I need to figure out a setup because I walk with a dog and it seems hard carrying trekking poles. I watched a video of a guy using a lanyard and attaching it to his body but he had a not very strong dog.

Yeh, I get a little obsessed when I get into something new. I spent about 2 week of heavy research for each piece of equipment. Except for my bag. I was looking at a Rab neutrino 200, went to REI to get some Ideas and walked out with the Flash. The rab was a couple ounces lighter. I tried experimenting with food on the last trip. I bought stuff like annie mac and cheese with a packet of tuna. Seemed heavier than the mountain house