Since this is in the lite philosophies forum my profound advice would be to someone who is new to shedding pounds and ounces to get down to lightweight, or furthermore ultra lightweight. Don't shed too many things so then you are uncomfortable in camp! Then you can't get a good nights sleep and your next day hiking is going to be miserable and a lot tougher.
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"To me, hammocking is relaxing, laying, swaying. A steady slow morphine drip without the risk of renal failure." - Dale Gribbel