Originally Posted by
garlic08
Welcome to the forum. Pack weight is a common topic. It sounds like your pack is in the average range for the AT.
You don't have to "sacrifice" anything to lose weight. Some say, "You pack your insecurities." The typical pack list contains 60 or more items and many of those are to deal with a fear of something--extra clothing, a bomb-proof tent, tools for "just in case," too much water and food, an extra light and batteries. Some carry entertainment stuff, like cameras, internet equipment, solar chargers and books, things that are not strictly necessary for a hiking trip.
Some good advice I heard is to pack for the trip you want. If you're on a camping trip, pack for that. If you're on a hiking trip, your pack should support the hiking and nothing else. There's nothing wrong with either way, they're just different. And I pay little attention to others' pack lists. You can get some general ideas of what others do, but I would never take off on a hike with someone else's pack and I hope nobody would try that with mine.
Over the years I've stopped carrying many of the "extra" things, and have gotten comfortable with a base load of bare necessities. My pack list has 25 items, down from 60 a decade ago. I've gotten pretty good at figuring out the minimum of food and water I need, and no longer get to a resupply with extras. One major step I made years ago was deciding to leave the stove behind, since I'm a lousy camp cook anyway, prefer easy no-cook meals, and my hiking got better overall without worrying about fuel resupply. I tried it both ways for a couple of years before making that decision for good. I dropped pack weight and simplified my hiking experience without "sacrificing" anything.
Many will say it's expensive to lose pack weight. It can be if you start purchasing high-tech cottage-manufactured gear like $450 tents and $500 sleeping bags and $120 air mattresses. It doesn't have to be--I use a $200 Tarptent, found an excellent Marmot bag on sale for $260, a $30 closed-cell foam pad works fine for me, and my Gossamer Gear pack cost $80 on sale. (And I spent nothing on cooking equipment.) Sometimes you'll see good used stuff for sale on this forum and others. My entire AT kit, including all clothing and shoes, cost me $850. There's an article somewhere by Sgt Rock about an ultra-light hiking kit for $300.
Good luck in your journey.
Pack Weight
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Both of these strategies work well over a long period of time, as you hike, take notes, replace a couple of items, and hike again. 
