Nicely done. Can't wait to hear what you have to say about the clothes! <img src="/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

I personally would go with a 2Person ultralight tent, and I probably wouldn't go over 4000 for the pack if I could help it. I'd rather sacrifice money to get ultralight/compact equipment including the bag and tent and I would carry some stuff in my pants and jacket pockets.

Thanks for the detailed analysis. I like hearing what everyone has to say about the equipment they would select, and more importantly have selected and used (and decided to keep using!).

I guess I shouldn't have boxed the criteria so tightly. In all honesty, if I was outfitting myself, I probably would carry equipment for 1-3 days and I would try to spread the load on my body so I wasn't without some gear. I haven't been camping in ages, but I intend to amend that situation soon enough. I would, as you point out, carry a larger tent and split the load among others if not hiking alone.

One thing I'm curious if anyone has found/used, is one of those memory cell foam cushions? They compress to an unbelievable degree without losing their properties. Do they have any of that for camping now (I'm talking about the NASA foam stuff)