When heading into the back country, especially with kids, you have limited space in your pack to bring everything you need. But now that our kids are out of diapers we do have a bit more room for some of the luxury items. These items, while still somewhat light, are not must haves when backpacking with kids, but rather more of a comfort thing.

Lightweight packable chairs

For years I had eyed these up but just couldn’t justify it. We do a lot of more remote backcountry where there are no picnic tables as in in the sub-alpine even a log is more rare to find, so having this chair along is definitely a bonus.

It weighs in at 1.9 lbs and is quick and easy to set up. It has been thoroughly tested by being dragged around and jumped in by our young kids and has held up very well.

While these chairs can be quite expensive, we did find ours on Amazon for just under $40 each, and feel they are of pretty great quality.

Thermacell portable mosquito repeller

Depending on the time of year you are heading into the backcountry you may encounter either little to no mosquitos or so many you can barely talk without eating them. 

This weighs only 4 oz and screws onto a fuel canister. It is DEET free as it uses a plant-inspired repellent formula. It creates a 15 foot zone of protection against mosquitos. We notice the little black flies also seem to disappear as well.

Get your Thermacell here.

MPOWERD Luci solar string lights

Weighing in at 11.3 oz, these string lights are something our girls really enjoy having light up around our tent. While it does have a USB port for charging devices, we would not suggest relying on this. On our last backpacking trip I decided to leave our power bank home with hopes this could recharge my iPhone. Well, it did charge it a bit but then there was no power left to use the lights. So for us, this item is just one to use for the lights and we will bring a backup power bank for our electronics. It is definitely high up on the favourites for our kids.

Check it out here.

Basecamp cards

These are not your average deck of cards. They come complete with questions and/or conversation starters.

They come stored in a tin case, which can be left back home when wanting to shed a bit of weight for backcountry camping.

The cards are water-resistant, so perfect for any situation whether it’s rain or even spills.

Bonus is that they are family friendly, so you can play with just about anyone. They even have a kids edition set as well.

Get yours here.

Just remember, everyone’s must have and luxury items will look different. These are ours, that while not essential definitely make camping more comfortable.