All your replies help us when it comes to researching a market for a product.

Our typical forum members are a very hard sell when it comes to any item that is an add-on which serves only one function. I agree with lori's assessment that your natural target market would be inexperienced backpackers who have not learned how to optimize their loads for the highest functionality per ounce.

From a purely marketing perspective, there is no reason to design your gadget to any specification that does not help to move it off the shelf. If your product is perceived to serve a need, it does not matter whether that need actually exists, or could be better served at lower cost, or is purely an illusion. Once the gadget is sold, your job is done.

Sadly, those boy scouts you surveyed are prime examples of your natural target audience. They are too inexperienced to distinguish between want and need, or to judge cost and utility. Also, they have equally inexperienced relatives who buy them gifts!