You all would cringe at the weight of the equipment we too with us on our first practice hike, but it was what we had and it was good for comparison purposes. My 16yo son and I took with us a 12-lb 3-person tent. The square footage was wonderful, the weight as not. We definitely need a new tent -- the question is what kind? We discussed the pros and cons of each and didn't come to a conclusion.

Individual tent: Pros - Lightest in weight at the individual level. My son wouldn't have to carry all the tent weight. It would be nice for him to have a personal tent if he were to go backpacking with friends and not family. Cons - Two tents to carry. And the biggie -- when we urban dwellers started hearing night noises and were convinced we were about to be carved into little bits, it was nice not to be alone.

2-person: Pro – Lighter weight to carry. Con – Cramped for mother and son and all equipment (keeping the stuff inside the tent is another question …). Probably cramped with just two adults and no stuff, also.

3-person: Pro – Plenty of room for two plus stuff. Con – Heaviest option although the new tent would be substantially lighter than the one we currently have.

I think we’re leaning toward a light 3-person tent, choosing to sacrifice weight for floor space. We liked being able to have room to play cards, read and sleep without being on top of each other. I can see that not being an issue for spouses or others for whom personal space isn’t a boundary, but for us … we don’t want to be shoe-horned in.

Are we off our rockers looking for a much lighter 3-person tent versus a 2-person or individual tents? What about individual tents that connect? Is the connector piece plus the two tents approximately the same weight as a 3-person tent?