cracked and split, just like kids' boots do. I've had my Blundstones for years. I still love them, and they still look good enough to wear to the local breweries. Bonus: they're Australian, just like Kate!

 

We participate in MEC's affiliate program and we may receive compensation for items sold through the links above. We will only ever list products that we truly believe in based on our personal experience.