Parenting

If you camp and/or hike with your kids

did you get them hiking boots or something similar?  Would ordinary sneakers/athletic shoes do OK?  

TIA 

Re: If you camp and/or hike with your kids

  • Keen sandals and tennis shoes I don't mind getting dirty. My boys are pretty little though so I wouldn't waste the money on hiking boots yet.
  • I triecto reply to your PM, but it would not let me.

     

    I have never camped on the beach.  It is generally windy and has no shade.  The bugs, sand fleas, can be bad too.  I grew up with a beach house, so I spent a lot of time there.  You need a lot of bug spray and sunscreen, but sand flees don't care much about bug spray.  I have camped 2X on Cumberland Island in the woods, just off the beach over the dunes and would never do it in June because the mosquitos would pick you up and carry you away. My friend got more than 200 bites with bug spray in October and I got at least 50.  Some place up north or our west, I am not sure about, since they seem to have fewer mosquitos. 

    I would get an electric lantern.  We have both.  The gas puts off more light, but you can't use it in the tent or to walk around.  So given an either or choice, I would go electric. 

    The kids do not need hiking boots.  We just use regular shoes for DD, like merril tennis shoes or keens.  DS doesn't have shoes yet. 

    If it is muddy, the shoes will get dirty, but they are not all that hard to clean.  

    As for the paper plates, we don't use them much.  I might take a few along for lunch or snacks, but most of the meals we make, like chili and hot dogs on a stick, don't need them.   We use Dr. bonners to wash dishes and it has never been a big deal.  The kids tend to snack a lot and are not huge eaters anyway, so dinner is not a big deal to them.  They love dried fruit and smore makings, trail mix type stuff.  We make them mac n cheese.  They are content.  Cheese sticks are good.  Box milk.  We always use nalgene sip cups for them, so we can clip them to their backpacks for water.

     

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  • Thanks for the answers!  We are pretty indecisive because he doesn't like to spend money and I always do, so we have to poll everyone we know.  We resolved most of the questions but I am still wavering on the shoes.  
  • When we went hiking with DS (who was only 16 mos and was in a back pack) we all wore gym shoes.  We didn't hike too high or on rugged terrain with kids.  for camping, we wore gym shoes and easy to clean sandals.  camping can be very dirty, everything we brought was easy to clean.
    DS1 age 7, DD age 5 and DS2 born 4/3/12
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