Weigh in at Amicalola Falls for my Benton MacKaye Trail thru-hike. Shoulder season gear, 5 days of food, fuel and water. 21 lbs. Not that it effin matters! ;)

 You make hiker trash more trashy Mags!
--Shinobu "Buddha" Price

I do not consider myself an ultralighter. To me that term employs too much gear wonkery.  Where the emphasis is on gear and not enjoying the trail. While gear is important, I think it is the LEAST important part of hiking.  I use gear to hike...not hike to use gear. 

Rather, I think of myself as minimalist. I take enough gear for what I consider to be my own personal safety, comfort and fun levels. On three-season, solo hikes it is pretty scant. On social backpacks (more camping, less hiking), I'll take a stove, a book and wine (of course). (A less charitable name, but perhaps more accurate, is dirt bagger! As Shinobu "Buddha" Price said: You make hiker trash more trashy Mags!)

Why do I go with this method? Because I enjoy the simplicity.  I have little to come between me and how I want to enjoy the outdoors. I can enjoy the simple act of walking without worrying about how heavy my gear is on my back.

After the Long Trail in 1999, there was a gradual decline in my base pack weight. I am at the point where I can get lower only if I spend more money for shaving ounces rather than pounds. It gets to the point that I have to ask myself how much money is worth spending to lose more weight in my pack?  I also emphasize again that I am really not into gear. Its just a tool for me.  I notice very few thru-hikers dip below 8lbs. The people pushing the weight envelope tend to be out weeks rather than months (not always, but usually).  Just an observation that may or may not conform to reality.

3 mm Painters Plastic Drop cloth

  1.750 oz

   3.000 oz

   2.500 oz

Purrell

Canon A630 w/ Gorrila Pod and Zplock

  2.250 oz

  12.000 oz

NOTES:

• All weights were gauged with a digital scale accurate to 1/8 (.125) oz
•  The sleeping bag is one I picked up at the GoLite warehouse sale. No manufacturers weights are ever accurate for sleeping bags it seems. :)
• When on my long-hikes, I carry a zip lock with my ID, cash, Debit and Credit cards
• In my pack, on long hikes, I will carry a zip lock with maps, guide book sections, journal, etc. The overall weight will be ~9.5 lbs
• For longer hikes, I now go stoveless. More than the weights savings, it is the KISS principle I love. The weight savings is probably negligible as I do have to buy more (not all) non-dried food, but resupply and eating now has a a very little futz factor. Yeah! Thanks to Garlic and Pickle (and using this method on an AZT section) for showing me the utility of this idea!
• My biggest weight penalty and luxury is my camera setup. I willingly take it as I am a serious amateur and love taking photos.
• On most of hikes, I do not take Deet or a bug net (Yeah for CO dryness!), but I still included it for comparison.
• Finally, this gear list is for three-season hiking. I define three season-hiking as having lows of no less than 15F or so and snow that is not permanent. For most of my Colorado hiking, this range is normally seen in mid-late June up until late Sept/early  October. In shoulder season hiking, (such as when I did the Benton MacKaye Trail ) , I'll swap in an additional fleece hat, a Thermawrap and maybe a heavier (12 oz) shell. Call it a 1.5 lb weight penalty total.