Hey All,
Just managed to grab a spot in April to do the overland track with my 10 year old son. I'm just starting to do a bit of logistics research and primary concern is the weight of packs as he probably shouldn't really carry much more than 8kg total. I weigh 62kg so suspect I'll be having to try and deal with 20kg+ pack for all the food / some of his gear at least for the first few days.... does anyone have any advice on best way to approach pack weight when going with a smaller travel companion? (I've just bought kids sleeping bag which will help with some weight reduction)
I'm fortunate enough to have the choice between my bike-packing tent (Copper Spur HV UL2) or a Durston x-mid2... I was leaning towards the Durston as its lighter/packs smaller and we'll be taking hiking poles anyway but wasn't 100% sure how well the Durston is going to pitch on the tent platforms (it also has a fairly big footprint vs the fixed frame Copper Spur). I did see some advice on taking cup hooks and/or tent anchors but wasn't sure if would just be easier to suck up the extra weight of the Copper Spur for ease. I've got a decent amount of 'lightweight' gear from climbing/bikepacking that I can probably re-purpose for this trip but really want to ensure the little guy has a bit of comfort as it will be his first 5+ day hike and carrying a bit more weight so any tips/hints from others who have done the father/son overland would be appreciated!