My ultra-lite gear works just fine and is much easier to carry. You just need to know how to take care of the ultra-lite stuff. You just can't abuse it like you can all that cheap heavy weight stuff. I will put it like this. Preying on the newbies is just praying on their inexperience. I really think that if the knowledge was there, you take two packs fill one with the old fashion heavier stuff and one with the newer technology and light weight stuff, and all the gear was functionally the same, 99 out of a hundred hikers would take the lighter pack. It's just a no brainer to me. The new lighter weight stuff functions just as well as the old fashioned heavier stuff, but it is a lot easier to deal with, easier to carry and to most of us, just makes more sense....sabre11004...
_________________________
The first step that you take will be one of those that get you there 1!!!!!