In my local mountains, most people are on the lighter side, and some appear to be lightweight. Most of the people that I meet that seem overstuffed are boy scouts and people from out of state. I think the locals here have caught on pretty well. I never have picked up packs, but I can usually tell how heavy a pack is by the expression on peoples faces and how they carry it.

I do have to say, my old external frame pack from boy scouts is 4 lbs. Not bad, and it feels good. I have thought about taking it out just for shits and giggles to compare to my G4.

Pack weight is related to so many factors, and many can boil down to personal factors.