Excluding the pack, my weight for a 4 day trip is 21.5 pounds including food and water.

I'm seriously considering going to a web belt canteen to transfer some of the water load to my waist.

At less then 20 pounds, there is no need for a fancy pack suspension. In the past, I've used a knapsack made from a waterproof bag, a little bit of web belt and some 550 line. That's still an option as I have all those things already in the pack for other uses.

I'm also intrigued by the idea of a blanket roll as used in the civil war. The items I need during the day would be in a sausage link at the end. I like this idea because if one shoulder gets tired unlike a pack, I can just put it on the other shoulder.

Here is a good link on how to make and pack both of them.

I like the blanket roll better as it would be completely unique. I'll just have to see if the tarp for my hammock is really waterproof. Another option is to have two smaller ones and cross them. One for camp and one for during the day.

I'm also working on a design that would be able to fit under my rain jacket and serve as an extra inner layer.