Toddler travel and hiking gear we swear by: ingenious backpack carriers, all terrain pushchairs and a game changing travel cot

We firmly believe that travel doesn’t need to stop once your family starts; we decided that Jamie would come with us! But as we're sure you've all noticed, the littlest passenger seems to need the most stuff...

Before the age of two, many airlines allow you to check infant items for free alongside your hold luggage like car seats, travel cots, pushchairs or backpack carriers. Now that Jamie is too old to be a lap passenger anymore, we’ve had to get even smarter with our packing. We’ve found some amazing carry-on sized travel kit to use alongside our favourite heavy-duty gear, ensuring we stay mobile without losing our sanity or our luggage allowance! Here is our favourite tried-and-tested equipment, from carry-on sized cots to all-terrain pushchairs, that has survived everything from the Maine wilderness to the mountains of South Korea.

Pushchairs:

Whether we are navigating tight train aisles or mountain trails, having the right wheels is very important. We have found that one size definitely does not fit all, so we travel with two very different options depending on the destination. If you are debating between a rugged all-rounder and a lightweight travel companion, here are the two we wouldn't be without:

For off-road/hiking/mud/cobblestones: Bumbleride Speed

We nicknamed our Bumbleride Speed the Action Pram - it's like an ATV for babies! Muddy forest trails, cobblestone streets, tree roots, gravel, wet sand, snow... we tried them all out and were massively impressed every single time. Designed as a 3 wheel jogger, Speed's huge tyres easily skip over any crack in the pavement, tree root or stoney path. You can even buy a flat laying newborn pram bassinet for babies under 6 months, which we took to Ireland with us when Jamie was 4 months old. The storage basket underneath is massive and it's a really comfortable ride for Jamie. The UPF 45 canopy hood pulls right forwards, further than any other pushchair we've seen, shading Jamie nearly all the way down to his feet, perfect for sunny snoozes.

The only downside is it's a very big pushchair (especially on public transport) and you need to take the two side wheels off (luckily really easy) to fit it in the car boot or a bag for the plane hold, but it folds really easily. Be aware that if you want to take your push chair to the gate in an airport, it won't fold to fit through the security scanner, so you'll need to wait while it's checked by hand.

For city breaks, public transport and carry on: Cosatto Yo!

While the Bumbleride Speed is ideal for intrepid travel, for city breaks and carrying onto a plane we needed something smaller. Enter the Cosatto Yo!: compact, cabin approved and super fast to fold down, it's perfect for the London tube and city breaks abroad. We just took it to Korea and loved being able to pop it in the overhead bin (also on trains) and have it available straight off the plane - bigger pushchairs are allowed all the way to the boarding gate but then after landing get taken to the usual baggage carousel, and having somewhere to strap a wriggly toddler through the long passport queue was a game changer! It also makes it much easier to keep Jamie sleepy if he's napping on the plane when we land as we can transfer him straight into the pushchair.

The Cosatto has a great sized storage basket underneath considering how small it folds down, it only weighs 7kg and it reclines back to totally flat which is perfect for napping. The only downside is its tiny wheels - this certainly isn't an off roader, and we wouldn't want to use it on cobblestones or gravel!

Backpack carriers:

Jamie loves a backpack child carrier. He'll tolerate it for far longer than a pushchair, maybe it's being at face height? If you're planning a hike with your baby or visiting somewhere with a lot of steps, here are our (and his) two ride or die favourites:

Starting out: Littlelife Ultralight Convertible S3 (Now Traveller S4)

This was the first carrier we ever bought for Jamie once he became to big and heavy for front carrying and it's an absolute superstar piece of kit - essentially a hand luggage sized rucksack that unzips to reveal a fully fledged baby carrier, complete with padding and straps. We would constantly get stopped while out and about by people wanting to know what carrier we were using -it really is ingenious! There's a generous sized pocket on the front where you can stash nappies, a change of clothes, wipes and snacks, and the straps are a fully adjustable overhead harness that keeps baby safe and secure while you hike.

Our Ultralight S3 (newest model now called the Traveller Child Carrier S4) went as carry-on to America, Africa and Europe; it carried Jamie all over Acadia National Park in Maine, up the many steps in Tallinn's old town and hiking in the Cairngorms. It fits easily under a seat or in the overhead locker on a plane, and despite our height difference (David is 5'10" and I’m 5'1"), the padded hip belt meant that we could both carry Jamie comfortably for long distances.

We used the Ultralight S3 from when Jamie was 8 months old until about 18 months old.

Upgrade: Littlelife Freedom S4

Oh how we love this backpack carrier. Once Jamie was 18 months old, we found that he had outgrown the Traveller - he was starting to feel very heavy for me, and as the rucksack doesn't have any kind of head support apart from the dribble pad at the front, Jamie was starting to struggle napping on the go in it,which made long day hikes tricky!

The Freedom S4 is really comfortable for all of us. There's a nifty internal mechanism that lets you adjust the back length, along with the shoulder and hip straps, which makes it fully customisable to fit either me or David comfortably. For Jamie, the padded headrest side panels allow him to nap sitting upright without slumping forwards or cricking his neck too far sideways, and he really enjoys the foot stirrups. David wore it for 8 hours (and 20km) climbing Mt Hallasan, Korea's highest mountain!

The waist belt has a hidden pocket that contains a mirror to check on Jamie, and the storage is incredible. As well as a long, flat pocket accessed from the top where you can stash the sunshade (included) and rain cover (sold separately), the Freedom S4 has an enormous storage compartment at the bottom, or as we call it, the garage! We typically keep lunch, nappies, spare clothes, our raincoats and Jamie's reins in there, but on our recent trip to Korea when the carrier had to be our 2nd piece of checked luggage (Korean air don't count backpack carriers as a free infant item, boo...), we even managed to fit a weeks worth of Jamie's clothes rolled up in it!

Travel cot:

Sleep is the holy grail of travel with a toddler, but lugging a heavy, awkward cot through an airport is enough to make anyone want to stay home. We finally ditched the bulky traditional models for something that fits in the overhead locker. If you are looking for a way to guarantee a safe, familiar sleep space without the faff, this is the travel cot you need:

Littlelife Arc 2 Lightweight Travel Cot

After two years of travelling with a traditional, rectangular travel cot (sturdy and comfortable, but annoyingly big and awkward to carry around if you had lots of other luggage), we came across a game changer: Littlelife's Arc 2, which packs down into a carry on sized rucksack; another essential part of our toddler travel kit now that Jamie is two and we've lost our free checked infant items!

The Arc 2 is a bit like a pop up tent, with poles that slot together and push through the outer skin of the cot to stretch it into shape. The mattress is comfortable, the sides and top are unzippable mesh panels and we love that Jamie can't stand up in it- it encourages him to lie down and sleep! Constructing the cot for the very first time is a little fiddly but once you know what you're doing it's unbelievably fast.

Finding the right gear really is the difference between a trip that feels like hard work and one that feels like an adventure. Whether it is being able to do a bucket list hike up a volcano with a toddler in tow or simply having a pushchair that fits in the overhead locker, having the right kit has given us the confidence to keep exploring with Jamie by our side.

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