Me heading out on an overnighter.
A friend of mine and I hiked the GA section in a week this past July. My total weight was 28 and my friends pack was 29. This was at the start of the week with our food and 32 oz of water each.
We always divide up some of our stuff..We have a 3lb, two person tent which she carries. I carry our stove, pot, water filter and our supper meals (homemade freezer bag meals). We each carry our own breakfasts, lunches and snacks. This works well for us. If you are hiking with someone, you can share the load. I agree with what was said earlier, other than food, the pack will be basically the same whether you hike a weekend or a week.
We don't do without, and are pretty comfortable. We didn't have any problem with that amount of weight, even with the 90++degree temps we had then. I am sure it would be nice to have less weight, but I think you have to decide what is important to you and how comfortable you want to be. Hike your own hike.
i didn't read through all the comments, so I apologize if this is a repeat. but i had the same problem when i first started backpacking....the local stores want to load you down with everything. i believe my first trip out, i was carrying 45# for an overnighter! hahahaa i have beaten youtube up, and also www.rei.com has great gear reviews/comparisons. good luck!