When we first started talking about our plans for the summer of 2023, the four of us gathered at Julie’s house. While my son rolled around on the floor, we pored over maps and tried to find a trek that checked all of our boxes. We wanted to explore new territory. We’d love if we could bring boats. We’d love to spend at least five days away from our day-to-day slog. We narrowed our options down, and included options that would allow me to bring my son along.

While initially I debated whether the little guy — often referred to as “The Hair” thanks to his amazing mane — should tag along for our most recent adventure, circumstances in all of our lives suggested we take it a little easier. This meant I wouldn’t have to carry dozens of diapers (both clean and dirty) over a multiday trek. Afterall, Julie and Jenae were recovering from illness and injury, so I wasn’t the only one to “blame” for the divergence from our norm. Wendy, we joked, was the only normal, healthy person among us. We made plans to spend a few days camped near a group of lakes on the west side of the Bighorn Mountains. But as I left our decision-making gather, it felt a little like we were settling and that just didn’t sit right.

Sawyer’s first time across the wilderness boundary obviously should be with his adventure 🐜🐜🐜 …

So I kept looking, and reading, and dreaming. Then, I found rental yurts in Sinks Canyon State Park. And, looking at the dates we had set aside for our trek, found one available. What luck! We had always talked about exploring the Wind River Range and this would put us in that area. Plus, a yurt felt more manageable with an infant than a tent. Wendy, Jenae and Julie all agreed. So we booked the yurt and immediately began joking about what all we could bring since we didn’t have to carry it. A fridge? Sure, we could (don’t worry, we didn’t).

While I’m sure we’ll share about the places we visited, I’ll give a few highlights of what I learned about “glamping” with an infant.

• Bring layers, and lots of them. While it was never outright cold, the temperatures did have a broad range from midday to nighttime, so I had to ensure I was prepared to both bundle him up and keep him cool. A sleep sack worked wonders for the cooler nights and his swim trunks and shirt kept him cool during our day hikes.
• Get a good pack. I inherited a backpack to carry my son from a friend. It was wonderful, with all the pockets for all the things. But, it took me a couple hikes to realize it needed adjusted. Luckily, Julie is a pack wizard and helped me make the adjustments to the pack to fit my shorter torso. It made a huge difference in how the pack fit and where I carried the weight.
• Bring more wipes/diapers than you think you need. Since I knew I wouldn’t need to carry them I brought what I thought was extra diapers and wipes. Even with the “extra,” I had just about run out of wipes and only had a few diapers left by the end of our trip. It turned out we used the wipes as well — for our hands, for a quick wipe down and to remove a layer or two of bug spray at times.
• Consider sleeping arrangements. I don’t co-sleep with my kiddo, so we brought a pack-and-play for him. He slept in it at night, but it also provided a safe play area for him to hang out while we cooked, cleaned and otherwise hung out around the yurt.
• Be OK with naps on the go. My son spent much of the time we were hiking snoozing in the backpack. While I should have known better than to expect a 7-month-old to appreciate the sights and sounds of nature, I was surprised by just how many Zs he caught while we explored.
• Be OK with sitting things out. While we did all venture out onto a lake during one of our stops on a day adventure, I didn’t think my son would tolerate much more time in a life vest. So at the next lake, I hung out on shore while he napped. I still enjoyed the quiet of the lake and the cool breeze, and he got to snooze without being jostled around on my back.
• Consider how you’ll protect yourself and your kiddo from bugs and sunshine. Baby sunscreen was a no-brainer, but I was less sure of how to keep those pesky mosquitos from biting him nonstop. Julie has made all-natural bug spray for a few years and we’ve typically had some with us on hikes. This year, she offered up a bottle she purchased that allowed me to spray my son down without covering him in chemicals.
• Have a safety net. One of the concerns I had with our initial adventure plan on the west side of the Bighorns was our proximity (or lack thereof) to medical services if needed. We wouldn’thave cellphone service and were hours from the closest hospital. While I had never worried too much about that before, it did make me a little nervous with my son tagging along. Our trip to Sinks Canyon State Park put us just 15 minutes from a town with a hospital. Even as we adventured, I knew we weren’t too far from help if it was needed.
• Bring a pop-up chair. One of the best gifts we received when our son was born was a little pop-up chair. It’s essentially a camp chair for your little, but it comes equipped with straps to hold them in and a tray. He gleefully sat and ate at the table with us outside our yurt and it saved me from any need for a high chair on a camping trip. Ours is a hiccapop, but there are many brands in various price points for those who are interested.

In future posts, I’ll gladly share more specifics about what I packed, but for now, those are the big things to consider when you start planning for overnights in the outdoors with your little.