Lovely post.

A lot of the "everything else" comes from *experience* - and that you only get by going out.

One of the biggest things I found saved me weight waaay back when when i started using them was my alcohol stove - but the weight savings was really *NOT* so much in the stove and fuel, it was that when I started using that, I started changing the kinds of food I took, thinking more carefully about menu, quantity, and how and what I cooked - doing FBC cooking, and finding meals I really liked that were actually that easy to make. The result was a lot less cooking gear, a lot less miscelanny, and lighter food.. Those savings (in addition to the stove and fuel weight) made for a big savings in my pack. Of course the food difference didn't count in my "base weight" either

The other thing that reaaaaly comes from experience is clothing and how you use it. Geting clothing to the level of the right amount for safety and comfort, yet not packing your entire dresser - is something that comes from experience, and thinking about how you use it. Some of it also came as I lighened my pack. Why? well, I changed how I was *doing* things. With a heavy pack, I would hike a short distance, stop, and spend a lot of time in camp. I therefore took a lot of clothing to "sit around in" and enjoy camp even in awful weather. With a lighter pack, I enjoy the walking, and really, I'm in camp to sleep. I now take clothing that I hike in, and clothing I rest in, but I don't worry about "sitting around in foul weather" - if it's that bad, I tuck into the tent in my sleeping bag. I don't need to "sit around" in weatherproof clothing. The trouble with "righsizing" your clothing is that going too light can be dangerous. so really, it's all about getting that experience in bad weather conditions in and knowing what you need.