One thing that packers have always been big on is saving weight but I am I the only one who feels that this latest craze of backingpacking, going "ultra-light", is quickly becomming a bad idea?

At first I was all for it, because the people who were doing it were experienced hikers. They knew the risks; leave out the tent go with a poncho or tarp, leave out the extra warm clothes and deal with a little cold, extra food is nice but leaving out a few meals saves weight, etc, etc, pros/cons, risk involved, is it worth it? They had the knowledge and skill to know just what they could leave behind or scale back on and still not expose themselves to unnecessary risks.

But now it seems to me that its becoming a craze and everyone is doing it. And that bothers me. It bothers me because people who can't afford to leave certain life saving gear (because quite frankly they lack the skills and experience) and people who just don't know what they are getting in to are leaving gear that could save their lives behind just so they can travel a few pounds lighter. I few months ago I read in Backpacker about a hiker on the PCT, who was an ultralighter, that didn't make it when a storm hit. The last people to see him alive were two other hikers on the trail who packed heavy. They made it he didn't. All kept thinking about while reading it was "What the hell was this guy doing there in the first place?"; his lack of perparation and gear all in the name of traveling light cost him his life needlessly. He could have just road out the storm like the other hikers if he had just packed a litle heavier. Was leaving warm gear like gloves behind, using your socks as mittens instead, really worth your life? The other hikers had crampons, that should have set up big warning flags right there. "Hey moron! The Experienced people are using crampons! That means snow and ice, where there's snow and ice there's bad weather and cold!!" But no our ultra lighter was there in his boots and socks for gloves right before the storm hit.

Are my concerns justified or am I just getting paraniod in my old age? What is your guys take on this?

Second to all of you involved in the rescue fields, I would esp like to hear your take on this from a SAR view point. Are ultra-lighters getting themselves in to more trouble compard to the "old school" heavy packers or is it about the same?

Thanks,
Meline