To me, "gram counting" is more a way of looking at things than it is strictly a way of reducing weight. Lightweight backpacking requires a person to examine every item in their pack and determine not only its weight but whether it is a necessary part of their gear. Choosing the lightest (or lighter) version of any piece of gear is part of the process but the decision whether to take something, at all, is every bit as important. A well thought-out pack with heavier gear may be lighter than an ill-planned pack full of state-of-the-art lightweight stuff. In my opinion, the planning process is just as, if not more, important than simply shaving grams or milligrams from any particular item.