My philosophy is similar to Sabre's...my goal for every trip is to take the lightest and most compact set of gear needed to keep me safe and comfortable for that trip. The pack I take for a quick weekend trip is far lighter than the SAR pack I keep packed for technical rescue missions, but all the same rules apply. The only difference is the trip I go on with SAR requires more gear to keep me safe and comfortable (plus the fact that I'm keeping someone else safe and comfortable too!).

Having just reread Ed Viestur's "No Shortcuts To The Top", I found it a little interesting at first that he referred to his 45-pound pack going up Everest as "super-light". It's definitely a lot more weight than most of us carry for a trip. But considering the gear needed for the environment of Everest, it's not unreasonable, and Ed's tactics (wearing clothes to bed, taking along a 0 degree rated bag to supplement clothing, and using the bag quilt-style with his climbing partner) sound a lot like the techniques a lot of UL'ers use! Referring back to Jim's original post, when I look at gear lists that's really what I see: not this bag's weight vs. that bag's weight, but the techniques someone is using to stay safe and comfy, and looking for insipration of what I might try to see if it meets MY definition of "safe and comfy". UL hiking, like alpinism, seems to be a very personal pursuit.