I'm not going to go back to the days when everyone carried 50-lb. packs. That was just normal then. All that gear has been sold, given away, used for other purposes or thrown out. The one item still left is a Kelty external-frame pack (I have no idea what model) from the mid-1980's, and that's going on my next trip to the Salvation Army.

Since I started lightening up a few years ago, there have been a few purchases I've made that I later regretted. To be more accurate, there was no real regret. The items, though excellent in themselves, simply didn't work out for me. I think that proves that I should have done more backyard testing while the items were still returnable!

One was a Marmot Hydrogen sleeping bag. Lovely bag, but not quite warm enough. After shivering through a frosty October night even while wearing all my extra clothing inside, I sold it and bought a Western Mountaineering 20* bag. Another was a Six Moon Designs Lunar Solo tent. Lovely tent, but I bought it on the assumption (based on games on the floor with measuring tape and masking tape) that it would be OK for myself and my 80-lb. dog. It worked out fine the first few trips--the weather was lovely and Hysson and I were inside only to sleep. But after a trip with 4 days of rain, with Rocky Mountain thunderstorms (think torrential rain and hail) starting at 4 or 5 pm and lasting until late in the evening, I found this tent just too cramped for the two of us. (The tent, though, held up just fine to this weather.) The two of us also completely overwhelmed the ventilation system in wet weather, with serious condensation issues (not improved by Hysson's wildly wagging tail!). Otherwise, it's a wonderful tent! I sold that one, too. It's obvious that Hysson and I need a 2-person tent! I still have my Tarptent Squall 2 (the first item I bought in the "lightening" process), and we're both very comfy in that with no condensation issues. However, I miss the lighter weight and zippered beak of the Lunar Solo! I plan to try out the Gossamer Gear Squall Classic when it is again on the market (the 2009 model will also have a zippered beak!). Assuming it is available before our NW rainy season is over, it will have several nights' trial in my back yard. (If there's no rain; I'll turn on the sprinkler!) Interestingly, both the Marmot Hydrogen and the Lunar Solo were bought by long-time regulars on this forum, and I haven't heard any complaints yet.

A couple of items from Big Agnes didn't work out: first, the Pumphouse pad pump. It works fine as a pump, but for its other advertised uses (dry bag, inflatable pillow) it is useless. I still have it and use it occasionally (with a mylar turkey roasting bag inside to protect my sleeping bag). I take it when I'm not in the mood for blowing up my air pad. Again, I unfortunately didn't test it while there was time to return it. The other is the Clearview air pad, which came out last summer. I had hoped to use it as a lighter alternative to my POE Insulmat Max Thermo--they are supposedly the same thickness. When pumped up, though, the BA Clearview is definitely thinner than my POE pad. I think that's because it has more and smaller tubes than the POE. Unfortunately, my trial on the floor at home wasn't long enough--I should have spent the night on the floor instead of 15-20 minutes! My first trip out with the Clearview, I couldn't get comfortable. In defense of this pad, I should point out that I have wide shoulders, ample (!) hips and a relatively narrow waist. When I pump my POE pad up about halfway, I have a nice cuddly pad that lets my hip and shoulder sink down and keeps my spine straight when I'm on my side, yet keeps the "down side" hip and shoulder off the ground. With the BA Clearview, there was no happy medium between having the pad pumped up so hard that it felt like a brick and having my hip and shoulder on the ground. This one went to my son as a Christmas present--it works fine for him, and he appreciates its non-slip properties (as did I while tossing and turning trying to get comfortable on it). Along with probably thousands of others, I'm waiting to try out the Thermarest NeoAir, but I have a feeling that I'll have the same problem with it, due to the large number of what look to be small diameter tubes.

One other item I discarded was a MSR Sweetwater filter. My back kept going into spasms while I was bent over the water source pumping. A year later I discovered the ULA Amigo Pro gravity filter and never looked back.

Finally, my dog's pack. I was (and still am) very happy with his Kelty Sherpa (discontinued but looks just like their current model). When I started planning a 7-day trip last summer, though, I found that there was no way I could get 7 days' food into that pack. 4 or 5 was the maximum--and that's using high-performance (i.e., concentrated) food. I was fortunate enough to find a closeout on the older model Ruffwear Palisades pack (the new model that came out last spring is unfortunately no bigger than the Kelty), so I got him one. It is an excellent pack! I really like the built-in water bladders--if I camp a long way from water, Hysson can haul up to 1 1/2 gallons of water for the two of us. (That's of course after I've emptied out everything else from his pack!) We will, however, continue to use the Kelty for dayhikes. The Ruffwear, even with its internal compression straps cinched down, is too big for that purpose. Well, if I can have both a day pack and an overnight (or longer) backpack, why can't Hysson?