Gear guide for kids for Winter/Cold Hikes

During Covid we sold/donated all of our stuff to travel the states while my husband worked on the road. Our first destination of many was Utah. We traveled through southern Utah before on a road trip in a campervan for two weeks and we've been itching to go back and explore more. I was very nervous about going in winter and had no experience living in snowy weather, shoveling snow, and definitely no experience hiking in snow! It was all new to us but we were excited for the adventure and to just learn from whatever life threw our away. But what we had the learn the most was how do we prepare for the "bad" weather?

Remember, there is no such thing as bad weather, just bad gear!

Lucky for us Californians we can't really say we get a real winter season so for the most part this will apply to dressing in layers for cold hikes which is always the case for in San Francisco and I personally think it's always smart to dress in the right layers when hiking and especially camping! By having the right clothes you are able to do the coldest of treks while comfortable and having a great time and who doesn't want that?

Base layer

The important thing to remember is to dress in layers! Avoid cotton because cotton is the worst and you just won't be able to hang in the snow for that long dressed like that! It doesn't wick moisture off your body and doesn't dry fast if wet and definitely not breathable. We quickly learned that certain materials didn't work for us and I wanted to share with you my favorites. We fell in love with merino wool base layers. They come in a variety of thickness options based on your preference and don't itch like other brands. If you're looking for a more budget friendly option this is a great alternative: merino wool set.

Merino wool is known to wick moisture while hiking so it's the best option for a base layer. It can also be costly so a good cheaper option would be a polyester blend. My favorite cheaper option for midweight baselayers for the kids are from Rei.

Fleece

Second layer is a fleece sweater and fleece pants or you can even wear a fleece lined thicker base layer for winter if you aren't comfortable wearing two layers on top of each other. Any old fleece sweater and pants will do, no need to break the bank on these.

Top Layer

For the third layer, wear a down jacket to insulate and keep the warmth in, or you can just get by with waterproof top layer. My absolute favorite waterproof layer for kids are these oaki suits! Kids can just wear warm layers under them and throw this on when in snow, rain, a river, a creek, or muddy play! I seriously love these suits they have been a game changer for us because I just don't have to worry at all if the kids jump in the creek to play because they stay dry and happy!

Here is a helpful quick video on how to layer for winter weather.

Dressing in Layers

Spikes

We knew about the basics of winter layering which include a base layer, mid fleece layer and a weatherproof layer but, living in the snow we needed a few extras like spikes for our shoes and that was completely new to us! We quickly learned that they are a must when it comes to snow hiking. We loved yaktrax as a cheaper option and can't imagine getting to any of the amazing frozen waterfalls without them! There are many different kinds of micro spikes to slip on top of your shoes in the snow and especially for icy conditions but since we were traveling through and didn't need them year round or anything and the kids would outgrow them so fast, so we got the cheapest ones we could find and they did what they needed to do for the short time we were visiting Utah.

Shoes and Socks

For shoes I absolutely love bogs for toddlers especially due to being so easy to slip on and off. My kids have all worn them for all the snowy, muddy, rainy outings and they have just been amazing. When you want to hike for longer distances we loved the merrells for my girls and my toddler did great in his keens!

I never thought socks would make such difference in the shoe game but I was seriously missing out on my whole life wearing cotton socks. Ever since I discovered merino wool socks I never went back! Our favorite socks by far are smartwool and darn tough! I love these for toddlers and kids and just the whole family. I got them in different thickness so we can wear them all year long. What I love the most is you can wear them 2-4 times at least before washing. No smell or anything! After I discovered these I got rid of all of our socks and have two pairs for each kid and ourselves and we just alternate between them. No more lost socks in the wash so it's a win win!

Gloves

Let's not forget that its impossible to be out in the snow and for the kids to not want to play and eat snow so it's important to have snow gloves and we have used these and absolutely loved them. Yes, they are annoying to put on but they actually keep the kids hands warm enough for them to be in the snow playing and snowboarding etc without freezing/wet hands.

I hope this post helps you to feel more confident going outdoors on cold/winter hikes and camping with your kids comfortable and most importantly warm! . If you have any questions or comments be sure to let me know in the comments or send me an email!

Happy hiking!

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