Yeah, I like to bring a cute cuddlefish, but I never carry her.
each to their own weight-my packweight for 7 days with food water is 32 lbs thats my comfort level
I will put my 3 cents in on a rainy Philadelphia day. Just finished packing for a 2 week section hike, to me this is a balance of comfort and just not talking things that I do not need. Am guessing that I will be in the 30-32 lb weight, all in with 3 days of food, full water bladder and some scotch.
Clothes - the great majority of the time I am hiking or in my sleeping bag, I am only taking one merino wool tee shirt, not two. No baseball cap, no reading glasses - can see pretty well without them, no maps this time - copies of trail companion, use back for my journal paper - no journal pad this hike, no stove / no cook mode - simpler and less weight, no cleaning up, there are a TON of no cook foods, heavy up on food in town, etc.
Lighter weight gear does cost money, I went to a Tarptent (34 oz) and use one of my hiking poles which lays around doing nothing at night anyway from a BA SL1, ULA pack vs a lightweight Kelty, lighter rain gear.
I get a LOT MORE enjoyment with a 30 lb pack than 42-52 lbs, its easy to throw numbers around but the AT is the toughest thing I have ever gone after physically. With a heavy pack those BIG UPS are ROUGH. To me, ever extra un-needed pound costs me pain and miles, the more I meet & speak with thru hikers the more I learn and less I need, or want.
Every pound on our bodies or on our backs is a 5:1 weight relationship on our knees, uphill and downhill is a 10:1 relationship.............am just recovering from knee surgery in late October.
Clearly personal choice - I like to be comfy and short of new gear/materials am pretty much in the range where I have found good, safe balance on the gear/weight side