Warmer temperatures and longer days signal the arrival of spring and the possibility for new family outdoor adventures. Having the right gear makes all the difference in helping you get outdoors and even stay out longer. We love these twenty-two outdoor products that actually make it easier to go outside with kids.
#Outdoorfamilygear Giveaways
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I’ll be teaming up with fellow outdoor family bloggers to give away outdoor gear throughout the year. This spring we gave away a prize package valued at over $650!!! Click this link to go to our Family Outdoor Gear Guide Instagram where we will run all our future giveaways.
What are the best outdoor gear items to help you and your family get out and be more active together this spring?
- Merino Wool Base Layers and Blankets from Iksplor
- Bobbi Rain Boots for Her from Merry People
- Baby Sleeping Bag/Sleep Sack by Morrison Outdoor
- Quick Set-up 6 Person Tent from UST
- Merino Silk Hoodie and Wool Socks from Nui Organics
- Sunglasses from Tifosi Optics
- Softshell Jacket and Hiking Pants by Reima Gear
- Helmet Accessories by Helmet Flair
- Portable Fire Pit/Campfire Trio from Wolf and Grizzly
- Espin Nesta Electric Bike
- Pull Along Bike Strap from Tow Whee
- Bear Spray Combo Pack from Sabre
- Insulated Food Jars from Stanley
- Local Guided Outdoor Tours and Experiences from 57Hours
- Shotgun Child Bike Seat & Handlebars from Kids Ride Shotgun
- Games and Activity Books from Cruisin and Campfires
- Mosquito Repellent Jacket by Mozzie
- Kids Rain Boots from Kuoma
- Vintage Destination Long Sleeve Tees from American Backcountry
- Hard-Sided Cooler(s) from Grizzly
- Spring Family RV Trip in an RV rental from RVezy
- Camping Activity Book for Kids from Tales of a Mountain Mom
Best Outdoor Gear For Families This Spring
Whether you’re spending a few hours on the trails biking or hiking, planning a camping trip, renting an RV for the first time, or just spending the day at your favorite park or nature area, there are plenty of opportunities to take your family outdoors this spring. Here's what we love this season that will make getting outdoors easier with kids.
Spring weather can be a bit erratic with sunny and warm one day and wet and chilly the next. Dressing in layers is key for both comfort and warmth during the spring season. These Merino wool base layers and blankets from Jackson, Wyoming-based Iksplor, are the perfect thing to keep your kids comfortable when outside this spring. We love these merino wool base layers and blankets from Iksplor for comfort, moisture-wicking ability, and warmth. They are great for use everywhere from the beach to camping in the mountains. These products are comfortable, warm, and best of all easy to wash. Use the base layers as pajamas or as an insulating layer in chilly weather. Base layers baby to 12 yrs. The lightweight 48”x48” wool blankets are designed for use by the entire family.
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Spring showers and mud season are no match for these stylish rain boots from Merry People. You may just rediscover how much fun puddle jumping is. Made from natural rubber, these boots are 100% waterproof and include a seamless neoprene liner to keep your feet warm. Designed for everyday wear, these shorty style boots are super cute, comfortable, durable, and provide good arch support. Available in eleven different colors to suit your style. Dress them up with a cute dress or dress them down for working outside.
For the parents who want to take their littles camping this spring, we love this Baby Sleeping Bag from Morrison Outdoor. A good night’s sleep is essential when camping and that is hard when you are cold. No matter how active your little one is at night, they won’t roll out of this bag. Your youngest camper will stay warm and cozy inside this sleep sack style bag with a zipper closure up the front. Besides using it as a sleep sack, you can also use it during the day to keep littles warm in a stroller, sled, or ski chariot. Available in two sizes for babies (6-24 months) and toddlers (2-4 years) Choose a temperature rating down to 20˚ with 100% RDS certified down fill or the 40˚ bag with synthetic poly fiber material.
Get tips on how to wash down jackets
Learn how to properly wash down jackets and sleeping bags with our tips.
Upgrade your current camping tent to the House Party™ 6 from UST. This 3 season tent has single-wall construction for quick set up with color coded poles and sleeves. When set up this tent measures 10’7” by 8’ so there is ample room for your family and your gear. Unique expandable walls provide more interior space and large front and rear doors make it easy to slide in air mattresses or sleeping cots if sleeping on the ground isn’t your thing.
This comfortable merino silk hoodie is perfect on its one when the weather isn’t quite cold enough for a jacket or sweater. Made with 70% organic wool and 30% silk, this hoodie has all the benefits of wool; naturally breathable, temperature regulating, and odor-resistant. The silk adds extra sheen, strength, and a lustrous shimmer to the fabric. Best of all it's machine washable.
Exploring outdoors means your family is on their feet. Eliminate stinky feet with these soft, merino wool socks. Unlike cotton, merino wool provides excellent moisture-wicking and insulation capabilities, while still remaining breathable. Nui Organics Nature socks are available in infant, child, and adult sizes.
For every outdoor enthusiast and athlete, Tifosi Optics has sunglasses to suit your needs that don’t break the bank. The low-priced, stylish Swank for adults has durable and lightweight no-slip frames shatterproof, scratch-resistant lenses. RX available as well as a wide selection of colors.
New for 2021, the multi-sport youth Shutout offers a durable Grilamid TR-90 frame with Tifosi Glide technology. This budget-friendly sunglasses ensure an anti-bounce fit with 100% UVA/UVB protected lenses.
In addition to good base layers, you need outwear to keep you dry with spring showers and mud season. This water and dirt repellent softshell jacket and quick-dry hiking pants from Reima are perfect for spring. The jacket has a soft fleece liner, dirt and water repellent exterior, and detachable hood. It washes easily too!
Reima’s hiking pants have zip-off legs and provide UPF 50+ sun protection. Made with quick-dry material, these pants are easy to care for and do an excellent job at wicking moisture away from the body. Elastic waistband with drawstring and multiple pockets are a big plus!
Save 20% when you use code "mtnmama".
Don’t fight with the kids to wear their helmets. They will actually WANT to wear helmets with these fun interchangeable helmet accessories from Helmet Flair. Add horns, cat ears, a banana, or a unicorn horn using a magnetic attachment system that works on any type of helmet - snow sport helmets, bicycle helmets, skateboard helmets, motorcycle helmets, horseback riding helmets, etc. Get creative in placement for monster horns on either side of the helmet, inline rhino horns, spike mohawk with gold spiral unicorn horns, or just be silly with a few bananas. The fun isn’t limited to the kids either, adults can get in on the fun with Helmet Flair too.
Use code LFA5OFF to save 5% off today!
From the backyard to the backcountry, a portable fire pit and cooking system is just the thing every outdoor family needs. This Campfire Trio from Wolf and Grizzly is a super-compact fire pit, flexible grill surface with elevated stand, and ferro fire starter. The trio is perfectly sized to go anywhere you do. The fire pit folds up to the size of an envelope (11.2” x 9” x 4.1”).
Take the trio backpacking, to the beach, set up while camping, or use in the backyard to roast s’mores. When extended fully, the fire pit measures 10.9” x 11.2” and combines with the grill kit for easy cooking. The grill surface, stand, and fire pit are made entirely of 304 stainless steel so they are super durable, lightweight, and made for years of use.
Getting out as a family doesn’t have to be far from home. You can get outside in the backyard, in your neighborhood, and around town. With an electric bike, like this Nesta from Espin, you can get outside with less effort. The Nesta is easy to ride with pedal assist and throttle assistance, a low standover height of just 15”, and fat tires for use on paved roads and dirt trails.
This small, compact model folds up easily for storage or travel too. It’s the perfect size to use around town running errands, take on the train, enjoy while RVing, or on a road trip. The Nesta has a rear-mounted gear hub motor powered by a Lithium-ion battery that provides 750W nominal / 1000W peak output. Reach top speed for 25 mph with up to a 40-mile range. if you have a more aggressive riding style, check out Espin’s Sport electric bike with its mountain bike-inspired frame.
Give kids the confidence to trek further, conserve energy, and navigate difficult terrain with the tow whee. This bungee strap is designed with multiple attachment loops to attach a child’s and parent’s bicycle together so that the parent can tow the child if needed. Parents can gently pull their child uphill or over rough terrain allowing the kids to conserve a bit of energy and travel further than they normally world. The pull that the parent feels is minimal and is much easier than pulling a trailer. This strap is super versatile and has so many MORE uses beyond cycling and can be used for anything tow-related - paddling a kayak or SUP, walking the family dog, connecting inner tubes on the river, etc. Also, check out their straps specifically designed for e-bikes and motorcycles.
As we get out into the forest and on the trails this spring, bears are emerging from their winter slumber. If you and your family are getting outdoors in bear country, bear spray is a must. This set from Sabre includes a 7.9 ounce canister of maximum power bear spray with a second canister of inert training spray. The bear spray has a range of 30 feet and produces a heavy fog for added protection if you ever need to spray it. This practice unit allows you to practice at home or at the campsite and learn how to properly use bear spray.
Being outside really works up an appetite. Stanley vacuum insulated, stainless steel products go with us on many of our adventures for coffee and food. For the spring, we love both the Adventure Stainless Steel All in One Food Jar and the Adventure Stay Hot Camp Crock (3-quart size). Each is designed to keep food hot for up to 12 hours. So you can bring hot soup, chili, chicken curry, or homemade mac and cheese with you. But they each also keep food cold. The food jar will keep food cold for 12 hours and the crock for 16 hours. I will often pack ice cream and frozen ice pops in ours and carts them camping for a first-night treat. The crock also works great as an ice bucket, so you can leave the ice in your cooler alone.
Once you have your gear set and ready for a new adventure, what’s next? To go ON an adventure of course. 57Hours is an open platform that connects you to trained, certified outdoor adventure professionals all over the world. These professional guides offer skills classes, itineraries, and experiences ranging from single to multi-day guided trips ranging from backcountry skiing, mountain biking, surfing, rock climbing, camping, and even bucket list adventures. When you hire a local outdoor adventure guide, you and your family benefit from a local’s knowledge of the area, personalized tours and experiences, worry-free trip planning, route finding, safety, and more.
Younger children can call “shotgun” and ride up front on mom or dad’s bicycle with the Kids Shot Gun bicycle seat. This unique bike seat designed for riders 2-5 years old attaches to the bicycle frame in front of the adult rider. Children get a full view of what's happening on the trail and have their own set of handlebars that attaches directly to the bicycle. Unlike those other rear child bike seats, this seat is well suited for mountain and full-suspension bikes and provides a smoother ride thanks to the bike’s suspension. The Shotgun seat has an adjustable width and angle to fit most any bicycle.
Whenever you take the kids camping or just outdoors in general, you want them to have fun doing it. Cruisin and Campfires created a whole line of games and activity books with that goal in mind. Designed by a Kimberly Crossland who considers herself “a non-outdoorsy mama who loves camping with my kids.” The activities shown above are the Cruisin Box, Campfire Tic-Tac-GO, National Parks Deck of Cards, Constellation Activity Book, Gnome on the Roam in a house, and On-the-Go activity cards. All will provide hours of fun for the whole family.
Warm spring temperatures also signal the return of pesky biting gnats and mosquitos which can reck havoc on any outdoor activity. Prevent insect bites naturally without chemical sprays with this Mozzie Gear Jacket from Mozzie Style. Made with a unique no-see-um grade mesh, this hoodie style jacket holds its shape and blocks mosquitoes, ticks, black flies and biting gnats. Available in unisex sizes XS-2XL and is machine washable & insecticide-free. Perfect for all your outdoor activities from gardening and walking the jog to fishing to camping. Stroller cover, blanket, pants, and hat also available.
Use coupon code LFA to save 10% off.
Designed for adventures in all types of weather, Finnish company Kuoma makes these kids boots in Italy that help kids get outside in the wet weather! They have a variety of rubber boots for kids available at their retailers across the world. Note: Kuoma Rubber boots run narrow.
Inspire your wanderlust with American Backcountry’s Vintage Destinations collection. These Solar Performance Long Sleeve tees are made in the USA and feature national parks, topographical maps, and your favorite trails. I love this XXX , but you’ll find your favorite places and trails in this collection. This tee’s lightweight, microfiber fabric is moisture-wicking and offers UPF 50+ sun protection. Special cool wicking technology makes it ideal for warm spring and summer days.
Should you pack snacks when taking the kids outdoors?
Yes, snacks are very helpful when going out with kids. They can be a nice reward and energy boost when reaching a hike’s halfway point. Snacks help hangry adults too! Also when the kids are having fun outside, don’t bring everything to a halt by having left for lunch. Pack a cooler with healthy food, snacks, and drinks instead. Everyone can grab something when they are hungry without having to go elsewhere for food. Plus with current travel restrictions, area dining options may be limited.
These hard sided coolers from Grizzly are perfect for all your family adventures. Built to last with RotoTough™ constriction, pressure injected polyurethane foam, IGBC bear resistant certified, and made with heavy duty grips and latches. These are made in Iowa with the same technology as the most expensive brands, but at a lower price. They are guaranteed for life and keep your food cold for days. The Grizzly 20 is perfect for a day trip with room for 24 cans + 5 pounds of ice. It fits perfectly in a sedan or can be strapped down to an ATV or Razor. The Grizzly 60 is great for weekend trips and holds up to 72 cans + 20 pounds of ice.
Take that spring break vacation or family road trip you have been dreaming about. Many families are choosing to go RVing with an RV rental as the ultimate, socially distant road trip vacation. RVing is a safe, budget-friendly way to vacation, get outdoors, avoid crowds, and enjoy the comforts of home while being AWAY from home.
With rates starting at $47/might, find the right RV for your family with RVezy, North America’s top-rated RV rental marketplace. RVezy offers peer-to-peer rental options across the country. If you don’t want to drive an RV, you can arrange to have one set up ready for you at a campground, national park, or other destination.
Getting kids excited about a nature-based activity is the perfect way to get them outdoors. This camping activity book fuels their curiosity and builds valuable outdoor skills with 35 fun projects and ideas designed for ages 6-9. This book from fellow outdoor family writer, Amelia Mayer of Tales of a Mountain Mama, will get kids excited to go in the backyard, out on the trail, or a favorite nature spot.
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