How Much Weight Should a Child Carry When Backpacking?

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Backpacking is a great way to help your child appreciate nature. And giving them their own bag to carry can teach them important outdoor skills. But just how much weight is too much weight for a child when backpacking?

A child should carry between 10% and 20% of their weight when backpacking. How much weight they can carry on long hikes will also depend on their endurance and experience. But to avoid shoulder or back pains, it’s best not to go beyond 20% of their body weight.

In this article, we’ll look at how you can make sure you can reduce or prevent strain from carrying a backpack, telltale signs of strain from carrying a backpack, as well as backpacking tips for kids.

How To Reduce or Prevent Strain From Carrying a Backpack

Allowing your child to carry their own bag teaches them responsibility, initiative, and self-sufficiency. You can never start too early when it comes to teaching these important values.

But when giving your child their own bag, it’s easy to get carried away and pack too many things, especially if they’re helping with the packing. Aside from keeping the bag within the appropriate weight, there are other things you can do to prevent or reduce strain from carrying a backpack on long hikes.

Maintain Proper Posture

Even when they’re not carrying anything, if their posture is bad, chances are they will experience back pains sooner or later. It can only get worse if they have to carry a bag on a long hike.

To keep this from happening, teach your child proper posture early on.

Encourage your child to sit or stand up with their back straight, and not just because you’re going backpacking. Doing this as part of normal, everyday life will help make it a habit until it becomes just the way they stand or sit. This way, they won’t feel like they need to make a huge change.

Maintaining proper posture while carrying a backpack can help distribute the weight of the bag evenly and comfortably. It also lessens the chances of your child’s shoulders and neck hurting, as these will feel the most strained when your child slouches on a long hike.

Carry the Backpack Properly

Most kids tend to carry their backpacks on only one strap, but this is not correct, especially if the bag is a considerable weight for their size. It will put too much pressure on one side of the body, hurting the shoulder carrying the weight, and making the back curve unnaturally to the side where the bag is.

If this becomes a habit, it can lead to problems like scoliosis or worsen it if your child already has this condition. But aside from this, carrying a backpack this way can cause them to lose their balance and fall or trip–which is something you should avoid at all costs.

To make sure that your child doesn’t experience unnecessary strain or lose their balance, have them wear their backpack with both straps on. This will distribute the weight evenly and help them maintain their balance, especially when walking on an incline.

Also, the bag should fit snugly onto your child’s bag.

The bag should not be hanging low, or else it will drag the weight down and make it hard for your child to maintain balance. It will also put a lot of strain on their shoulders and upper back.

Choose a Backpack With Padded Shoulder Straps

You’ll want to choose a backpack with padded shoulder straps. This will make carrying the bag extra comfortable, especially if you’ll be out walking a lot. Their shoulders will be the ones to feel the strain first if they’re going to carry a bag long, so make sure to protect those.

Aside from pads, the straps should be wide, as narrow straps may dig into your child’s shoulders after a while. If prolonged, this can also lead to numbness and weakness in the arms.

If you need to go shopping for a bag, you can check out this Mountaintop Kids Backpack (available on Amazon.com). It has padded shoulder straps and is sized just right for kids 3 to 6 years old. It also has several compartments, so you can fit lots of stuff in while still being organized.

Use a Waist or Hip Belt

In addition to using a bag with shoulder straps, using a backpack with a waist or hip belt can help distribute the weight of the bag evenly, instead of focusing it on the upper back alone. A waist belt with pads that are wide enough to fit snugly on both sides of the waist is an even better idea.

A waist belt is important if your child is going to carry a heavy bag that’s 20% of their body weight. While you are still within the safe weight limit, since that’s the maximum weight that they’re supposed to carry, it’s best to make sure that the bag won’t cause any strain.

You could do without a waist belt if it’s 10% or less than their body weight. This way, there will be little to no weight pull, and your child will be able to comfortably carry their bag on a long walk.

But if you want to teach your child to share the load, make sure to use a bag that can protect them while they do so.

Ensure Proper Weight Distribution When Packing

You’ll need to pack items into the backpack properly, while also teaching your child how to pack properly.

Put heavier items in the middle of the bag, instead of at the bottom. By doing so, the weight will be better balanced, and it will have less of a downward drag, especially when the bag has a waist or hip belt.

This is very helpful if you are packing lots of stuff into your child’s backpack.

You can even teach them how to pack properly by having them help you and allowing them to watch how you organize items and choose only the ones that you really need.

Part of packing properly is making sure that you don’t bring along anything that will be unnecessary weight. You’ll be walking a lot, so you have to make sure that each item you bring along has value and is absolutely necessary for the trip.

Use a Lightweight, Appropriate-Sized Bag

Lastly, choose a bag that is appropriately sized for your child. Ideally, your child’s backpack should be about 2” (5.08 cm) below the shoulder blades and a few inches above the waist.

Choosing a bag this size will help keep the weight in the middle of the back instead of dragging it down around the buttocks. If the bag is too high, it can make them lean too much forward, causing your child to lose their balance and trip.

Also, when choosing a bag, steer clear of those that are already heavy on their own.

You need to keep things light, and starting with a bag that already weighs a lot won’t help. Plus, when you need to nitpick what items you can and can’t carry to make sure you’re within safe weight range, a lightweight bag can really make a whole lot of difference.

Signs of Strain From Carrying a Backpack

When you’re out backpacking, you should be on the lookout for signs that your child is experiencing strain from carrying a backpack. Knowing what strain looks like and how it manifests will help you make adjustments early, so your child doesn’t continue feeling any discomfort.

Here are some of the most common signs that your child’s backpack is causing discomfort.

Difficulty Lifting Up or Putting Backpack Down

This is a huge sign that the bag is too heavy for your child or their shoulders and back are already hurting from carrying it too long. Sometimes, even if you keep the bag’s weight within the recommended weight range, the weight may still be too much, especially if this is the first time your child is going backpacking.

Not all children are alike, and how much they can carry comfortably depends not just on their size and age, but also on their endurance and experience. If they’re used to hiking or carrying a bag on long backpacking trips, they may be able to hold their own quite well.

But if your child is new to backpacking, they may find it difficult to catch up at first. As soon as you notice that they’re having difficulty, see what you can take from their load or take the backpack from them.

Back or Shoulder Pain

If your child is complaining about their shoulders or back being sore, take it seriously. It could be that their backpack plus the long walk is too much for them, which could mean that carrying their backpack is causing a strain on their body.

To ease their discomfort, you can reduce their backpack’s load.

You can also take a break and from there onwards, take regular breaks at short intervals to make sure that your child doesn’t get too tired.

Leaning Forward While Carrying the Bag

Leaning forward is a subtle sign that your child’s backpack is causing a strain on their shoulders.

When the weight is too much or if their shoulders are sore, they may instinctively lean forward so that the weight of the bag doesn’t pull on the shoulders too much but rest on the flat of the back instead.

You may not notice this if you’re walking on an inclined path, so to be sure, communicate with your child so that you’re aware of how they’re feeling.

Backpacking Tips for Kids

Backpacking is a fun outdoor adventure. No wonder kids love them! But as a parent, there are things that you should take note of to make sure that your child doesn’t just have fun, but stays safe, maintains a good attitude, and learns a lot from the experience.

Here are a few backpacking tips that you might find helpful.

Keep Your Child Active

Backpacking is a very physical activity, which can be a good thing.

Kids shouldn’t be spending hours and hours glued to smartphones and practically having sedentary lifestyles. They are full of energy, and they need to spend it on something worthwhile, like exploring the outdoors, playing with friends, and backpacking.

However, if your child isn’t used to physical activities like those, they may have a hard time appreciating your backpacking trip. Aside from that, their bodies also need to get used to the long walks if you want them to have fun.

So instead of putting a gadget on your child’s hands, take them out walking often or play physical games with them instead. This will help build their endurance and even correct their idea of fun.

Start With Simple, Short-Distance Hikes

Your child will get tired, and that’s something that you need to take into consideration when you plan your backpacking itinerary. They’re just not built like adults, especially not those who go hiking for days.

Because of that, take care not to shock their system by going all out pro-hiking with your child.

Start with easy, short hikes, and rest as much as necessary.

Share the Load, but Let Them Have Fun

If you want your child to love backpacking as much as you do, you need to train them young.

And an important part of that is allowing them to share the load. This means giving your child their own backpack where they can keep their own essentials like snacks and water.

But make sure that when you do so, you also allow your child to have fun by choosing a backpack with their favorite cartoon character on it or making allowance for their beloved stuffed toy. There’s no rush, so just let your child have fun.

Final Thoughts

Backpacking is a fun, exciting way to bond with your family while teaching your child important lessons at the same time. With enough preparation, it can be a very rewarding experience for parents when they see their child enjoying the outdoors as much as they are.