So my wife and I want to get into backpacking. I have a decent amount of workable equipment because I used to spend a lot of time camping off a dual-sport motorcycle (FYI, I always stayed on legal motor vehicle trails, or, more commonly, dirt roads).

Anyway, my wife went out and got me a pack that weigh 5 lbs. It seems to have a lot of features and a 60 L capacity, which is good. The weight is a bit high, but I'm not really in a position to ditch it since it was a gift, and functional.

Almost entirely packed, I came in at about 25 lbs. Not bad for a new guy, but I'd sure be a lot happier at 20. Problem is I'm kind of cheap. I have workable gear that I accumulated over several years on my bike and I don't want to spend a ton more. I don't want to drop several hundred on a new sleeping bag when my synthetic 20* bag is useable. I use a home made alcohol stove for my cooking, so I can't save much weight above that. I've got a fairly light, very comfy big agnus sleeping pad that I could only get meager savings off of, and at a loss of comfort. My tent, though... I've got a Sierra 2 person (ahem, 1, in my opinion) tent that weighs several pounds. Haven't weighed it yet, because I'm a little afraid I'll hate it more.

I was looking at the rain fly and an old 2 man tent footprint I had, and thought I could save a couple pounds by loosing the tent body and poles. I could be adequately protected from a lot of weather and I could carry bug wipes to keep the insects away.

My concern is based on an irrational fear. I am terrified of snakes. Hate 'em. All of 'em. I know that MOST of my imagined hikes would be above the level where the snakes would be a *reasonable* fear, but I'm not *reasonable* when it comes to snakes.

Is there anything anyone who tarp camps in areas where dangerous snakes are a real concern can suggest to keep me tolerant of the concept?