Welcome to the Wild Ideas Worth Living Summer Camp Series! In these bonus episodes, we’re exploring camping beyond the traditional tent—from bikepacking and packrafting to camping with kids and dispersed car camping. Hailey Terry is a mom of three young kids who shares her family's outdoor adventures online. In this episode, Hailey teaches us that with a little preparation and a go-with-the-flow mindset, camping with younger kids can be both manageable and magical.
Welcome to the Wild Ideas Worth Living Summer Camp Series! In these bonus episodes, we’re exploring camping beyond the traditional tent—from bikepacking and packrafting to camping with kids and dispersed car camping.
Hailey Terry is a mom of three young kids who shares her family's outdoor adventures online. In this episode, Hailey teaches us that with a little preparation and a go-with-the-flow mindset, camping with younger kids can be both manageable and magical.
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Shelby Stanger:
Welcome to our summer mini-series all about camping. In these bonus episodes, we're going beyond the standard tent and campsite set up, from bikepacking and rafting to camping with kids and dispersed car camping. Over the next four weeks, we're talking to people who are camping their own way, sharing what works, what doesn't, and how you can try it too. I'm Shelby Stanger, and this is Wild Ideas Worth Living, an REI Co-op Studios production presented by Capital One and the REI Co-op MasterCard.
Camping and hiking with kids can sound daunting, but it's also one of the most rewarding ways to spend time as a family. It's a chance to unplug, explore, and bond. Sure, it comes with serious challenges like planning meals for picky eaters or getting toddlers to sleep before sunset. But it's all part of the adventure. That's why we've brought in an expert to share tips that make it easier and more fun for the whole family. Hailey Terry is a mom of three young kids who shares her family's outdoor adventures online. As a content creator, Hailey shows that getting outside isn't just for adults or even teenagers. With a little preparation and a go-with-the-flow mindset, camping with younger kids can be both manageable and magical.
Hailey Terry, welcome to Wild Ideas Worth Living. I'm really excited to talk to you about camping with kiddos.
Hailey Terry:
Yeah, I'm excited to be here. Thanks for having me.
Shelby Stanger:
So what was your relationship with camping growing up?
Hailey Terry:
We went frequently. My parents both grew up camping, so we as a family, we would drive up to Zion and camp there, or we'd go to California. I have lots of good memories camping as a kid.
Shelby Stanger:
Cool. So you learned young, this is just part of your DNA.
Hailey Terry:
Yes.
Shelby Stanger:
So then obviously introducing your kids to the outdoors was just a non-negotiable for you, I'm guessing?
Hailey Terry:
Pretty much. I mean, I've always loved the outdoors, and so it wasn't really a, "Oh, should I take my kids outside?" It was just kind of, "How am I going to make this work?"
Shelby Stanger:
So how long ago did you have your first kid?
Hailey Terry:
I had him five years ago. He's five years old, so it was in December of 2019.
Shelby Stanger:
Amazing. What was it like the first time you went camping with him?
Hailey Terry:
The first time I went camping with him, he was eight months old. My husband had been deployed right after he was born. Right after he got home, we were still in Las Vegas and there's a nearby mountain called Mount Charleston, and that's where I grew up hiking. I'm from Las Vegas, and so we packed up some gear, our tent and found a spot to pitch our tent, and we had so much fun. There were so many learning experiences just from that one trip. I had a sleeping bag for my baby, realized, "It is too hot for this sixty-degree sleeping bag," because it probably only got down to 75. And so figured out how we should actually dress him, how we were going to sleep in this small tent with a baby safely. And we've had a great time though.
So buddy, what is your favorite thing about camping as a family?
Hailey's son:
My favorite thing about camping is roasting marshmallows. And my favorite toy I like to bring is Cutie.
Hailey Terry:
Cutie? Cutie's his stuffed giraffe.
Speaker 4:
And it's special.
Hailey Terry:
It's special. Do you like having your own sleeping bag and your own pillow?
Speaker 4:
Mm-hmm.
Hailey Terry:
Do you want to say that?
Speaker 4:
I like having my own sleeping bag and my pillow.
Hailey Terry:
Yeah. Okay.
Speaker 4:
When do I go camping again?
Hailey Terry:
Maybe we can go next week.
Shelby Stanger:
So what advice do you give to new moms or new aunties or grandparents who are taking kids camping for the first time?
Hailey Terry:
As someone who only has a kid up to five years old, I can only speak to the toddler preschooler age, but I think having realistic expectations. Sometimes on Instagram or social media, you see people camping with their kids and it looks like they're having such a great time, but nobody is pulling out their phones when it's the middle of the night and they kids aren't going to sleep or they're having a hard time getting their kids down. So having just realistic expectations that kids are kids no matter where you're at, and you're bringing them into a new environment. And sometimes it's going to go really well, and sometimes it's going to be hard because anyone in a new environment is going to have different reactions. So yeah, I do think number one is just knowing it might not go perfectly. And then second, I think the biggest challenge a lot of parents come across is how am I going to help my kids sleep at night in a completely different environment?
And so trying to recreate their sleep set up at home in the tent when you're first starting out. So for us, that meant making sure we had his binky. He always slept with a binky, bringing a portable sound machine, and obviously trying to keep their temperature comfortable. And that kind of comes with trial and error. I don't sleep great when I'm camping because I'm checking on the kids. I'm making sure they're not too hot, they're not too cold. And so yeah, trying to bring pieces of home that help your kids be comfortable. And that could also include bringing their favorite stuffed animal, bringing their special blanket, whatever that is, buying a special blackout tent. They do make those actually. So whatever you feel like is important and is going to help your kids sleep. That is... Yeah.
Shelby Stanger:
Yeah. Well, let's talk about that. What is your sleep setup when you're camping with kids? Are you in a tent? Are you in a rooftop tent? Are you in some sort of extra trailer?
Hailey Terry:
Yeah, we have tried it all. When we first started out, actually that first camping trip, we borrowed my parents' tent, and then after that we only had a three-person tent. And with our dog, it was fine. It was just a tight squeeze. So actually what we would do is my husband would sleep with our dog in the ground tent, and I would sleep with our baby in the back of our car. Eventually we did get a bigger tent, and that was really nice. And so I would say if you have the space, we brought a Pack-and-Play for a lot of camping trips, and it was great because it was similar to his sleep setup at home, and we were just sleeping right next to him on our mattress. Now it's different because yeah, we've most recently slept in either our trailer or our rooftop tent. My kids have their own little pillows that they love, their own special sleeping bags, and then they have what's called a Yoto Player that plays little audiobooks. So they fall asleep listening to that, and they sleep great.
Shelby Stanger:
Wait, hold up. You can all sleep together when you're all next to each other in this little tent and the dog in front?
Hailey Terry:
Yes.
Shelby Stanger:
And you actually sleep.
Hailey Terry:
We really do. We sleep great. At first, it's a little hard, but they just get used to it. Don't get me wrong, they still go to bed much later. Sometimes they wake up earlier, but also sometimes they surprise us and they will sleep better in a tent than at home. I think they just get worn out from running around and playing, and then the cool air helps them sleep. So one thing I do recommend to help your kids go to sleep a little easier is letting them play in the tent or the trailer, whatever you're camping in before bedtime. The tent is exciting, so they want to play in there. So if you're keeping them out of the tent until bedtime, they're going to get in there and be like, "Ooh, this is fun. This is cool. I want to play. I don't want to go to sleep." So if they've had that little time to explore and play in there, then when it's bedtime, they might still be excited to go back in the tent, but it's not as much of a novelty as it was.
Shelby Stanger:
What's been the most audacious camping adventure you've done with your kids?
Hailey Terry:
Funny enough, one of our biggest trips we ever took was our first backpacking trip with our first baby. He was a little over a year old, and we decided to do a 30-mile backpacking trip. It was my mom who convinced us to do this. She really wanted to do this amazing backpacking trip in Prairie Canyon and Buckskin Gulch. It was such an-
Shelby Stanger:
Oh, Buckskin Gulch. I know that one. That is a no joke, little place of the world.
Hailey Terry:
It's beautiful, and it's honestly not too hard of a route. It's pretty flat. But it was our first backpacking trip with our baby, and it was long. It was so long, but it was such an incredible trip. I had him in my hiking kid carrier, so my husband carried a lot of our gear. I carried some and my mom carried some as well, and it snowed on us unexpectedly. So I was glad my mom had an extra giant trash bag. We cut out a hole in it so we could put it over my pack, but he could still look out and breathe okay, but he was covered from the kind of wet snow. And so yeah, you just make things work when you're out there and you have to make it work. What else are you going to do?
Shelby Stanger:
How do you deal with the less than ideal weather?
Hailey Terry:
You always have to bring extra layers and be prepared for things when you're camping. It always clears up, but just being flexible and knowing something might go wrong, "What are we going to do in those situations?" So packing those extra layers, making sure you bring things to keep your kids entertained in the tent or your trailer or whatever you have because you might be in there for a little while. And also knowing when it's time to bail. We've bailed on multiple... Not too many trips, but we've definitely bailed when it's like, "This isn't working," or we are not prepared, and that's on us. And so we did go home and it's always a bummer, but it's always good learning.
Shelby Stanger:
Then obviously you have to carry out your waste when you're in a canyon like Buckskin Gulch, and they make you carry a WAG bag.
Hailey Terry:
Yeah.
Shelby Stanger:
Do you teach your kids how to use them?
Hailey Terry:
Yeah, our kids are pretty young still. Well, he was in diapers at the time we did that hike. So every backpacking trip or camping trip we're carrying out diapers. And there's a few things I've learned over the years that have made that easier, but at the end of the day, you're still just carrying out a bunch of diapers.
Shelby Stanger:
And what makes it easier?
Hailey Terry:
So some things that I have found to make it easier are one, just letting the diapers be open at camp and letting them dry out and some of that liquid evaporate to make them a little bit lighter weight. A lot of times we bring Mountain House meals with the, what are those called? Like Mylar bags. So when we're done with that, we'll keep the dirty diapers in there and that helps contain the smell, which is great. But yeah, letting kids run around without their diaper at camp sometimes can be nice. If we're in a secluded spot, we'll do that, and honestly, that works great to help lessen the load of diapers.
Shelby Stanger:
How are you carrying your kids? Your baby. Are you carrying them on the front or on the back?
Hailey Terry:
Yeah, so I've done multiple ways. So my first few backpacking trips with our oldest, he just went in the hiking carrier, and so I would carry as much as I could in that pack, and my husband would carry the rest.
Shelby Stanger:
And then he'd be in the back.
Hailey Terry:
Yeah, so he'd be on my back. When they're young, too young to be in a carrier. I have my babies in a soft carrier on the front, and then my backpacking pack on the back. And then the best situation I have found when your kids are about one-year-old, there's a product called the Trail Magic. It's a piece of Cordora fabric with webbing that clips onto your load lifters and the straps and your kid can sit in there. It's great. So when my kids are like-
Shelby Stanger:
It sits on the front of your body.
Hailey Terry:
So I have my kid on the front, I'm holding them on the front and the backpacking pack on the back, and so it's great. It's great for when they're one. I can pretty much carry them the whole time, but it's even great up to when they're a little older and they're hiking more on their own, but they can't quite make it all the way without needing a break. The Trail Magic carrier , it's super lightweight. It folds up small, so I'll just have it in my pack and then I'll just pull out, clip it on, put the kid in, give them a little break, and then get them out when they're ready to go. So that is the best scenario because when you have older kids and they want to be carried, it's really hard to carry them in your arms. And then it's really hard to use just a hiking pack because you just have to clip things on. Things don't fit well, it doesn't sit right on your back because it's too heavy. So yeah, I love our Trail Magic carrier.
Shelby Stanger:
Do your kids... I mean, they're pretty young. Are they carrying any gear of their own or at least like a water bottle? Your five-year-old?
Hailey Terry:
Yes. My five-year-old loves to wear a backpack, and my three-year-old, she wants to, I'm less inclined to give her one because I know I will end up carrying her backpack for sure. So yeah, if your kid wants to, I think it's great. I don't think there's any reason to make your kids carry gear earlier than they want to. My five-year-old, he pretty much would just carry his stuffed animal and his own spork, and that was great. The stuffed animals are actually kind of bulky, so it's actually kind of helpful for him to carry it, but it's not heavy. But as he gets older, we'll work on him carrying some more gear to give him that sense of responsibility. It's really important for kids, I think, to be a part of the backpacking trip as well.
Shelby Stanger:
And when you're walking and backpacking, how many miles a day are you guys doing?
Hailey Terry:
Oh, it varies so much. Honestly, especially now with more kids, we do less. Our five-year-old doesn't get carried anymore, so it's pretty much however far he can go. So a lot of times though, I'm looking for trails that are one to two miles a day. If we want to do a bigger trip, then yeah, it's something we have to build up his stamina to be able to walk as far. Going with friends is always, always better. He loves hiking with his friends and he can go a lot further. So hopefully this summer we have some trips planned with my friends and I'm really excited for that.
Shelby Stanger:
I love it. Obviously, it's really fun when it's going well. How do you navigate when it's not going so well? When there's a meltdown or a temper tantrum or kids just not comfortable?
Hailey Terry:
Yeah. I have dealt with so many meltdowns in camping, and I almost always think, "Why am I doing this?"
Shelby Stanger:
Well, me too, and I'm an adult, but they're my own meltdowns.
Hailey Terry:
So, "This is the last time we're camping." No, it's just how you deal with them at home. It depends what the meltdown is over. If they're not wanting to go to sleep, okay, well, why aren't they wanting to go to sleep? Are they not tired yet? Do they need another snack before bed? Are they over tired? Yeah, maybe they're you're camping and they want to go touch the fire and you can't let them touch the fire, so they're upset about that. So just a lot of repetition, a lot of reminding them what's safe, what's not safe. It's just like parenting at home, but usually just different circumstances.
I've taken my kids camping a lot without my husband, usually with friends, so making sure I'm prepared ahead of time. Having things organized is huge so that I'm not getting flustered by things that I have more control over. Sometimes your kid is having a hard time because they need something, and so it's nice to be able to just get it right away for them and to kind of nip it in the bud. And if some things don't go according to plan or you maybe don't have the best experience, try again because kids, they're adaptable. When something is new and hard, it can seem like, "Okay, I don't want to do this again." But give it another try. Everything gets a little easier, I feel like every time.
What is your favorite thing about camping as a family?
Hailey's daughter:
Fire.
Hailey Terry:
Fire? You like making a fire?
Hailey's daughter:
Mm-hmm. It makes me really...
Hailey Terry:
Makes you warm? I know. We love making fires. Do you like playing games?
Hailey's daughter:
Mm-hmm.
Hailey Terry:
Okay, so what's your favorite thing to bring when we go camping?
Hailey's daughter:
Elsa.
Hailey Terry:
Elsa? Your Elsa doll?
Hailey's daughter:
Mm-hmm.
Hailey Terry:
Do you love your own sleeping bag?
Hailey's daughter:
I like my own sleeping bag. The green one.
Hailey Terry:
The green sleeping bag. Yeah, that one's yours.
Shelby Stanger:
How do you ensure that your kids have a positive experience with hiking?
Hailey Terry:
I think one of the biggest things is making sure you're going at their pace and you're going for their enjoyment, not just your own. I know when I first started hiking with a baby, it's pretty easy because they're just on your back and you're just hiking as far as you want to go, but once they start hiking, it's a lot more up to them and what they want to do, and it's really hard at first because I was just used to wanting to get to the end of our hiking, get to the viewpoint, and I had to realize that's not always going to happen on every hike or even most of our hikes because a little two-year-old, they're going to want to stop and look at the rocks. They're going to want to stop and throw sticks. They're going to want to stop and play in the water, and you just let them.
Honestly, it becomes part of the joy of hiking with kids is really slowing down, and so just remembering that it's about them too, so making sure they're enjoying it. So whatever that is. If your kid loves water, trying to find the hikes with water on it. If you know your kid is going to want to stop and dig in the dirt for a long time, carve out that time for that so that they are doing things that they enjoy. If my kids are just getting dragged along on every hike, they're going to start resent that really quick and decide, "No, I don't want to go on a hike. Hiking? Not fun." So when you're making sure you're incorporating things that they think are fun, then they're going to keep thinking it's fun.
Shelby Stanger:
What do you love most about camping with your kids?
Hailey Terry:
I just love the peace around us. We're not worried about, "Do I have an email I need to answer? Are we running to the next appointment?" We have nothing to do. I love the simplicity of it. For me, nature is just a place I feel so much better. I am a better mom when I'm outside with my kids. I know that. And so when we're camping and it's days of it, it's just so rejuvenating for me to just focus on my family, and so I really love that.
Shelby Stanger:
Do you have a particular memorable camping trip that you can share with us?
Hailey Terry:
One of my most memorable backpacking trips with the kids was there's a spot we had taken our youngest for the first time, and we went back there again when his sister was six or seven months old, and it was so fun to go back to the same spot and this time have him hike a lot of it, and then we were all by ourselves. We have this incredible view of the mountains and my kids are just running around having the time of their lives. Well, okay. My oldest was running around and my daughter was laying on her mat, and I just was sitting in my chair taking it all in. It was just like, "This is what his peak motherhood to me is just watching my kids." Oh, I don't mean to get emotional.
Shelby Stanger:
That's okay. This is what it's about.
Hailey Terry:
Just watching my kids find their own love of the outdoors is just so special to me, and that's one trip that always comes back to me when I think of our time outside as a family. Just when we're all happy, having fun together, and that's a spot we've now gone back to a couple times even since then and will always have a special place in my heart.
Shelby Stanger:
You're making us all want to have kids right now.
Hailey Terry:
Kids are the best. They really are. It's a lot of work camping with kids, but what in life is not worth it that's not hard? And even though, yeah, it's hard sometimes, the experiences we get from it and how happy my kids are and how happy I am, just, it makes it all worth it.
Shelby Stanger:
To see more of Hailey's tips, including her packing and gear list and all the adventures she takes with her family, check her out on Instagram and YouTube at HaileyOutside or at HaileyOutside.com. That's H-A-I-L-E-Y outside. If you liked this interview, you can also check out our episode called Raising Kids Wildly, where we spoke to a handful of guests about getting out into nature with their families. We'll link to it in our show notes. You can also listen to last week's episode about water camping, wherever you listen to podcasts, or find the link in our show notes. Tune in next week when we dive into bike packing.
Wild Ideas Worth Living is part of the REI Podcast Network. It's hosted by me, Shelby Stanger, produced by Annie Fassler, Sylvia Thomas, and Sam Piers-Nitzberg of Puddle Creative. Our senior producers are Jenny Barber and Hannah Boyd. Our executive producers are Paolo Motila and Joe Crosby. As always, we love it when you follow the show, take time to rate it and write a review wherever you listen. And remember, some of the best adventures happen when you follow your wildest ideas.