looking for a new pack...

[Toughmama]

My eight year old son and I are planning an extended trip hiking the Horse-shoe trail in Pennsylvania, it's 140-150 miles, depending on who you ask. I'm calculating two weeks for us to finish. Prob is, he's never had a pack, and someone stole my tried and true Kelty last year. My questions- what are some great lightweight packs, that can hold at least thirty lbs, that have a built in hydration system, for myself, and two, what kind of pack should I get for my son, that also has a hydration system. I will be carrying the brunt of the weight. Thank you for your replies if you have some suggestions.

[wspscott]

For an 8-year old, I would assume no more than 10#s so I would be looking at very light weight packs like these from Gossamer Gear, no need for a hip belt. No hydration system, but you could probably rig something. Personally, I would just put a water bottle in the side pocket and let him drink out of that.

http://gossamergear.com/the-minimalist.html

http://gossamergear.com/quiksak.html

When you say "built in hydration system" do you mean a pocket that will hold a bladder? Or something with a bladder built in? 30 pounds starts pushing the limits of a light weight pack, but maybe we are talking about different types of packs. I have an older model of a Gossamer Gear Mariposa and can carry up to about 30 pounds, this gets me 5 nights in the winter in the SE Appalachians. http://gossamergear.com/mariposa-ultralight-backpack-all-bundle.html

Hope that helps

[Aaron Zagrodnick]

Could be worth checking out ULA as well, they offer a kids version of the Circuit Backpack.

...and something like the regular Circuit, or perhaps better yet in this case the Catalyst could work out well in your case.

I'd imagine that the weight might creep up on a trip like this especially since you'll be carrying most of the gear so I'd lean towards the Catalyst as long as you think you can keep the max weight around their suggestion of 40lbs or less, although I've carried more than that on occasion even in my Circuit. No built in hydration system, although they do come with a hydration sleeve and port, but I've always removed the sleeve and just throw a 3 Liter Platypus Hoser sideways on top of my stuff inside the pack.

[Toughmama]

Thank you so much for your suggestions. I'll be sure to update y'all with what we choose, and if they work out well.

[Surfcam]

Also worth checking out is the kids version of the Gossamer Gear Mariposa. GG has them on sale for $79 right now. Hard to beat the price. I have a GG Gorilla which is basically a smaller volume Mariposa and I love it.