thanks steve and glen,helpful comments,the pack i described is for winter conditions,i do of course loose some of the weight in summer months,i agree that possibly getting a lighter tent/pack for spring/summer months may be a good idea,my equipment is as you said all geared towards the winter months,possibly because i have been out in some terrible weather before and been caught out with a tent that wasnt up to the job,so when replaced i have been getting the 'worse case senario' equipment and using it all year round