If you are really interested in lightening your pack, I suggest you read the articles and gear lists on the home page of this site, left hand column, if you haven't already. The lists were designed for the Pacific NW, which is quite soggy and cool for 9-10 months of the year. Another good article is this one by guide and thru-hiker Paul Magnati.

I have backpacked without a campfire for the last 30 years, except for a very few occasions when it was legal (only when fire danger was low) and my grandkids were with me. In most of the places I backpack (above timberline or during our annual dry season when fire danger is high), campfires are forbidden. Plus I've gotten so used to not having a fire that I really don't want one--I'd rather explore the area around camp, watch the sunset, and admire the stars.

Synthetic clothing dries really fast just with body heat. Even if I'm sopping wet, mine will be dry after 20 minutes of hiking or other fairly vigorous activity. (Keep in mind that I'm a slow hiker, so my activity really isn't all that vigorous.) Normally, as soon as it starts raining, I immediately put on rain jacket and pants to keep my clothing dry. The only exception is in a warm drizzle, in which I get as wet inside the rain gear as I would from the rain, and it's warm enough that as long as I keep moving, I don't need to worry about hypothermia. I love natural fabrics, especially cotton, but I don't wear them backpacking, and I'm truly thankful for modern synthetics every time I get even damp!

If you need a fire to dry your clothing, I strongly suspect that you may be wearing cotton, which absorbs a lot of water and takes a long time to dry. If so, I strongly recommend you ditch those items (wear them at home, not in the wilds). You don't have to buy expensive "hiking clothing." You can find things like nylon track pants, synthetic wicking shirts (such Underarmor), and polyester fleece at any big box store (KMart, wallyworld, discount sporting goods chains) and often at your local thrift stores. Most will be in the athletic section. Some may already be in your closet!

For the items in your pack, use a pack liner to keep them dry. The cheapest is a 2 mil plastic trash compactor bag, IF you can find any that aren't scented (I've had no luck there). A contractor's trash bag (2-2.5 mil) is also a possibility. Make sure it's fastened tightly (twist the top and then fold over into a "candy cane" closure). One of phat's posts above talks about the gear he keeps dry at all costs--base layer and insulation (sleeping bag and insulating clothes layers such as my puffy jacket). I do the same.

If it has been warm but wet and I've not worn rain gear, my shirt, pants, undies, socks go into a 2-gallon plastic ziplock bag which goes into my sleeping bag (no, you don't want wet clothing in your sleeping bag). It of course doesn't dry (or get the sleeping bag damp), but it's warm when I put it on in the morning and, as mentioned, dries really fast from my body heat.

Even the time I slipped and fell (big splash and considerable unladylike language!) while fording a creek, I was dry after 20 minutes of hiking. The exception was my goretex lined boots, which took several days to dry--and that was the last time I ever wore goretex-lined footwear! If it had been cold, say the low 40s F or below, I might have stopped and built a fire, certainly if hiking wasn't enough to keep me warm. If it had been windy, while moving I would have put on my rain gear and stayed warm but wet inside, and my shirt/pants would have at least gotten drier, if not completely dry. Fortunately, the temp was in the mid 50's F so I was fine as long as I kept moving. My extra clothing and sleeping bag were all in waterproof dry bags (alternative to the waterproof pack liner) and not a drop of water got to them.

IMHO, a campfire is a luxury except in a dire emergency, and part of the skills needed for backpacking include learning to avoid such emergencies if at all possible.