Finding a sensible backpack for our kids took us forever. Everything was either painfully “kids-y” or useless on the trail. The Thule UpTake Youth showed up almost by accident, and it stayed.
Update: our youngest has now started using it as a hand-me-down. Still indestructible.
O tym przeczytasz
We weren’t looking for a typical kids’ backpack
The idea of a proper outdoor backpack for the kids had been on our minds long before we moved from Poland to Thailand with the kids. Up to that point they’d been carrying the more “kids-y” kind of backpack — both in function and in look. With each new activity we did together, it was getting clearer they needed something else. Something more practical. Something that would let them feel more like explorers heading out than like kids on a trail.
We turned to our favourite brand — Thule (not a sponsored post) — which has been showing up on the blog for a long time and joined us on all kinds of trips. We went for something less obvious: there was no need for Jas and Mania to carry their entire kit on a day hike. We wanted them to have snacks, water, and space for their own “essentials” — exactly the way we teach them on our outdoor days with the kids, where each child gradually takes responsibility for their own stuff.
A year and counting with our Thule UpTake Youth
No other kids’ backpack has lasted with us this long. We’ve used the UpTake basically everywhere for over a year. There’s no setting where it doesn’t work. Going for a short walk, the blue one ends up on Mania’s back and the orange one on Jas’s. Heading into the mountains, each of them fills their 1.75-litre water bladder, packs a sandwich, an energy bar and something for the rain. I think this attachment to the bags also has something to do with the weather here — Thailand demands constant hydration, and the kids learned fast that they need water on them at all times.
After a year of seriously hard use, the bags are practically untouched. The fabric hasn’t worn anywhere, hasn’t ripped, hasn’t faded. Zero. The only thing the kids — Jas specifically — managed to break was the bite valve on the bladder, which he kept gnawing on out of boredom while drinking water. It eventually gave up, and honestly, who wouldn’t. They’re easy to replace though, available at any sports shop.
What actually makes the difference
Short answer: it survives kids. It survives whatever the small hands of a nine-year-old and her younger brother throw at it.
The other thing is the hydration system. Thule went a step further here — the HydraPak bladder with the ReTrakt drinking tube is one of those “obvious but somehow rare” features. The tube doesn’t flop around left and right because there’s a magnet in it that snaps it back to the shoulder strap.
The bladder itself is cleverly designed too — you don’t screw it shut, you just clip it closed. There’s also a separate fastener that stops it shifting around inside the pack. All of it is made from a material that doesn’t hold smells. So if you ever forget to empty the bladder (it happens), once you’ve washed it out, there’s no lingering bad smell.
Uptake comes everywhere with us
We’ve already mentioned how versatile this backpack is. We were honestly surprised at how readily our kids reach for it — for short trips around town and for longer treks in the mountains. That eagerness probably comes down to the fact that the kids actually like these backpacks: they’re comfortable, they’re the right size, and most importantly, they’re theirs. That’s the most important factor for kids actually using something often.
Stay with us longer!
