Heh. Well, I fall somewhere in the middle. I've been known to take a fast food spoon, but normally take a 50 cent lexan jobby that admittely is a bit more durable, but mainly because it has a longer handle to go into a food bag

I guess where I fall it that I will take that "lightweight"
gear when I have an option to do without. Realisticly, I can
do without a spoon. I can just as easily shovel the freezer bag into my face with two sticks used chopstick style, or by upending the bag. It might not be *pretty* or convenient, but having my cheap spoon break won't ruin my trip and I won't starve.

I put an alky stove in the same category for a different reason. While they are amazingly durable, even if I smoosh it, it's really hard to make it where you can't bend it back and burn alky in it. It might not do it as well but it'll do.

I *might* be tempted to put the styrofoam cup in the same category, as *optional* gear. because I can live with just my pot.

On the other hand, I do draw the line at a canpot. I've tried 'em, I wreck them too easy, and then I really am up the creek without a paddle. If I had a durable fireproof cup to
boil in perhaps then I wouldn't be, but then I'm carrying
a heavy cup so as to carry a light pot.. hmm. Me I just stick to a small but durable Anti Gravity Gear 3 cup pot. My cup is a thin little plastic thing and that's all I take. Still, I
know some people love their canpots. just not for me.

Other places when I take less durable gear I take a backup.
I love platypus bags, they're really light, but they get holes
in 'em. So I always have two with me, and on at least three
occasions I have returned with only one that doesn't leak. (I can get by with a leaky platty, I just don't like to
Two platys still weighs a lot less than one nalgene, and the ability to haul up 5 litres of water for camp is really nice, even if I'm only carrying a litre while walking.