"Good start! You can probably save a bit of weight with a lighter pack....but it's no big deal."
What would you recommend? My first choice was the Baltoro 70, 'cause of the hype on its suspension system, it sounded wonderful, but then I went for the more streamlined and lighter Z65. However, now I'm considering even less weight to carry, and I have no idea what is a good pack for that. Before coming to this forum, I had thought 50 pounds would be light for me, but you guys are carrying WAY less than that. Sort of what you two are doing. I think the Z65 is good for 40 pounds, while the Baltoro70 was good for 50.

"We use little headlamps that weigh about 1.5 oz. Why not? And they are cheap."
Is that with batteries? That's not much weight,is it. I have used headlamps in the past. I really like them. Are they on the Lightweight Zone?

"This is a lot more trouble than the pocket rocket--which is just about the perfect stove. Why change?"
I like the idea of the gassifier, 'cause it burns twigs and wood debris, and I won't have to carry fuel for long cooking times. Cooking 45 minutes a night will require significant fuel, I imagine, which is what I would want to do, using whole grains and legumes. I'll probably break down the legumes a little before cooking, with a couple rocks, so I can cook them together with the rice. Part of my pleasure in the wild is cooking. And I like fires, too. So a little cooking canfire instead of campfire would be cool, I think. Plus, there's no fuel weight. That pocket rocket IS quite a stove, but I don't like how big and bulky the fuel cannister is. PLUS, I want to remove myself from fossil fuels and embrace wood. Have you ever used a gassifier? The only one I've seen commercially is the Bushbuddy. I made a few here at the house, and one of them worked okay. I haven't figured how to add fuel to it and keep it gassifying. It usually converts itself to a regular (smoky) fire when I add sticks. Maybe I'm using the wrong size/type of wood, and my wood here may be a bit on the wet side as well.

"...(we use an aluminum pot...much cheaper)"
I can do that.

"Just take a tupperware style cup--lighter and works just as well, and doesn't break."
Yeah, I know... a coffee cup that weighs more than 2 stoves... what was I thinking?? haha Yeah anything that holds hot liquid will work. I'll just wrap a (clean) sock around it, to keep it hot.

"We use the hiking pump--quicker, lighter, and faster."
It's quicker AND faster??? Are you talkin the Katadyn Pro Hiker? I read some reports that it broke down. But it would save a LOT of weight if I did that. Do you take a spare cartridge for backup?

"Not enough food value in most of that stuff to make it worth the effort to collect."
Ah. For me, it's about variety, getting fresh greens, adding flavor, being creative, playing with fire... I would hope I could find wild garlic, onions, basil, mushrooms, etc, out there, at least occasionally. Throw them in the pot first, fry with a little water, then toss in the grain/legume mix and boil til ready.

"'Bring a sheet of plastic for ground cloth. Use local conditions and materials to make a soft litter for sleep. Use an extra piece of clothing, or a corner of the pack for pillow.'
This is what your fleece is for at night! fold it up and saw logs.'"
Darn. I was hoping you would recommend that I take a pad of some lightweight variety that would add a significant comfort factor without much weight. Maybe you still can!

"...and do you really need a knots book? Just copy five pages of diagrams..."
THAT is a good idea.

"Go with one shirt--you don't need two. I don't wear T-shirts. I have one bodyarmor shirt for sleeping in, a short sleeved hiking shirt, a long sleeve fleece, and a rain shell. Weighs a lot less than your outfit, and when I put it all on its plenty warm..."
How in the world do you keep from smelling bad? You must wash every evening. I could do that, I guess. It's better than carrying a lot of unnecessary stuff, I guess. A bodyarmor shirt costs like $150. I'll probably stick with my old Doors shirt - soft and light. And free.

"Get zip-off hiking pants that dry fast. They are also your shorts. And your swim trunks."
I think I had a pair of these once. They were nylon, I think, had zippers protected by a flap. They were ugly, but had cool pockets. Do you just use the site sponsor to order this stuff on line? Do you wear some kind of pants for sleeping? I thought my lightweight thermal pants would be good for that.

"I've saved you about ten pounds between the 3 liters of water, the Bombay Saffire, the books, and a few other things..."
So that leaves me at how many pounds?
I'm too embarassed to tell you what I brought for clothing on a labor day trip to the Weminuche Wilderness 5 years ago. 3 different pairs of pants, for one thing. What was I thinking? Oh, that's right, I wasn't thinking...

"What else should be on the list? Some basic first aid stuff like band-aids and antiseptic cream, ibuprophen, bug juice, plastic trowel and TP, small fishing knife, space blanket, whistle,sewing kit to fix what breaks."

"And with food, the two of us add up to about 55 pounds for a week on the trail--I carry 33, she carries 22."
55 pounds, that sounds about right. For me! haha. Kidding. If I could keep it to 30, I would be deliriously pleased, and amazed. I've never packed with less than 60, I think. Of course, the pack itself was usually right at 7, and I always carried stupid and redundant articles, rather than articles that could do more than one thing.