Hello All,

I'm looking forward to planning this season's camping trips. I've done a fair amount of car camping and started backcountry camping with two of my kids last season. We fit in a Kelty Mesa two person tent (4 lbs), two sleeping pads, 3 compact sleeping bags.

A lot of the other gear we used was borrowed from the car camping totes. I'm looking to replace some of that with lighter gear this season: stove, pots, mugs, plates, fuel etc. Right now I am carrying most of the weight and I've realized that lighter is definitely better!

This season I might be taking 3 kids and my wife has also expressed an interest in coming along which would make six of us including the baby. So, I need to get some more gear.

I want to try and buy quality items which will last.

I'm thinking of having three two-person tents to distribute the load and give more options when the kids are older. But maybe a three-person tent would give more space. Extra pads and bags are a must. But I'm stumped on the cooking and kitchen. Will a small Pocket Rocket be enough? I also like the look of the GigaPower. Even if we have to eventually get two I think that beats carrying propane and a single big burner.

I've looked at the cooksets from GSI and MSR. I think all we really need is a medium sized pot, a fry pan, handles and then cups and plates for six. I like the look of the deep dish MSR plates. How are the cups? Is there a better option that stacks?

I'd be happy to hear any more input and advice on what else a large family would need for backcountry camping.

Thanks!
Andrew