What to Pack for a Day Hike with Kids
Every trail guide gives you the same packing list. We wanted to know what families actually need, so we went through the “what to bring” notes on all 145 hiking adventures in our database - 103 of them have specific packing notes attached - and counted what shows up. The results are not the list you’d write from memory. Here’s what the data actually says. Water is not tied for first. It’s first by a mile. Drinking water appears in 76% of hiking packing notes - 78 out of 103. Nothing else is close. Hiking shoes or boots are second at 45%. Sunscreen is at 20%. Snacks are at 19%. ...