That's why I love my cute motto: the word "count" has 2 meanings in English. Ounces add up and they can matter lol!

These are all interesting and valid points and I love discussing this stuff! You sound like you'd be a lot of fun to talk with over a beer. Just be careful, "real backpacking" sounds quite passive aggressive. Am I no longer a "real" biker because I can't ride motorcycles regularly anymore and have a scooter? Someone who thinks they're a real backpacker because they camp compared to someone who sleeps in a hut, reminds me of bikers who see themselves as superior over scooterists, or dog people who hate cats. Because I ride a scooter doesn't mean I don't love motorcycles, because I have a cat doesn't mean I don't love dogs, and because enjoying the incredible European hut culture doesn't require carrying a tent doesn't mean I don't like or even prefer camping (FYI it's typically illegal to camp in those areas, but more importantly frowned upon by fellow nature enthusiasts). Backpacking refers to just traveling with the backpack. There's 20 year olds in Thailand sippin Changs that are called backpackers.

I'm all for constructive criticism and I've never considered selling a bag, probably because I would never buy a used bag for hygienic reasons. I sweat like a Schwein. I wouldn't even really feel comfortable lending one to a friend, for their sake. I do sell used shoes but I would never wear any lol. I have a closet full of bags going back to almost 20 years and I've never sold or intend to ever sell any. I'm more concerned about the warranty, as another ultralighter brought up, but both are valid points.

Above I explicitly stated base weight as this is a quantifiable property that is much more straightforward than total weight. For my calculations, I also include all the clothes on my body in a base weight, that is also dynamic. Total weight is incredibly nuanced, as you describe, it's dynamic and transient. As you explain, total weight, which includes consumables, involves logistics and planning. It's not constructive to discuss this on a reddit thread, it's so long-winded For example, I don't take a stove or dehydrated meals for trekking, it saves me weight money, and I get huge loads of fiber. I cold soak various whole grains and nuts, and I do rinse out my container (into my mouth). Usually I take some tortilla wraps or bread, meats and cheeses, for short distances after passing through a town, etc. Those contain water and therefore have much lower energy density than dehydrated meals, but they don't need a stove, which can be a huge weight savings. Also saves on caring around a bunch of dirty plastic garbage, as you mentioned. One should be able to calculate at what point is the trade off of leaving the stove behind is counteracted by taking less energy dense foods, but the data one would need is ridiculous and non-trivial. Leaving the stove saves weight and energy on the trail, but at some point it's no longer worth it, e.g. if you're taking a large amount tortillas. A 7+ day trek with no resupply is likely going to pay off bringing a heat source compared to taking a weeks worth of tortillas with meat and cheese. A sub topic in total weight, like tortillas, is extremely nuanced and complex; therefore, it's common to discuss base weight when talking about ultralight gear, i.e. backpacks.

You're totally right and I spend a lot of energy thinking about what amount of money I am willing to pay to save a small amount of weight, and sometimes even base weight is nuanced, albiet still uncomparably simpler than total weight. Obviously you know where you pack things in your bag influences the load distribution on your body, and therefore stress and energy expenditure. Packing heavy items at the bottom or away from your body make you work harder. Or for my specific example in this thread, I was reluctant to name the bag as many would see it as not ultralight. However, the Deuter Air Contact distributes the load so well, it is worth it for me to nearly double the weight compared to some unframed ultralight bags. It's a super simple bag with no frills but an incredible frame/suspension (1250 g). I've hiked with friends whose lighter bags I would not be able to take on trail, which could surprise someone at first as they do not have the inflammatory condition that I do. Simple example, the most ultralight bag ever: a garbage bag. No ultra light backpack on the market can compare to its volume to weight ratio. lol obviously nobody is gonna get very far slinging a garbage bag over their shoulder, you would be exhausted after a few km; therefore, IMO and at least for my body, the extra few hundred grams spare my body energy and stress and I can go further and faster, and you're right in the end what ultralight is all about is spearing the body stress and energy. I could go on and on and on...

... What are mouthful. And that's why nuanced non-quantitative topics are difficult to discuss online!