Soldiers have been lightening their loads as soon as they were outside the wire since the beginning of time, I strongly suspect. The thing is to determine what weight works for YOU and within that limit strive to concoct the ideal mix of gear that will serve your purpose.

When I was active in SAR I went through this process. One of my companions weighed my pack at the end of an operation; it came out at 41 pounds, a weight I was able to handle routinely. That was then and this is now. I am a good deal older and my packs are lighter and the trips are less demanding. You still need to strike that ideal balance between weight and utility, stripping away all the useless junk. Mostly this takes time and real eperience in the field.