Having convinced myself that Ultralight Family Camping is the way to go, I decided to try and figure out exactly what it is. Ultralight backpacking involves trying to get your base pack weight (before food and water) down as low as you can. With the family involved, this doesn't really seem like a smart decision. So, I've created some basic rules to guide my selection of gear and methods as I create my own style of Ultralight Family Camping.

These rules are meant to be flexible, and really more of guidelines. As I gain more experience, I'm sure they will change. But, as of today, here they are.

1. Lose as little comfort as possible. Let's face, if you want the family to ever go camping with you again, you need to make sure they have fun. And to have fun, you need to be comfortable. This means well fed, dry, and well rested at a minimum. Keep these three things in mind when searching for gear.
2. Plan for the least enthusiastic camper. Fun is the keyword again. Nothing ruins a trip faster for the family than if one member is not happy and is complaining. The least enthusiastic camper in my family is my wife, so I make sure to plan for her comfort more than anyone else. I use a backpacking sleeping pad, she gets the one that self-inflates to 6 inches. Her sleeping bag is rated for lower temps than the rest of us, etc. To make it a success, its imperative that she have a good time. The kids come next. I'm last.
3. Match your decisions to your reasons for camping. If your family is on the go the entire weekend, your tent might not need to be as roomy. On the other hand, if you like to nap, sit in the tent/shelter and play card/board games, then you are going to need different shelter options. Will trail running shoes work as well as hiking boots for your family? If you will ride out bad weather, get a tent that lets you do that. If you are likely to pack up and head out at the first sign of rain, then admit that and get a less expensive tent that might not have a full fly. If you like to do a lot of cooking you might need the dutch oven and other cast iron cookware. If you're mostly making hot dogs and hamburgers, cook over the fire.
4. Enough, but nothing more. I'm a salesperson's dream come true. Stay out of my way long enough, and I'll convince myself I need the product that is bigger, has more bells and whistles, etc. I always seem to buy something that is bigger than what I need. I have a backpack that, when extended, I can practically stand inside and cinch up over my head. I'm not even sure I'm capable of lifting the amount of gear it can hold anymore. At the time, I convinced myself I would need that space someday. I have only needed it once, if that. My new mantra when shopping is to look for something that is good enough to meet most of my needs, most of the time, and nothing more. Same thing goes when packing. Take just enough, but nothing extra.
5. Consider each item carefully. As you pack, or look to purchase, a piece of gear, ask yourself first: Do I really need this? If you are not sure about packing something, go ahead and throw it in for a trip or two. Then....
6. Learn from experience. Keep track of how often, and under what conditions, you use different pieces of equipment. Then when you pack, you can use this experience to determine any items that you might be able to leave behind without risking any loss of comfort or safety on any given trip.
7. Recognize that camping is a different standard of living. One of the reasons we buy and pack so much gear is that we are trying to maintain the same standard of living as when we are at home. We want king size air mattresses with fitted sheets so we feel just like home. That mattress also requires an electric pump, which is weight and space when packing. Why not get the self-inflating pad that is a fraction of the weight and size, but provides almost the same comfort. The comfort loss to weight/space savings ratio is minimal.
8. Transition slowly. Take your time to make the transition, moving to quickly can ruin things for your family. If you suddenly swing from taking lots of gear, to going Spartan, your family may revolt. Plus, you're more likely to make a costly mistake. By going slow, you can experiment with one thing at a time. For family camping, you are probably most likely to see significant gains in one of three areas: tent, sleeping bags, and kitchen gear. Pick one and work on it until you have a good system, then move to the next area.
9. Hit sales. Ok, you may always want to do this, but its a great way to purchase better equipment. If you already have gear in a particular category (tent, sleeping bags, etc.) you may be reluctant to spend money replacing something that works fine. If you find something on sale, you can feel less guilty about the purchase.
10. Be prepared. Going lightweight doesn't mean not thinking about safety. While you don't need to take a M.A.S.H. unit with you, you should have the necessary gear to respond to minor injuries (sunburn, cuts) to more major crisis (broken bone, deep laceration). This step takes as much knowledge as it does gear. But without the proper tools and supplies, that knowledge might not mean much.

What would you add or change?