Where to buy hiking clothing for young children?

Walmart or Target. You can outfit them from head to toe. Nylon athletic pants, synthetic shirts, wind shirts, etc.

Value Village, Goodwill, et al too.

Look for regular old nylon athletic/track pants. Something thin and breathable. Should be easier than finding actual "hiking" pants.

Hmm…I tried Walmart the other day but no luck. Maybe I'll have to look a bit closer. The only nylon/synthetic stuff I saw was swimwear. But again, we live in hot and humid Houston–far away from backpacking territory. I'm hoping we'll have better luck in Denver when we arrive.

you might want to check Goodwill or Salvation Army for soccer shorts and tops. i have seen them, not sure if they would have anything in her size. they are normally flat felled seams which are great… less irritation.

I have never been a parent (which my brother likes to wryly remind me whenever I forward him an article on childrearing I found interesting), but if it's only for one night and she's only 4, why not just let her wear pants and socks she already owns, even if it's cotton?

Gander Mountain might be worth a look.

Sierra Trading Post or Campmor

deleted

I started my kids backpacking quite young and did buy any special clothes for them. I just brought extras of everything for when they got wet. Your kids will be happier in familiar comfortable clothes. Extras for four year old don't weigh much and you won't be walking far anyway so the weight of your pack doesn't matter so much. For those toddler trips I just ignored the weight of my pack and brought whatever would make the trip fun for the kids so they'd have a good time and want to go again.

Hey David, I'm here in Houston as well and have had some luck at Academy, rash guard shirts with SPF works well, and they had nylon convertible pants for kids. Of course REI has a small selection, but mostly girls clothes.

Target also has a good selection of Champion brand shirts, tights and capri tights. Since every Target looks exactly the same, its probably directly across from the check-out lines, where the girls' clothing starts.

Also, check rei-outlet.

I've been frustrated by this mission too. It is very difficult to find "technical" hiking clothes for tiny people (and forget about lightweight ones. The rain jacket, down jacket and fleece pants I bought for my 7 year old all weigh more than mine!)

I think the suggestion just to have them wear normal "street" clothes is a good one. A pair of cotton "bike shorts" will be comfortable under a backpack, and a spare pair in case they get damp shouldn't weigh too much.

The only toddler-sized hiking clothes I was able to find smaller than a 5-6 range are the REI Sahara pants which are long pants that role up into capri pants. They are longer than shorts and may not be as cool though. However, they come in toddler sizes from 18M to 4T with an adjustable waistband and are 100% nylon. They are not cheap though – I believe about $30 though they may be on sale now. REI appears to be sold out online but I was in my local store this weekend and they had several pairs left so you might call around if that option works for you.

Stores like Ross and Marshalls may also be a good source of

Forgot to mention also Columbia makes a nice toddler hiking t-shirt called the "Take Me There" — I have purchased two in the past. It is a light wicking and quick-drying fabric and is also "cute" which may or may not matter to your little one! You can find them under $15 if you google around. Below is one of the ones I bought; they have in other colors/styles.

Maybe get some permetrin, ray bloc UV spray and scotchgard and treat some of her existing lightweight clothing?

I have shoped throughout the different seasons and noticed it's hard to find fleece at this time of year as it is hard to find shorts in the winter. This is here in CO.

But yeah, Target, Wally World, Ross, Marshalls, and TJ Maxx have options.

Normal atheletic clothing has worked well for my young ones.