I've also been reducing my kit for years, although I still have most of it, to loan people, or show peopel what NOT to buy. (Come on, own up! How many of us have those useless bti sof kit but were to ashamed to admit it on Kim's(?) thread?)
If something doesn't have at least 2-3 uses, unless its something totally essential (water bottle for example), it doesn't go in, and if I take somthing several times and it doesn't get used (aside from emergency stuff - FAK, etc), out it goes.
I used to carry a full set of 58 webbing stuffed to bursting point until I realised half the stuff I carried was never used, it was mostly 'just in case' stuff, and even though I was fit in those days, it still was too heavy to be practical.
When I got back into bushcrafting last year, I went for a weekend trip with a 70L pack AND a bag of food AND a few bits in a small pack. This year a weekend pack will be 26-45L with no extras aside from food.
If something doesn't have at least 2-3 uses, unless its something totally essential (water bottle for example), it doesn't go in, and if I take somthing several times and it doesn't get used (aside from emergency stuff - FAK, etc), out it goes.
I used to carry a full set of 58 webbing stuffed to bursting point until I realised half the stuff I carried was never used, it was mostly 'just in case' stuff, and even though I was fit in those days, it still was too heavy to be practical.
When I got back into bushcrafting last year, I went for a weekend trip with a 70L pack AND a bag of food AND a few bits in a small pack. This year a weekend pack will be 26-45L with no extras aside from food.