[Superman]

I'm tellin' ya. Lots of folks these days with 25-lb packs, including everything, for a week. Not winter of course, but 50-lb packs are not necessary these days.

I use the famed "pepsi-can" alcohol stove, but my friend uses the Esbit tablets because of the weight. For him, stove and fuel for a week probably don't weigh six ounces. The legs unzip from his pants, making shorts. One pair of socks are washed each day and dried in a mesh pocket on the outside of his pack. Same with underwear. Polyester, basically. So....his entire wardrobe doesn't weigh a pound. Besides what he wears while hiking, probably doesn't weigh five ounces. Et cetera.

I'm learning. As I say, at least half the backpackers you will see up there are "light" or "ultralight" folks. That means their full backpacks weigh no more than half what yours will likely weigh. You can tell by looking at them.