One thing on pack weight....while I'll go ultra light on my packs weight...that extra weight on kids packs is not necessarily a bad thing. What you are getting is suspension. And for little kids that is so important. The hefty hipbelts and suspension keep everything in place. It helps as so many kids don't stand with good posture - they sometimes cannot tell us either that a thin pack hurts - and where it hurts.

So the extra bit of weight can buy comfort and protect their spine and growing bones/muscles. <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" /> Just something to think about. We can always cut weight elsewhere in our kids packs!