That's very close to the attitude I take toward going light - though I'd be reluctant to call that a philosphy. And the real trick with those ideas is that for both steps, you have to make judgement calls. What do you really NEED? and having decided that, what is the level of reliability you will accept? Both leave a lot of room for variations, and one person's decisions may not match another's. But it will head you toward reducing your load. Someone else's load may be heavier or lighter, for the same place and expected conditions, due to their different "needs" and perceived risk level, and their attitude towards reliability.