Last Updated on 2 April 2026 by Colette
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Parent or pack-horse – sometimes it’s hard to know the difference isn’t it! As parents we want to be prepared – with wet wipes, waterproofs and snacks – but as Mum of three, I can tell you it’s hard to get everything into one bag for a day out! Last Christmas, Father Christmas decided that our kids were old enough to start taking responsibility for their own kit on their adventures and brought them a small back pack each. Those backpacks have been a game changer for our family walks as now, Dave and I only have to carry one rucksack between us (I say between us – Dave carries it).
From the start, we encouraged the children to take responsibility for packing their own backpacks – letting them learn the hard way when they forgot a pair of gloves, some sunglasses or a drink. We made suggestions as to what they would need in their bags – but reminded them that we wouldn’t be carrying the bags for them! Amy now carries her own inhaler and spacer, they each have a sit mat and we encourage them to carry a hat, gloves and sunglasses. Their bags are intentionally small (between 6L and 8L) so that they don’t over pack but there is room for a raincoat or jumper if they need to take layers off and they can fit their own snacks in there too!
Things to look for in a child’s hiking rucksack
Size – Consider the size of backpack your child will need. A 6L size has been perfect for our needs so far though as the kids get bigger, and their jumpers / coats get bigger, they may need to size up to an 8L or 10L bag. Buying too big a bag will make the bag harder to carry and will encourage them to fill it with stuff they don’t need.
Padded shoulder straps – When it comes to comfort, padded shoulder straps are key. There is nothing worse than shoulder straps that rub or dig in – I wouldn’t buy myself a backpack that didn’t have padded shoulder straps so I certainly wouldn’t buy a hiking backpack for the kids without them either!
Chest clip – Almost as soon we first started using the rucksacks, we realised that Chloe in particular was having problems with her straps slipping off her shoulders and a chest clip would have been useful in preventing this. (You might find a chest clip referred to as a sternum strap.)
Side pockets – Most of our bags have side pockets for drinks – this just allows for easy access to the drinks as you walk. The bottle can be pulled out the side pocket one-handed rather than having to take the whole bag off and unzip it to get a bottle out. Do make sure the side pockets are big enough for whatever flask or bottle you usually carry. The side pockets in some backpacks for children can be quite small and our Montii flasks wouldn’t fit in those. Also consider what the pockets are made of – we find mesh pockets can be easily damaged.
Bright colours – I think it can be tempting to plump for sensible black or navy when it comes to buying a walking backpack for kids but there’s two reasons I’d urge you to consider bright colours for your child’s backpack and the first is visibility – mainly from a safety perspective. If your child’s adventure rucksack is brightly coloured or features reflective detailing, it will be much easier for you to spot them when you are out exploring or if they’ve left their bag lying around somewhere! Then, simply from an aesthetics point of view, your child is going to be much happier about carrying their own kit bag if they like the look of it!
Recommended backpacks for adventurous children
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Mountain Warehouse Walklet Rucksack 6L – £13.99
Our children’s first backpacks were the 6L “Walklet” rucksack from Mountain Warehouse. They were intentionally quite cheap as we needed to test if they kids would actually carry them and take care of them. I believe they were in the sale for about £8 each when Father Christmas was shopping last year! (Keep an eye out as Mountain Warehouse regularly have big sales and you can shop via TopCashback too for extra savings)
As it is, the backpacks have been very well used and they are automatically picked up for any adventure we go on. The 6L size is perfect for their needs however the mesh side pockets have not lasted well at all on two of the bags so this is worth bearing in mind if the bag is going to be in heavy / regular use. (If I’m honest, I think mesh side pockets are easily torn!)
The shoulder straps are lightly padded and easily adjustable, though Chloe has had some problems with them slipping off her shoulders so they would have benefitted from a chest clip.
Obviously at this price point you can’t expect the backpacks to be waterproof so in a downpour you might find the contents of your bag get a bit soggy! I have chucked them in the washing machine once or twice on a quick 30 degree wash when they’ve needed a freshen up (yes, my child left a half eaten tub of mango in his bag for six weeks!) and they’ve survived this well.
You can buy the Walklet Rucksack in a range of colours here.
Tog 24 Exley Backpack 8L – £30 (currently reduced to £21)
This bright orange backpack isn’t strictly designed for children but it’s 8L capacity makes it the perfect size for young adventurers. The padded, adjustable straps are super comfy – way more comfy than the Mountain Warehouse Walklet – but you’d expect that at twice the price! Whilst the Exley backpack features a range of zipped pockets – one on the front, on inside and a sneaky, passport-sized, side- zipped pocket in the back, what it does lack is side pockets for carrying drinks. This would normally rule the bag out for me, however, Amy (whose favourite colour is orange) is so in love this bag that she was happy to forgo the side pockets and I’m hopeful that the extra 2L capacity will make up for that!
You can buy the Exley Backpack from Tog24 here.
Karrimor Sierra 10 – £24.99 (currently reduced to £11.99)
When I asked for recommendations for new walking rucksacks for the kids, the Karrimor Sienna from Sports Direct was mentioned a couple of times.
This Karrimor backpack features a padded back and adjustable straps for comfort. There are two handy mesh side pockets for water bottles.
You can buy the Karrimor Sierra 10 from Sports Direct here. (Don’t forget to use Top Cashback for extra savings!)
Frugi Trail Blazing Backpack 12L – £50 (currently reduced to £30)
Remember I mentioned above that if the bag is aesthetically pleasing to your child then they’re more likely to want to carry it? Well the Trail Blazing Backpack from Frugi absolutely ticks that box with a choice of the “Above and Below” print inspired by life on Sweden’s rivers and lakes or the “Dala Ditsy” print inspired by Sweden’s traditional Dala horses. For added visibility, you’ll see there is reflective detailing on the straps and front pocket.
The outer fabric of the Trail Blazing backpack is easy to wipe clean as a result of being made from 100% Recycled Polyester Ripstop (made from recycled plastic bottles!) This clever weave helps to stop any rips and tears making it perfect for adventurous kids! The base panel of the bag is water resistant – because let’s face it, the bag is definitely getting left on the damp grass whilst your child climbs a tree / plays on the swings / goes to the toilet!
With a 12L capacity, this bag is bigger than some of the others I’ve suggested (big enough to have 13″ padded laptop sleeve) which means you’ll easily get a coat and snacks in there! In true, “you get what you pay for” style, this bag has all the extra features you’ll need including a pack-away rain cover to protect your bag and it’s contents from a downpour and an adjustable chest strap (which will stop the shoulder straps from slipping off) as well as two generous side pockets (designed to fit Frugi’s own Large Splish Splash bottles but our Montii bottles with a bit of a wiggle!) with drawstrings to keep your bottles secure and, are made from the same outer fabric as the bag – no easily ripped mesh on this one thanks!
You can buy the Trail Blazing backpack direct from Frugi.
Frugi Adventurers Backpack 9 L – £28
The Adventurers Backpack is available in two prints – the Polar Bears (which I’m frankly in love with!) and the Rainbow Flight (inspired by the migrating songbirds of Sweden). Both designs feature contrasting trims and reflective detailing on the straps and front pocket for extra visibility on adventures or gloomy school runs.
The outer fabric of the Adventurers backpack is easy to wipe clean as a result of being made from 100% Recycled Polyester with a PU coating but this bag is not waterproof. The adjustable chest strap, padded shoulder straps and padded back make this rucksack easy to carry and super comfortable to wear. (Chloe much prefers it to her original Mountain Warehouse bag.)
The 9L capacity of the Frugi Adventurers backpack means it’s similar in size to the bags my children already use for their walks – big enough for snacks and an extra layer and the front pocket is perfect for your sunglasses and other small treasures that your child can’t possibly go adventuring without! (It’s also big enough to carry A4 books in case you wanted to use it as a school bag.) The stretchy side pockets (again hurrah to no mesh!) are designed to fit Frugi’s own Splish Splash Steel Bottles (you can get them in co-ordinating patterns to match your bag) but we’ve found they are a good size to fit any of the various drinks bottles we tend to use and I love that the stretch helps to hold the bottles in place!
If you have a recommendation for a backpack that you think should be on this list, let me know!
Read these posts next:
The best apps for outdoor adventures
Our favourite family friendly dog walks near Manchester
What can you put in your hot food flask?
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We’ve had these Deuter ones since our kids were small and they’ve been great. Pockets for water bottle, chest clip. They’re only 5l but we still manage to fit a Pacmat in (think we saw you recommend these some time ago), gloves / sunglasses / jumper / notebook as appropriate, usually an unnecessary toy or two as well. They’re probably a tad small now kids are 6 & 8 but they’ve been one of our ‘best buys’
Forgot the link…
https://www.alpinetrek.co.uk/deuter-kids-pico-5-kids-backpack/