Guy at the gear swap in Flagstaff said "weigh your pack before you buy the bag" and it flipped how I shop
Was poking around a used gear table at a swap in Flagstaff last month and some older hiker behind me said that line while I was holding a 4 pound pack. Stuck with me. Went home and put my whole setup on the luggage scale I use for work. 31 pounds. The pack itself was only 4 of that. Turns out my stove, extra fuel can, and the camp chair I never use were eating the rest. Dropped 6 pounds without buying a single new item. Now I bring the scale to the store and load up the display pack with my real stuff before I even look at the tag. Anyone else weigh their full kit first, or am I late to this?
Man, that luggage scale trick is smart. I do the same thing now but I keep a little notebook with the weight of every item written down, so I can add it up before I even pull the pack off the shelf. Saved me from buying a "light" pack once that was actually heavier than the one I already owned. The camp chair gets everybody, those things sneak up on you.