Some of the did pretty well at "ultralight" for over 100 years ago. If you read Woodcraft and Camping by Nessmuk (George Washington Sears), the author makes the claim that his canoe, extra clothing, blanket-bag, two days rations, pocket axe, fishing rod and backpack never exceeded 26 lb. That weight had to be in the summer season, and even then I take it with a grain of salt, but we're not talking huge weights here considering the materials available then. Definitely not leave-no-trace, but not at all bad considering the type of materials. And the book does caution for conservation; he laments the destruction of a favorite campsite due to overuse. Here's a link to a description of some of his gear:
https://woodtrekker.blogspot.com/201...rsnessmuk.html