Again, I'm not trying to argue against fires under appropriate conditions. (In fact, the post wasn't really about fire; that just happened to be the example that triggered the thought.)

I'm just curious where you all think the line is that we won't cross - at what point do you sell out the LNT ethic (or any other ethic you care to choose) in order to lower pack weight?

Although I don't build fires myself (I find them too much like work, and I don't go out to increase the number of chores I do), I'll gladly sit around someone else's and enjoy the evening. Last time I did that, it was about 10 degrees, and I stayed a good ways back from the fire so a stray spark didn't put a hole in my down jacket or pants. (Toasty warm without the fire.) But I did enjoy the camaraderie.

For me, the line may be toilet paper: I don't think I'd pack out my poop, thank you. That doesn't really have anything to do with pack weight, but it is still a point at which I'll put LNT secondary to my own preferences.

You make an excellent point about the need to teach others the ethics you use in the outdoors. We can probably all do better. And "cheat" may have been the wrong word to use in the original post - something about "how do you determine your priorities" might have been better.