Yes, but we also have the benefit of modern materials science. You can make a backpack with a lot more parts/materials and still have it lighter than a backpac

Yes, but we also have the benefit of modern materials science. You can make a backpack with a lot more parts/materials and still have it lighter than a backpack made 20 or 30 years ago. Of course the downside is that you can't repair them when they break. You can't weld, glue, or sew broken parts any more, and good luck getting replacement parts or modifying your pack in any way. Some of us like our creature comforts too. I could go ultra-lightweight, but I don't want to be eating nothing but beef jerky and snickers bars, and sleeping under a couple of square feet of tarp. I want to eat real food and sleep in a tent (actually I've always been a hut man).