The Best Family Adventure: How to Choose

Cultural traps snare us with the notion that kids (and adults) get happy when they acquire the latest shiny gizmo. Research shows that EXPERIENCES make kids happy and shared adventure activities with the family they love stick in their memories for a lifetime.

That poses the question;

HOW DO WE CHOOSE THE BEST ADVENTURE EXPERIENCES FOR OUR FAMILY?

I observe families wallowing around in a whole bunch of trial and error scenarios. Are we skiers? kiteboarders? whitewater rafters? hikers? sailors?

Trial and error is time-consuming and expensive, and even though we might feel we have years with our kids we really don’t. If we narrow the list down, we find our family adventure ‘sweet spot’ faster.

WHAT FAMILY ADVENTURES HAVE WORKED BEST FOR US?

We took our own experiences and the many adventures that we led with groups over the years, analyzed the whole lot and this is what we zeroed in on:

CANOEING & BIKING

Both can be done with babies, teens, and every age in between.

For the purpose of this writing, I’m going to focus on Canoeing.

The pros of canoeing:

1. The kids don’t have to paddle so it’s less likely to feel like a slog for them
2. Gets us into the wilderness easily and is a great way to enjoy multi-day outtrips
3. The gear is in the boat, no heavy loads need to break anyone’s back
4. Young kids nap in the canoe

The cons of canoeing:

1. High start-up cost (canoe, paddles, lifejackets, storage and safety equipment)
2. Skill and experience take time to acquire

What is the process to avoid all this trial and error business?

1. ANALYSE YOUR NATURAL INTERESTS

In our DINK life (Double Income No Kids) we were rock climbers, whitewater kayakers, and general adventure junkies.

After our first daughter was born we found that kayaking and climbing weren’t as simple and family-friendly as we needed. Sure, we could tag-team. One parent watches kid(s) and the other adventures, but we wanted something that was all-in-together so we made a pivot.

Many of us manage micro-adventures with our families quite well, but my desire is to pepper our lives with MIGHTY adventures that are age-appropriate for kids and enjoyable for parents. The kind that takes planning, resources and skill to accomplish and goes beyond throwing rocks in the river or wandering along a trail pointing at ladybugs.

So, grab a pencil and paper and jot down the answers to these questions!

1. What activities do/did you personally enjoy? Put an asterisk beside the ones that you could modify for family adventures.
2. What activities does/did your spouse enjoy? Get them to write their own list.
3. If your kids are old enough write down the activities they enjoy.
4. For each activity write down the pros and cons.
5. Circle the top 2 activities that are clear favourites.

2. HONESTLY EVALUATE YOUR SKILLS

The biggest key to fun AND safety is analyzing your skillset for strengths and weaknesses.

Using our canoeing example, this is what I came up with for our top strengths:

1. Vast skills and experience to draw on for decision making including flatwater and whitewater, ranging from a couple of hours to a few weeks on the water.
2. A knack for having just enough. Not too much and not too little (clothing, food, equipment)
3. Professionally trained in river rescue, wilderness first aid, crisis management, and canoeing technique.

Weaknesses: Fear. My mind can dwell on worst-case scenarios and that’s not very helpful 🤪 when I stress about the ‘big’ rapid that is around the corner (that is well within our capabilities!) My hubby balances this out with his superpower to analyze real risk over perceived risk.

Social media can be helpful for inspiration or venturing into new locations. Compare your abilities with what the location/activity requires, not your friend who did that epic thing on Instagram.

If you find an adventure that would be great for your family, jump in at the appropriate level

If you have gaps in your skills do these things before diving in with your kids:

1. Take a course
2. Build your technique and experience with friends who are competent
3. Join a club with a great reputation
4. Hire a guide

WHAT GEAR DO YOU HAVE AND WHAT DO YOU NEED?

Once you have decided that you have the skill set for the chosen family activity, you need the gear. Frugal is our middle name. We live on hand-me-downs and thrift store clothing. We are careful what we buy at the supermarket and we never eat out.

But we do buy gear and adventure clothing. Our kids always have a thermal top and bottom that fits them, as well as a down jacket, raincoat, and fleece jacket and pants. For overnighters, they each have a down sleeping bag rated to -10C and a Thermarest.

Over the years we have accumulated group gear from reputable adventure brands that are engineered for the task and perform to high standards. Things like tents, tarps, stoves, cooking paraphernalia, water filter etc.

We generally don’t buy knock-off brands or department store substitutes.

SOME CAVEATS FOR FAMILY ADVENTURE

1. Family adventure is an ever-evolving process. What our family could do with four kids 5 years old and under is different than what we do now with five kids aged 8-18.
2. The virtues of innovation and creativity will come in very handy as you figure out what will work from week to week and year to year.
3. Some activities will stand the test of time, others won’t. That is a-OK.

IT CAN FEEL DAUNTING

to commit to being a skiing family or a backpacking family. If the goal is making quality relationships with our kids and shared memories to last a lifetime, and we are using outdoor adventure to achieve that, it makes sense to niche down.

THE PHOTOS

📍 White Boar Lake, near(ish) to Kimberley, BC

Getting there

From Kimberley Riverside Campground to White Boar Lake is 46km on an FSR (Forest Service Road).

The final 4km is on a 4×4 track that was pretty gnarly when we visited – large rocks, steep and chunky. We did a little road building and nail-biting (me) but we made it!

A walk-in recreation camping site is at the end of the road and there is a 200m portage to get the canoe to the lake. Well worth it!

When to go

It’s best to visit after the snow has melted off the road and there are still icebergs floating in the lake that have carved off the tiny glacier at the south end. June or early July is great!

WANT TO KNOW MORE?

I have a bunch of canoeing articles here and many more to add 🙂

Check out some general adventure practical tips for families here!