Well, Lord willing this time next week I'll be camping somewhere on the BMT.
To get in the spirit I decided to get all my gear together and put it in my pack and see how much I'll be carrying.
Got everything packed and including food and water for 3 days comes in at 18 lbs on the nose.
I was shooting for 15 lbs but considering it'll be mid-April when I get to GSMNP I'm taking some warmer clothing and real rain gear (pants and jacket). I'm carrying a heavier quilt than I originally intended. I'm also packing 19 oz of maps, guides and errata on the BMT.
Bottom line, given the time of year I'm willing to carry 3 more lbs as insurance against hypothermia and sleeping cold. As it is, I will have no problem staying warm, dry and full down to about 20*.
My base weigh minus food and water (but including stove, fuel, containers, etc) is 12.5 lbs. This really includes everything - toilet paper, GPS, all the little things and I didn't play any shell games by carrying something in my pocket to keep the weight down. This is "ready to hike" loaded.
So.... I guess I'm still not officially in the UL category for an early spring hike but that's cool. 18 lbs is a heck of a lot better than the 30-35 I was carrying this time last year.