Basic question: Where should I look (e.g., what brands) for the best packs for backpacking when I can't quite fit into UL gear volume or weight, but still want a light pack?

Details: I'm coming back to backpacking after many years absence (I was obsessed with climbing and bc skiing and left backpacking behind in favor of adrenaline-fueled backcountry adventures). Now I've got a couple kids, and am emerging from the dark days of toddler-hood and stoked to expose them to backpacking, and finding new joy in it myself.

Totally sold on the UL thing, but our packs remains the piece of the puzzle I'm not sure how to navigate.

Splashed out on a pretty good looking (to me) UL kit - not extreme gram counting yet, but slashing my pack weight *dramatically*, even WITH the kids stuff. Stoked, feels like a new lease on life! But putting it in a 10 lb. north face pack that never fit right to being with is just a crime smile

Picked up a Gossamer Gear Gorilla on the advice of a friend, but found that its volume is just not sufficient for me to carry the bulk of our family gear (two little kids, getting rapidly bigger!) and where bear cannisters are required forget about it!

The best I find at REI seem to be Osprey packs that seem well made but still overbuilt to me after lofting the Gossamer stuff. So, that's a jump from ~1.5 pounds to ~4+ pounds. Is there a middle ground between these two? Something with gossamer-level materials and refinement, but that is designed for comfort with more bulk and weight?

Or if there is only a step change, happy to have this info as well.

Is this clear what I'm asking, or am I totally out of line? smile

Many thanks for any pointers, including to other threads.