Bill,
As has been mentioned, having a pack animal requires a full time commitment, as unfortunately you cannot simply turn off the switch when ya park it. I wanted a pack llama, but a pack animal, be it llama, goat or equine must be conditioned for packing and just any burro in the field can't simply be taken camping. Their feet, physical conditioning etc must be kept in shape for packing just as a human. Feeding and daily training walks etc is lot more work than throwing your gear on your own back on the occasions when ya use it. Its almost like - well now that you have a burro, will you train it to pack?

I have to fully agree with you about the camping labels. After all what we are discussing here is hiking in the woods and sleeping on the ground (or a hammock) and cooking over a spirit burner. As John Long said in reference to rock climbing "Remember this is just rock climbing, its not rocket science and we aren'y trying to save the world." Get over it - you are not special because your (the larger Your) pack weighs less, its just a challenge and should remain a personal challenge.

Bill I would be so intimidated if I ran into you and your pack was smaller than mine... Actually since I always carry my 6500 inch Kelty White Cloud, my pack is larger than everybodies - BUT WAIT, does it also weigh less????? oh man that stretches my brain - but there are people who make a living selling to people who want to be UL. It warps their brains to pick up a loaded pack 4 times bigger than theirs that weighs about the same or less.
Jim