OregonMouse's comments are brilliant. Wandering Daisy's picture should be instructive.

The PRIMARY driver when backpacking is WEIGHT.

This is less of a driver when dayhiking (only going for one day) but it still is a large concern for the kids.

What we REALLY need are packs for kids that are lightweight - not a more optimal pocket design.

The reason is that we don't want to put more than 10%-15% of their LEAN body weight on them to carry.

Most of the kids in our cub pack are between 50 and 100 pounds (elementary school age active kids). That means that the packs can't weigh more than 5-15 pounds - LOADED.

Commercially built sleeping bags weigh 2lbs if you're lucky. Water is 2lbs a quart. Fleece is heavy, but it meets other warmth/drying criteria and it's cheaply available. If you can drive the weight of the pack itself down AND maintain its structure at reasonable cost, you have something everybody wants.

Suggest looking at the make your own gear page and look up the DJ2 pack there and on backpacking light. Mr. Clark is onto something, and you might be in a position to play with carbon fiber and fabric to advance the cause.

Did I mention to listen to OregonMouse and Wandering Daisy?

Steadman
Backpacking father of 4