Outdoorsy families? How do you manage it?

[Naturelover5]

If you have l an outdoorsy family what do you do? How do you do it?
We're such a disorganised family, the type with bags for life at the beach...!
Not looking for tips as such (yet!) just interested in what other families are doing... Dc aged 9 & 11, enjoy being outdoors but I'm clueless... We live on the outskirts of a small city but have plenty of green areas around us..

I manage it by having a DH who insists on the kids coming. If it were up to me I'd probably give in to their moans and groans. Once we're all out we enjoy it. DH has to be the one to force it on to the kids though.

I think the main thing is having decent gear. Decent bikes, decent jackets, stuff that breathes/moves/carries like you want it to.

We live in a very outdoorsy place (not uk)

We like,
mountain biking
hill walking
ocean swimming
sailing (the kids get lessons)
snorkeling
tramping / bike packing
caravanning

Camping and skiing not my thing really. Too uncomfortable / too cold.

Decent rucksacks

Have been a hill walker since a teenager, 20 miles in a day but can’t manage that far now. More of a 5 to 10 miles length these days, cycle similar lengths, used to do 10 miles to work, DH used to do 25.

Up till 42 I was still climbing trees, that’s the one thing I miss about being older and having an issue with my back.

Still swim in the sea and do snorkelling when given the chance, DH likes sailing, I’m not so keen. He loves windsurfing , I have tried it and I didn’t like it at all.

Great tips, I never learned to swim or cycle as a child so I'm no help with this, DH needs to take this side of things... Youngest (8) learning to cycle with no stabilisers , they're also getting swimming lessons..
Is there a big difference in pool & sea swimming?

A huge difference, don’t swim in the sea if you’re not experienced or got someone with you who knows the water!

I was thinking that! Would love dc to be very confident swimmers

I knew of a family that were very outdoorsy and also very, very disorganised.
For instance, they would get up in the morning and say “Let’s drive to France today!” (from a place 200 miles from Dover) and do it - chucked kids and a few bits in the people carrier and off they’d go and be back after a couple of weeks no problem.

It always worked out fine lol. No idea how, I’d have had it planned for weeks! Don’t stress, just do it.

We are outdoorsy but we’re not organised so we usually just go and then lament that we “need to be more organised next time” 😂. As long as we have the dog and paddle boards we’re all good!

I'm not entirely convinced that those people you have highlighted are the outdoorsy people. They're the people who schlep an abundance of equipment to the outdoors in an attempt to civilise it. If you are at the beach with a pop up living room, complete with chairs, a fridge, windbreakers and an array of beach toys then you might be a brilliant organiser but the family sat on the sand and exploring the rocks are the outdoorsy ones.

Pmk.

What a fab thread 😀

Although I think I agree with this generally, I do also think that when you have kids, a little more organisation is necessary. So your examples were a bit extreme, but a baby will need shade at a beach for example, and children (especially young children) will need some things for their comfort generally if spending all day outdoors. We don't want to put children off, we to nurture an appreciation.

I think there's a balance. You want to be safe and relatively comfortable. So warm enough in changeable weather and dry enough so your dc won't moan about coming next time! Minimal basic equipment, good boots, worn in so they don't cause blisters, good waterproofs, water bottles, some trail mix and a small first aid kit are essential I think. All the rest can be acquired as and when necessary.

Raincoat, comfy practical footwear, large rucksack always filled with plenty of snacks and drinks and a decent walking carrier for our toddler. We go on walks every weekend and one thing I will say is to never ever forget food and drink, we always take an ample supply of both.

We don't prepare. If we're lucky we remember to take some water.

We just like being outdoors, and are lucky enough to have nature at our doorstep (it is a non-negotiable condition for us when choosing places to live).

We are outdoorsy and have the obligatory boot full of riding hats and paddleboards etc. I'd also highly recommend a drybag for anything which might get wet - I'm increasingly seeing friends use them as general bags for short trips because if the kids decide to jump in the river for a paddle or get muddy it's much easier to lob into a drybag which won't leak.

A pair of wet shoes (the little neoprene ones) are also handy on any walks with rivers so the DC can get in and paddle safely then have a pair of dry shoes to walk home in (i can't count the amount of times mine have promised they won't get wet then ended up with soaking trainers). Also plasters for any cuts or rubbed feet!

I grew up by the sea and could have my foot on sand within 5 minutes till I was 18. I am a decent swimmer I used to regularly do 30 lengths at a full size pool and my sister was a lifeguard. The sea is incredibly dangerous, even a strong swimmer needs to know the beach due to riptides plus the way the tides work. People drowned or got in to difficulty many times on the beaches near me as the tide came in at a very odd angle and very quickly and would cut people off. Plus if there are shelves of sand you can go from fine to to out of your depth in a step.

I keep waterproofs, walking boots, hats and wipes in the boot of my car.

Also, your kids are 9 and 11 they’re old enough to be organising most of their own kit for a trip out!

Start when they're little and don't ever stop doing it. Always have a decent backpack, drinks bottle, footwear, socks, hat, sunblock, first aid kit, microfibre towel and technical layers ready to go at a moment's notice. And food. Lots of food.

If you stop doing it, they turn into the child who hyperventilates as soon as there's more trees than concrete. Especially if Daddy's new friend 22 and very easily impressed also tells them they're always dressed like a boy, it's really cruel for Mummy to not let them be a proper little girl and why on earth does Mummy want to do boy things like climbing rocks and riding horses at her age (37) and muscles are just so unfeminine, maybe Mummy wants to be a boy?

Rant over, it was ensuring that they were never uncomfortable, wet & cold for more than a couple of minutes, hungry or stuck doing exactly the same thing all the time - the most important things being the feeding and planning in times for them to chill out at home, play with friends (Saturday afternoons with random equipment worked really well, as the little group turn up with things like cricket sets, supersoakers, Nerfs, pavement chalks, yo-yos, etc, which also saved having to buy absolutely everything) and eat. Did I mention that catering is essential?

Getting cold and wet from swimming was a good thing if it was followed by warm, dry clothes and a portion of chips from the chip shop eaten waiting for the bus and a hot chocolate when they got home. Getting rained on and blustered about whilst out was always acceptable if it meant a doughnut and a hot chocolate in a cafe (or in the back of a car with a dryrobe these days). Parkrun would have been brilliant had it existed at the time, as it would be meeting other kids, dogs and having the hot chocolate/sandwich/ice cream afterwards.

You will need to pay attention to food and snacks. I might have suggested this previously, but in case I didn't make it clear enough, they will need a supply of food and drink that can be handed to them as soon as the first 'I'm hungr-' starts.

The hardest thing is getting inactive people, especially adults who have never done anything like it, to get onboard and keep doing things until they become a habit.

I would strongly suggest, OP, that you take swimming lessons yourself, though. It'll make all of this so much easier for you, rather than making it something entirely dependent upon your DH.

We have a picnic rucksack, lots of space for food and a seperate compartment for plates, cutlery and whatever else.

One proper hiking rucksack, 20l, for short walks where we don't need food apart from a snack and water.

DD always had her own bags, without plan, we all have Vaude rucksacks, and they do great children ones.

Proper shoes, we all have boots as we prefer the ankle support and the Scouts want them compared to walking shoes. They prevented more than one serious foot/ankle injury. They double as winter boots as well.
Wellies may be good for playing in a stream or puddle jumping in a playground but useless for longer walks.

Proper trousers, jeans are the worst you can wear. DD likes walking leggings but they don't have the practical pockets. Otherwise we all have zip off walking trousers.

Decent waterproof coats. They are not cheap but will last a. long time.

OP you don't need to be a ' all the gear but no idea' type of person. Don't go on a huge spending spree, you don't need a utility room to horde loads of kit.

Also it's still fun if you start off without waterproofs and end up getting soaking wet. One of my favourite memories is rolling down a hill with dd after a horrific downpour and we were soaked and muddy. We drove home in our pants!

You can do pen y fan/sugar loaf and hills like that in trainers with no issues unless it's wet.

I agree with National Trust membership. It's a good first step and most properties have lovely walks round their grounds, often marked on the maps and of varying lengths so you can pick what suits you. Plus then you can bribe the DC with an ice cream or tea and cake at the café at the end.

They often have lots of things going on for children, including things like treasure hunts in the school holidays.

Thanks for this advice regarding the sea, I honestly didn't know there was such a big difference between sea swimming & the pool.. We have a beach approx 20 mins from my town, loads of people I know & their kids have taken up seaswimming (& the obligatatory dryrobes), one of the dc are in the same swimming class as one of my dc's level 3 so I thought the sea would be fine for mine if DH brought them, he can swim, I can't.. M

Very true!

If I’ve understood level / stage 3 swimming correctly it’s definitely not a level you’d be swimming in open water. A lot of people who say they sea swim just bob about in the water or paddling. The only kids I know who properly swim outdoors are good club swimmers and members of triathlon clubs who completed the swimming lesson levels at a fairly young age.

Thanks for all the tips. Does anyone have a decent backpack they’d recommend?