What to change out first?

[nastynate]

I want to start taking my 4 year old on some very short overnight and maybe 2 night trips next summer. Most of my gear is lightly used but 10 plus years old and heavy. Camping in the southeast from April till October. Since I'll be carrying most of his gear/food as well I'm looking to lighten up. I've already made up a homemade alcohol cookset and converted my synthetic mummy bag to a quilt. I've got 2 shorty thermarest self inflators for us and he has an inexpensive kelty sleeping bag. Tent is a 3 man Eureka with aluminum poles, around 6 lbs, and backpack is a Marmot internal frame, I'm guessing around 5 or 6 lbs as well. With a budget of $200 what would give me the most bang for the buck as far as lightening up my pack?

Change the pack to a SMD Starlite or ULA Ohm 2.0

Change tent to REI quarterdome or maybe Lightheart Duo or Tarptent. Not sure I want to tarp/bivy with him and deal with the bugs.

Or maybe some small things to make things easier like a jetboil for less hassle, and maybe a couple thermarest z-lites.

Thanks for any suggestions.

[bigcranky]

Wait to change the pack until last. I'd replace the tent first, something like the Lunar Duo or a Tarptent Stratospire 2. That'll shave significant weight - close to 4 pounds - without affecting comfort. Changing to a light pack while keeping other heavy gear is a recipe for disaster.

Taking a kid is a lot of fun, but you'll be a pack mule for several years.

[Studlintsean]

I agree with the bigcranky. Best bang for your buck will be the light weight tent. Probably wont be able to fit your gear and his in a "ultralight" pack.

[RodentWhisperer]

Here's yet another person telling you "the tent is the best choice." I'm partial to Tarptent's selections-- the StratoSpire would be awesome. The Squall is the cheapest 2-person tent in their line.

[Malto]

I bought a TT Squall for exactly the same Situation you are in. I will third the suggestion.

[Sarcasm the elf]

Wait to change the pack until last. I'd replace the tent first, something like the Lunar Duo or a Tarptent Stratospire 2. That'll shave significant weight - close to 4 pounds - without affecting comfort. Changing to a light pack while keeping other heavy gear is a recipe for disaster.

Taking a kid is a lot of fun, but you'll be a pack mule for several years.

Absolutely agree. You'll be carrying two pads, two sleeping bags and food and water for two. I love my ULA pack, but if I were attempting that then I would want a beefier pack. Dropping four lbs of weight by switching tents would be your best bet.

[nastynate]

Thanks for the advice. Looks like I need to do some more research and decide between the Squall 2, Double Rainbow, Lightheart Solong or Duo, Lunar Duo, or something else.

[Firefighter503]

I agree with the others on foregoing the new pack for now, and upgrading to a lightweight tent. The squall is a good choice, or for $25/7oz more, you could go with the double rainbow. It is a little over your $200, but will offer more room as your son grows.

Your son is very lucky.

[Rocket Jones]

If you get your son a small bookbag type backpack of his own, there's no reason he can't carry some of his own gear like a headlamp, maybe that z-rest you mentioned, his bowl and spoon, etc. You didn't mention it, so maybe that's already the plan.

My granddaughter insisted that we go for a hike last Christmas because I made her a hiking stick out of a dowel with paracord wraps. That, and *her* bandana just cemented the idea that going to Grandpa's house meant going for a walk in the woods.

[tammons]

As above buy the pack last to fit your gear. The lightest 3200ci pack I know of is the Zpacks Arc Blast.
Tackle the rest of the big 4 first, Tent, Pad, Bag.

Tent - The lightest double would be a Zpacks hexamid twin but you probably dont want cuben around a 4YO. I think it weighs 12.5 oz.
Next would be a tarptent of some sort.

I think a good bag for a kid would be a MYOG M50 Climashield MYOG bag with a drawstring footbox, made long so he can grow into it.
Just cinch it off at his height. 5oz XP should be good for 30-35dF. Should weigh about 10-14 oz.

Cook on a fire or a wood burning stove.
I would just do a SUL bag cook setup.
Should be able to do a double in 8-10oz.
Less if you boil twice depending.

Obviously with a 4yo I would stay away from alcohol stoves.

[brooklynkayak]

Yes, think about the pack when the other gear replcement is done.

Regarding tarps, they can be combined with bugnets or bug bivys. They have many advantages over your typical dome or taptent options.

There are lots tarp options out there, not just rectangular flat tarps.

[FarmerChef]

My wife and I both have UL packs and are pack mules for the kids but all the rest of our gear is UL too and the kids carry their own bag, clothes and water. That said, I agree with others that a UL pack with heavy gear is a no no. Your shoulders will glow in the dark when you make camp, they'll hurt so bad.

Here are some other considerations.

If it was just me and my son out on an overnight, I would have him sleep with me under my quilt. It's plenty big enough for two and that saves the entire weight of the other bag. As it is now, all 3 of our kids sleep zipped together in two bags when it's cooler out. I realize the squirmy factor might keep you up all night but I can't sleep the first night anyway... just a thought.

Z-rest pads - that depends on your idea of comfort. I use a z-rest but would prefer an inflatable. If you're up for it, go for it. They're certainly cheap enough. Consider two that your son could sleep on a Wal Mart blue foam pad cut down to size which is much lighter and plenty comfy for their little weight. Our kids (including our 12 year old) still sleep on blue pads and don't complain a bit. Ymmv.

If you're only going out overnight or even for 2, don't worry about the Jetboil. With an alky stove, you can bring only the amount of fuel you think you'll need versus an entire canister. Yes it's slightly more difficult than a Jetboil but a heck of a lot less expensive. Fwiw, I usually cook over a campfire anyway and have the stove as a backup in case it's raining. Your son will be mesmerized by the fire and have wonderful memories. Don't forget the marshmallows!!

Clothes can add up to quite a bit of weight very quickly as well and finding lightweight alternatives for wee ones can be a bit challenging. Fleece is bulky but relatively light and you wouldn't need a windbreaker other than maybe an emergency poncho if you have the luxury of picking only good weekends to go. Lightweight running shorts and shirts can be had for little money at Wal Mart or similar. My son started hiking when he was 5 and used a cotton (gleeps!) Lightning McQueen t-shirt. We went to the thrift store and upgraded him later.

[Blackbeard30]

I started taking my son this past summer. He's three years old. I got him a small backpack and put his sleeping bag in there. This frees up a lot of space in mine. Along with the sleeping bag, I put in a few small things. It worked well and my pack was not that much heavier than usual (we only did one nighters).

[konradchen]

Yeah, i agree with many of the expressed opinions. The biggest weight savings come from the big 3 (pack, tent, sleeping setup). The pack should always be purchased last, because people tend to buy one larger than needed after they've honed their gearlist. Trim all your gear, than buy the pack that is just enough to carry it all. Sleeping setups are very expensive to lighten up (e.g., a nice 800FP down bag and sub 1lb air mattress will easily set you back $500). Go with lightening up the tent..6lbs is wayyy to heavy. There's expedition tents out there on everest that weigh less. Aim for a 3-4lb tent and you should still find one within your budget. The REI one mentioned is a good pick in my book.

[nastynate]

Just ordered a Lightheart Gear Solong 6! Thanks for the advice. I'm looking forward to our first overnight hike as soon as it warms up.

[simply_light]

Nice choice on the tent. I've got Big Agnes Flying Creek UL1, but have my heart set on a MLD Duomid. It is nice with a lot of the smaller 1-2 person tents, that you can pull double duty with the trekking poles and use them as tent poles as well. Saves even more weight (if you already use trekking poles).