8 Tips For For Finding Good Hiking Boots For Kids
Hiking is a great sport for the whole family. It is a very rewarding experience, believe you me, because I’ve been on many hikes in my life before. But you will have to give it some forethought, otherwise it’s not going to be a really good hike. Especially when you are bringing kids. Kids can be the sweetest, but if they aren’t properly taken care of… they can also put a real damper on the whole experience. It is important to get children interested in everything that mother nature has to offer outdoors.
In the ideal case, your kids should definitely be wearing all the proper attire. They need to be fully equipped, just like you are. It all depends on the climate and the terrain of your hike destination what sort of gear they ought to be carrying. But one thing is for sure… you will need to get your children a pair of good hiking boots, or you might as well never even begin the trip.
It can be a long process to choose the right backpacking boots for your kids. But it is totally worth it, because hiking is by far the most healthy hobby in the entire world. You can totally relieve all of your stress by going into nature and really enjoying it. It will give you all the exercise that you need. So that’s why you’ve got to select a good pair of boots for you and your kids. This is absolutely crucial. Have you ever had a blister on your foot because your footwear was not right for you? Everybody has had it at one time or another. And it’s pure agony, isn’t it? I’d say that’s your incentive to buy a good pair, right there.
There’s a bunch of great brands that can offer you many different kinds of high quality hiking boots. Take a look at Columbia, for example. They offer a very wide supply of all sorts of hiker boots, designed to go onto all sorts of different trails and terrains. And Columbia comes at pretty decent prices as well. Another great hiking shoe brand is North Face. These guys are very well known for their outdoor clothing and hiking gear. Lots of professional hikers use North Face boots and equipment. They offer all the high quality stuff a serious hiker could ever want.
There are plenty more excellent brands out there on the market. If you have friends who also like to hike, then it is best to ask them about which brands they prefer, before making your own purchase. You can also do some online research yourself to see if you can find any good reviews. If you have a friend who knows a lot about this stuff, then you could bring him along on your shopping trip.
But before you buy your kid a pair of boots, please let him or her test the boots first. For your convenience, here are a few things that you should look for when you are buying hiking boots for your children.
- They must have a lining that is both sturdy and smooth.
- Excellent insulation and padding all throughout the boot.
- Ensure the boots have crampon attachments.
- Make sure the boots have a full length shank.
- The scree collar must be wide, soft and thick.
- The sole must be soft so it has good traction.
- The treads must be deep, also for traction.
- The height should he at least ankle high, or higher.
If you intend for your children to wear ortopedic inserts, socks or insoles, then have them try on the boots while using all this stuff. Sometimes, people use a rule of thumb for buying backpacking boots… and that is: make sure it’s one size bigger than your regular footwear, because then you are accommodating for thick socks. You absolutely have to make sure that the kids’ boots are going to be a snug fit, otherwise your children will risk painful foot injuries.
Great durability, comfort and quality are absolutely necessary when you are going to purchase hikers’ boots. The cost of hiking boots varies wildly from one brand to another, and even from one retailer to another. But the price of camping boots comes second to the safety and comfort of your child. You certainly do not want to risk that your child starts hating hiking, just because his or her first hike was no good due to uncomfortable hiking footwear. You can easily find plenty of good deals on the Internet if you look well enough.
Kid’s Hiking Boots Suggestions And Shopping Guide
If you’ve got children, then you will have learned the hard way that you can’t leave them alone for more than five minutes. They need constant supervision and they will always want to spend time with you. So if you are planning on taking them along on a hike, then you are going to have to bring them with you. You will have to make sure that they are wearing proper footwear for this outdoor adventure, or you’ll never hear the end of it.
For instance, you can’t be buying them boots that aren’t waterproof. Hiking is a rough sport, even on the easiest of trails (just so long as you keep going for long enough). They also need a thick sole, because that gives lots of protection. Kids are still growing and they require protection around their feet when they are out on rough terrain. Otherwise they might get an injury and suffer permanent damage to their still developing feet. Just so long as you buy them proper footwear, your children will be immensely grateful and they will have a great time with you as well.
Children grow like cabbage. Some parents make the mistake of buying them super cheap boots, thinking the kids won’t wear them for a long time anyway, and they will have to replace them a year later anyway. Sometimes, kids will point at a certain pair because they like the look of them. But that doesn’t mean these boots are the right ones for your child. Boys’ and girls’ hiking boots are all about safety first and style second. They will only be wearing the boots every once in a while anyway, so the style shouldn’t matter that much at all.
If you are at a decent store where you are properly informed, then you will probably be advized to buy a shoe size up from the shoe size that you’d normally buy for your child when you are shopping for regular footwear. Your kid will be wearing thick socks on a hike (especially if it is a hike in cold weather) and the boots need to accommodate for the extra space they take up. Be sure to ask your kids to wiggle their toes inside the boots, because they need to be able to do that. Kids’ boots need to be a snug fit, but they do not need to squash the feet at the same time.
If you remember your own childhood, then you will certainly recall stomping around in a mud puddle once or twice. I sure do remember all the times I came across puddles. Man, those sure are tempting for young ones, aren’t they? For that reason, you will absolutely have to have boots that are waterproof. Otherwise, you will come to regret it.
Kids, whether they be boys or girls, also love climbing on all sorts of stuff, such as hills and mounds. These can be slippery when wet. For this reason, their backpacking boots’ traction is also of the utmost importance. The boot is going to have to be lightweight as well, because they are just kids and they will become exhausted just from wearing their boots when these are too heavy.
There are a number of boots out there for kids that I really like, such as for example the Rascal Girls Boys Childrens breathable durable walking outdoors active boots. But also the Merrell Chameleon Low WT hiking boots for little kids and big kids. And then ofcourse the KEEN Koven Youth backpacking boot, also for little and big kids. I also like the big kid’s Timberland Back Road trekking boot. And then there is the toddler / little kid / big kid Deer Stags Mack camping boot. But also the KEEN Pagosa tramping boot for little and big kids. I could go on for a while, but I am sure you’ve already got the picture… there’s a lot of great boots out there for children.
How To Motivate Your Kids For Hiking
A long, long time ago… it was pretty hard to keep kids indoors. This was, ofcourse, in the time before the nineties, when computers and all sorts of electronic gadgets were not yet ubiquitous. These days, we’ve got video games, DVD’s, smartphones and all sorts of other doohickeys that will keep kids occupied for hours on end. Many of them never want to leave the house. And if you are raising your kids like this, then you are setting your kid up for a couch potatoe lifestyle.
As soon as possible, you have to motivate your kid to go outside and then he or she actually has to like it, too. You can make a good start by buying backpacking boots for your kids and then take them along on a good hike. Once they see their hiking booties standing there alongside their regular footwear, they will certainly become incentivized to want to go on a hike with you. Especially if you have got a pair of camping boots of your own. Because kids… they want to be just like you.
Hiking is beyond the shadow of any doubt, the healthiest outdoor pastime that you can think of. It gives you plenty of exercise, but it will also allow you to relieve a lot of stress, and you will also prevent it. Kids like playing around with sticks when they are outdoors in the wild. It’s important that you let your child pick the stick him or her self. It’s fun to carve off the bark and sand it down a little. You can also give it some color and then cover it with something like polyurethane. And voila, you’ve got your own homemade hiking stick. Hiker boots for kids are already expensive enough, why also spend a fortune on a hiker stick when you can make your own cheaply?
Always keep the stick and the boots standing next to each other in a corner where your children will see it frequently when passing by. Every single time they see the stick and the boots, they will be reminded of the barrels of fun they had when they went on their first hike with mommy and daddy. It’s a good idea to start early, because your children are going to be better off for it down the road.
While it’s incredibly fun and fulfilling to be surrounded by youth in your own home, it can also be quite overwhelming to have to shop for them. I hope this page is giving you some help in this.
Wellington Boots For Kids
If you don’t want your children to have full blown trekking boots, but would rather go for a (often) cheaper alternative, then you may consider buying children’s Wellies instead. Because children and mud puddles are a pretty deadly combination. More often than not, when they are presented with a totally clear puddle and a puddle that has dirty mud and leaves in it… let’s face it… they’re going to go for the latter one 99 out of 100 times. The autumn season is great for this sort of stuff and rest assured that your kid is going to do his or her utmost best to find the deepest puddle that will bury him or her to his waist.
So when autumn arrives, you will have to ensure that your children are equipped well for this season. Investing in a pair of kids Wellington boots or children’s walking boots is always going to be a good idea. When buying your kid a pair of Wellies, then there are a couple of things that you will have to keep in mind.
- Do not ever treat Wellies as if they are actual trekking boots. These are two different kinds of footwear we’re talking about here.
- When buying walking boots for young little girls, make sure they do not have heels. A single patch of ice will be enough to summersault them.
- You might need to buy hike boots in a size too big, but the same does not go for Wellies. Wellies will stretch because they are made of elastic material. Buy them at the proper size.
- If you buy walking boots for your kids, ensure the tongues are webbed. This works well in keeping them waterproof.
- More often than not, Wellies will slip over the heels with every step your kid takes. Make sure that they don’t before making your purchase.
There’s a big difference between actual hiking booties and children’s Wellies, however. Imagine how far famous hiker Edmund Hillary would have gotten, if he had attempted to climb Mt. Everest in Wellington boots. Not very far. Wellies are great for kids, because they can easily keep children’s feet dry. But they do not have a lot of traction. So if you are going down the Wellies route on the hike trail, then make sure the hike trail itself is an easy one that doesn’t offer any climbs and does not have any rough terrain. Also, you may not want to go on excrutiatingly long hikes with your kid, because little boys and girls aren’t capable of bearing the same load of physical stress that an adult can take.
Whether you want your kids to be swishing through leaves, splashing around puddles or squelching through mud… your boys or girls’ Wellies are sure to protect him or her from whatever the autumn season can throw at them. Just so long as you don’t let your children tackle a mountain in their Hello Kitty Wellies, they are going to be just fine.
Maintaining Kids’ Walking Boots
If your kid is going to be using his hiker boots regularly, then you will need to take good care of them. If you maintain them well, then they should last at least a whole year. By that time, your kid will have grown out of them anyway, so you can pass them on the a younger kid. But only if you take care of them properly.
For starters… always keep them clean. And you can buff’em up a bit with some coating to make them lsat even longer. It does not matter what the label says, it’s always a good idea to apply an extra coat of dubbing on your children’s walking boots, because this makes the leather softer. Soft leather is easier to break in, by the way. When the leather is more supple, it is less likely to break.
Choosing Good Walking Boots For Children
For most people, when they think about boots, they will usually imagine adults wearing them, but not children. But make no mistake, boots can be an essential part of a child’s wardrobe. Children love to make a mess when they are playing outside. They like splashing through snow, through rain, through muddy waters and some of them even play sports (although this number has been declining greatly in past decades due to all sorts of electronic gadge-me-doo-hickeys). Whether your kid is riding horses, performing athletics or simply gone fishing… there are functional and stylish boots to find for every child out there.
There are plenty of boot styles to go around:
- Rain
- Football
- Cowboy
- Baby
- Rubber
- Riding
- Ski
When you are buying walking boots for your child, keep in mind that they should never go higher than their calves, as this will hinder their movement. For kids, it’s not so much of a style statement. The functionality of the boots is way more important. When you look at manufacturers such as Timberland and Ugg, then you will find that they have plenty of options for young people.
Boots for kids usually come in the following materials:
- Canvas
- Rubber
- Polyvinyl
- Leather
Naturally, children are going to have to have colorful boots. Thankfully, manufacturers are pretty keen on this and they have provided boots in more colors than the rainbow ever could have. You can get them in violet, purple, green, pink and white for girls and you can get them in brown, black, blue and tan for boys.
Most of them will also come with straps or zippers so that they can be fastened quickly. When using boots for playing sports, laces are also available. The materials used in children’s sport boots are always kid friendly, meaning your child is unlikely to have an allergic reaction from it.
If you have a single child (or multiple children that are very far apart in age, or you are buying for the youngest and there are none more on the way), then you can get away with buying cheaper boots that last only a year, as your kid will outgrow them in a year anyway.
When buying boots for youth, always keep the following in mind:
- Comfort
- Size
- Style
- Water Resistance
- Washability
- Durability
Good luck finding the best ones for your kid!
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