I've been working on a packing list in preparation for an late March / early April 2014 NOBO. I have some backpacking experience, and I would like to be able to continue using as much gear as I currently have as possible. At first draft, my packing list gives me a base weight of 18.9pounds and, assuming 15 pounds for food and water, a pack weight of 33.9 pounds. Not the heaviest, but I tip the scales at a massive 125 pounds (This has been constant for 6, maybe 8 years. I'm sure there will be a time in my life in which I start to gain weight, but I don't see that happening in the next 6 months.), so my pack weight is really pushing 30% of my body weight. I don't have the funds to go UL and attempt a thru, but shaving some weight off my pack doesn't seem like a bad idea. A few things stuck out to me from my list:
Pack: Gregory Teton 60 - 5 lbs 6 ounces. Looking at other gear lists, this seems to be on the heavy side. Cutting 2lbs for about an investment of about $200 doesn't seem unreasonable. I would rather not go into the world of frameless / UL packs; I don't anticipate having a UL type base weight and I want a pack designed for the load I will be carrying.
Sleeping Bag: Marmot Trinity 20 - 2.9 lbs. I've had this bag for a pretty long time now, but significantly lighter bags appear to be out of my price range. The other option it seems would to be use a warmer (cooler?) bag, especially since I'm planning on a slightly later start. My main concern with going to a 30 or 35 degree bag is that I tend to get cold very easily (see body weight statement). I've spent enough time in the southern Appalachians to expect spring surprises. In addition to the bag, I have a liner on my gear list (so add another 9oz). Part of this is because I was originally planning an earlier start, but I've also read that this can be a good way to keep a down bag clean.
Sleeping Pad: Right now I have an older ThermaRest. I couldn't find a model on it, and I don't know the weight. My guess is that it is the BaseCamp or equivalent, so let's call it 2.5ish pounds. This seemed to be a no brainer to replace and so my gear list officially lists a ThermaRest Z Lite. The NeoAir looks nice too. I will have to lie down on one to see if it's worth the extra money.
These seem the most obvious places to cut weight, but am I missing something obvious (and cheap!)? I'm going for an alcohol stove and already have titanium cookware . I've done my best to reduce redundancy in my clothing (extra shorts, extra socks, extra polypro bottoms for camp because I get cold). There's nothing dumb like a hatchet in my pack.
I did have to guess weights for 21 items, so there is some error in my base and pack weight. I tried to be conservative with my estimates, but I cannot imagine the error being over a pound in either direction.