a week-long pack was more like 50 pounds, and now 25 is heavy? The weight fanatics still existed back then, drilling their toothbrushes and cutting off unneede

a week-long pack was more like 50 pounds, and now 25 is heavy? The weight fanatics still existed back then, drilling their toothbrushes and cutting off unneeded straps, but the industry has advanced and "lightweight" has become a mainstream goal. Which, I think, is good. It's easy to take lightweight too far, but given that long term a very heavy pack is rough on the body even for fit people, I won't cry over the disappearance of 80lb hiking payloads.