Weighing In

As a relatively experienced hiker with a few thousand trail miles behind me I've learned how important it is to minimize the weight that I carry.  When I first started hiking along the AT in 2000 I went through extensive preparation, purchasing what I was sure was the lightest equipment around.  How wrong I was!  My pack alone weighed almost 6 lbs and was filled with another 54 lbs of the lightest and greatest gear available. One of the lessons that I quickly learned, and that will re-surface throughout this blog, is: "If you want it then you've got to carry it".  Now as I put each item into my pack I ask: "Do I really want to lug this up and down hill every day for months on end?"  As you'll read in the weight summary that follows, that query has served me well.
When discussing weight there are two different measures used.
Base weight is the weight of the pack plus all the gear inside or attached, not including food and water.  Please note that the base weight should go down by 8-12 oz when summer arrives, though I suspect I'll just end up carrying more food by then.
Carry weight is the base weight plus food for 3 days and 2 liters of water.  I should mention that not everyone carries 2 liters of water with them but I like the security of knowing that I can easily walk the whole day without needing to find a water source.
Today I went through all of my gear again to identify what could or should be changed before I hit the trail.  I also assembled the food I will need to get me from Springer Mountain to my first resupply point.
The numbers are as follows( ' = lb, " = oz):
Base weight = 14' 5"
     - dry clothes = 1'12"
     (Icebreaker wool long sleeve shirt - 8", Icebreaker wool long underwear- 6.5", shorts - 4", socks- 2", toque - 1", gloves - 3", arm warmers- 2", briefs- 1.5")
     - fleece = 15"
     - Marmot Hydrogen down sleeping bag with stuff sack = 1'8"
     - Montbell bivy sac to cover sleeping bag in hostels and shelters = 7.5"
     - Big Agnes Fly Creek UL1 tent, fast pitch = 1'6" (only footprint, fly, poles and 4 stakes)
     - Rain gear = 12.5" (Frog Togs coat=6", Montbell pants = 6.5", 2 plastic bags for hands/feet)
     - NeoAir air mattress = 9.5"
     - Ditty bag = 30.5" (TP/soap/sanitizer-5.5", trail guide-3.5", water treatment=3", first aid=4.5", novel & notepad-10.5", rope - 1", towel= 2")
     - Cooking kit = 13" (windscreen-1", titanium pot and lid-4.5", titanium stove - 0.5", Esbit fuel tabs(6)-3.5", lighters/soap-3.5")
     - Clean up kit = 7.5" (toothbrush, toothpaste, deodorant, antifungal, nail clippers, spoon)
     - Camera, Pentax W90 with 2 spare batteries and Gorillapod tripod = 9"
Carry weight = 22'  3"
    - base weight plus 4' of water and 3'14" of food.
As a final note, my weight before starting this excursion is 162 lbs.