As most of us have realized, it's not space, it's weight that is the killer. I read that the weight for the average infantryman has not changed since pre-revolutionary times. When something gets lighter, the powers that be add something else to the mix. I can personally attest to this.

There are two types of weight in my way of thinking - fixed and discretionary. Fixed - water is always gonna be 8 lbs per gal, more or less. Discretionary - instead of two gallons, I carry one and some water purification tabs instead.

So what I am gonna do, in my copious free time, is decide what I "need" v. what I "want". Then try and cut down the weight on the needs (plastic matchsafe v. brass one) Redundancy is good, but too much of a good thing is too much.

What I am trying to do is get my BOB weight into a managable range that I could carry for an extended period of time, should I have to.

Any ideas or things that you do to cut weight.

(and to all you ultra-lite campers, I am not cutting labels off stuff.)