Packing: 5 Toys for Toddlers while Hiking/Backpacking

1. Finger puppets!

They are very lightweight and are super small! We packed 3.

2. Pocket books

2 Robert Munsch pocket books vs. 1 regular sized paperback

These are the smallest and lightest books! Very handy for hiking/backpacking.

3. Beach ball

(Image source here)

Weighs almost nothing and packs perfectly! Fun for all ages too!

4. Light shovel

Small shovel vs. standard beach toy shovel. Both available at dollar stores.  

Perfect for playing with dirt, water, leaves, etc. You can get small ones that don't weigh much. A shovel and a pail can keep a wee one busy while preparing meals or setting up your tent. 

5. Sleep friend

H's sleepfriend, a froggy named Grammit, is never far in the morning while camping.

Sadly this might not be lightweight or compact, but you need to take your wee one's companion to make them feel at home at bedtime.

[Review] Platypus GavityWorks water filter!

If you are preparing to head into the backcountry, one of the large investments you are going to need to make will be in a water filter! I'm sure you don't need me to tell you that water is the number one essential.

How to pick one? There are a few different options:

• adding chemicals
• using UV to kill the unfriendlies
• good ol' filtering
• pump!      
• let gravity do the work for you!

Chemicals are not a great long term solution. UV light in my opinion seems a little sketchy... what if the batteries die or the light quits? So we chose filtering. Since we would have already been spending upwards of $80 to have safe water (by means of a serious arm workout), we decided to invest in a GRAVITY FILTER! A Platypus GavityWorks water filter to be precise. It filters super fast (4L in 2.5 minutes), weighs very little, includes a water reservoir, kills 99.9999% of bacteria and protozoa, and costs $113. It is a lot, but it is a serious investment.

We tested it out last weekend while car camping as the campground had a boil order on for its water. I am so glad we brought it! The water was nasty! It looked like pee, but within moments of filtering, we had clear and safe drinking water! I would highly recommend this filter to any families who will be needing to procure safe drinking water while camping or hiking!

This was a must-have for us as we plan our first backcountry camping trip with H this year! Stay tuned, more to come on that!