I bought the older model of the REI Comet on sale ($30!) last spring for my grandson's 7th birthday and removed as much gunk (trim, extra pockets, lid, extra zippers, etc.) as I could to get the weight down. It's still 2 lbs., though, which definitely cuts down the weight a younger kid can carry in the thing. I can't see making a young kid carry a pack that weighs half again as much as my pack and that, because of the weight of the pack itself, limits how much of his gear a young kid can carry (especially since Granny here has to carry the rest of it!). Except for the weight, it's a good supportive pack and fits my now-8-year-old grandson quite well. Of course it looks like (expletive deleted) after my butchering job, but it works. I wouldn't have done this if it hadn't been so cheap, though.

A pack that was recommended to me for younger kids but which I haven't tried is the Tough Traveler Super Padre. I would think that the Small or Extra Small would be great for younger kids who shouldn't carry more than about 5-6 lbs. You'd have to order it and try it out. Tough Traveler does have a good reputation and makes the "Camper" and "Ranger" packs for older kids. . The last are almost as heavy as the REI Comet, though, and are a lot pricier. I might have ordered one if I hadn't found the $30 REI Comet!

I would really love to see a pack like the REI Comet made of lighter materials, a simple top-loading pack without all the heavy gewgaws on it. I unfortunately do not have the skills to make a pack or I would have used the Comet's excellent suspension and sewn a new and simpler packbag for it out of Dyneema or some such lighter fabric with mesh pockets. The Mountain Laurel Designs Kids Prophet weighs only 1/2 lb., but it's essentially just a rucksack with no supporting structure. Most younger children need good supporting structure to be able to carry even light loads--I've found that it's the pressure from the shoulder straps that really does them in. Combine a simple pack like MLD's with the Comet's suspension and you'd have an outstanding supportive pack weighing probably 1 1/2 lbs. I just wish somebody would do it!