[pct-l] all those 'extras'

[Paul Robison]

i feel really discouraged about weight...
... i make my list, i weigh my gear, i say 'wow i'm down to X number of ounces'.

so this weekend my wife and i packed for our trip.  we said  'if we left 
tomorrow, what would be bring'...

...then it start growing... and growing... and sun screen... and a packtowel... 
and growing... and first aid... and toothpaste... and stove fuel...and the 
camera!

by the time it was all said and done our shared 22 lbs baseweight (11 per) was 
up to almost 30 lbs  (15 per/ person) !

then comes the ten liters of water (5 each)  the 12 lbs of food  (4 days 
worth)...

now we sit, staring at 53 pounds of stuff,  and i go 'oh, and i forgot this T 
shirt!'  


Does anyone else do this?   really makes me reconsider what weight to shoot for 
for training.
has anyone else done a shakedown trip, or at least a complete pack out, where 
you pile all your gear and say 'okay this is it,   no more gear, no more 
spending money' ...  if you have,  how far from your base weight were you, by 
the time you threw in sunblock, fuel, etc. etc.
?

~Paul