I’m not sure why that random movie fact has stuck with me for more than 20 years, but I had a similar moment last week when we met up with some friends at a fairground. One of my girls needed to use the bathroom immediately, so we walked to the Porta Potties right around the corner. As she came out of her little hut, I was waiting with wipes and some hand sanitizer, which made my friend crack a joke about being a Boy Scout. I joked right back, “I’m not a Boy Scout, I’m a mom.”
Our family tradition of carrying a backpack came right after the diaper bag years. Typically, our “adventure backpack” stays in the trunk of our family car, filled with all the supplies we tend to need most.
Whether your family adventures include travel or exploring the outdoors, an adventure backpack can make life with kids easier!
What is an adventure backpack?
Our backpack is a simple, two-shoulder bag that holds all the things our kids tend to need when we are hiking, geocaching, touring the zoo, or visiting an apple orchard. We keep it light enough that any one of us can carry it if needed–but not so light that we end up sunburned or covered in bug bites because the sunscreen and/or bug spray is in the other car.
What should we put in our adventure backpack?
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The type of backpack your family chooses depends on the types of activities you’ll need it for. Rarely do we hike more than a couple of hours and we typically drive right to our campsites, so we don’t need an actual hiking backpack. A regular school pack works just fine for our adventures, so long as it has lots of pockets for our supplies:
- hats for everyone
- sunscreen
- umbrella
- insect repellent
- bandaids
- wipes
- hand sanitizer
- tissues
- pain reliever
- flashlight
- compass
- whistle
- water bottles
- snacks (optional)
- zipper bags for trash or nature collections
- notepad and pencil
Where should we take our adventure backpack?
- Our family loves to go traveling–you can follow our adventures over on Instagram.
- You can also read our guest post all about family adventures over on BethanyIshee.com.
- Get lots of destination ideas here on our Family Adventures Pinterest board!
If your family is looking to have more adventures full of hands-on learning and fun memories, keeping a family adventure backpack in the car will be a lifesaver!
What do you keep in your adventure backpack?
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