Exactly. Below a certain point it's just a hobby. I find a real diminishing point of return below fifteen pounds of base gear, but it's still fun to find a lighter item to substitute or something to cut. You start wondering how low you can go, and you test the limits on familiar trails with a bail-out plan.

There is always someone crazier. Check out www.backpackinglite.com for the real gram weenies. I've hiked with the founder of that site, and he seems normal enough until you see his pack. He hikes Yellowstone in winter and serious Alaskan treks without a lot of weight. Gossamer Gear is another site run by a weight freak. Glen is a nice guy who's done the Pacific Crest Trail and thousands of miles on other trails with a tiny pack. They avoid hairy situations, have back-up and bail-out plans and in general use their heads rather than kit. It's hard to argue with success.

Backpacker mag really went downhill when Dorn took over. Substantive articles went out the window, to be replaced by sidebars and sound bites. Welcome to the thirty-second attention-span theatre.