As the kids get older, you will appreciate two tents- an "adult" tent and a "kids" tent. As you get older the kids will appreciate being farther away from Dad, who now snores loudly!

Neither tent is really heavy. As the kids get older and there are just two of you on a trip, the kid can take more gear so you do not need to be the pack horse anymore. It will all happen quicker than you think. Get the smaller lighter pack, but keep the larger one for those few occasions you will need it. There is no one pack or one tent that is optimum for all possibilities.

I am a proponent of having the kids carry what they are capable of as soon as possible. I always wonder when I pass a family with the parents loaded down, huffing and puffing at the back, and the kids, with very little on their backs, running down the trail ahead, and "bored" because the old folks are too slow.