In addition to yours (Which are my usual first things to examine for this) I do a couple of other things.

0) Multi-use - and trip planning helps this a lot. I carry a poncho tarp - if I know I am likely to have a *lot* of wet weather and high wind I will carry a light goretex jacket - if I know it's probably just going to be occasional, forget it, I leave the jacket at home and just use the poncho if it gets bad.


1) fires - sometimes where I hike it is appropriate to have a small wood fire. (a lot of times it is not) when I know I will be staying somewhere where some or part of the trip means that will be happening I reduce my fuel load accordingly, and take less juice - This actually means on such trips I am more likely to take my alcohol stove because I can judge the fuel load better.

2) Gathered food - now this is tricky, but if you're going to be fishing, or gathering gooseneck barnacles off the rocks, if you *know the area* and know that you're not going to get completely skunked and have a backup plan, you can lighten up accordingly - planning for at least a meal or two of trout in an area where you're going to certainly find some will lighten you up.

3) Type of hike. I'll call this "enjoying camp" or "enjoying the walk" - I certainly do both. but I carry more stuff when "enjoying camp" - a tarp to sit under, and more clothing to sit around in. if I am just enjoying the walk, and likely to eat and bed down pretty much right away at the end of the day, I am more inclined to take less stuff, knowing I can just crawl into my sleeping bag when I stop walking or if the weather is crappy. I often to a bit more of the former when I am with others, and a bit more of the latter when I am solo.

4) Pig-out days.- Food Stops on the way. Some hikes have food stops, either a town where you can pig out, or someone selling stuff on the trail - If I am having a food drop brought in or I've cached one, I leave a pig out meal in the cache (heavy, lots of calories etc, in the cache. If I know I'm probably going to have this, I usually make sure I have an extra breakfast (oatmeal, it's light) in case it's unavailable, and reduce food accordingly. - fewer snacks on a pig-out day, you just don't need them.

5) Bartering - ok, this isn't really load lightening, but I do it.. My trail food, esp. breakfasts, are pretty light, and pretty good. If I'm hiking with a mob, who I know will do the usual oatmeal for breakfast every day and bad instant coffee, I take my mountain house egg and idahoan breakfasts, and via, and I don't take oatmeal - I have no variety, but I just then trade for variety. You'd be surprised what you can get for a mountain house egg and taters with two packets of via dark roast from a German who is on his eighth day of oatmeal and tea...


And finally, my personal favorite, which you should all do because it is good for the sport:

6) The "Meet the Newbie Mule" combo hike. No, I'm not making them carry my stuff, let me explain. A lot of Hikes I do I can touch on an area partway through where a new hiker can meet me. I can have a nice, my own pace, solo hike through crazy stuff for a few days. Drop down to somewhere with road access, or close to it where the pre-prepared by me newbie will meet me with a food cache. I then do the remainder of the hike (or what I just did, slower, in reverse) with the newbie, and have a grand old time. Having a newbie meet you with a food drop and extending a hike with them is a great way to bring them into the sport, get them involved - you prepare them appropriately (because you want them to be there) and they get to see what you are taking for the same trip.