I can take away the gun, free up some space and weight in the backpack. 

As for the child: 

I was thinking two options: Either his wife and daughter are missing, and he's constantly looking for hints on their whereabouts, or his wife is dead and he has his daughter to take care of. If the case is the second, he leaves her at camp with an old friend of his wife. This could lead to the baby being kidnapped or killed during a raid, I understand that. But it's so much safer in a camp than out there.

Though having the baby out there would be sooo cool!