[Jimmy Stuart voice] Nnnow, nnnow, hold on there just a second. That's about it? Let's have the whole story with ALL the items and weights.
Announcing that your aren't an alky or tarp person pretty much shuts the door on getting to what I think of for SUL base weight, like 5 pounds. You can always get lighter, but not SUL. You gotta get outside the box a little if you want to get that light. Starting with an empty pack that is nearly 3 pounds is NOT going to get you to SUL Nirvana! UL maybe. I'm of a mind that any kit can survive one heavier item, so a stove or a heavier pack won't break the dam and make SUL run all over the floor, but do that a couple times and you'll start an avalanche :)
The techniques have been pretty much the same for years:
Chuck all the extras and spares
Use the lightest, highest performance materials you can find (and afford)
Look for multiple use items
Minimize, minimize, minimize
To me a "true" SUL kit hinges on:
*taking absolutely nothing that won't keep you warm, dry, fed, hydrated and alive.
*Quilt
*Spartan sleep pad
*Polycryo or other SUL ground cloth
*Minimalist tarp shelter: Cuben Fiber or Silnylon, the lightest lines and stakes. Add insect head net as needed.
*Minimal cook kit: small Ti pot, spoon/spork, alcohol or Esbit stove, MAYBE a light cup. Menu to suit.
*Recycled water bottles and chemical treatment
*Minimalist tools and navigational aids: tiny light, compass, barely-a-first-aid-kit, knife/razor blade, etc.
*Minimalist hygiene kit, with everything in the smallest containers.
*Spartan clothing kit. If you are wearing everything when it is coldest, you have it right.
*Backpack to suit
Truth be told, I like a few pounds more and I also prefer a pack with a frame. I use an Osprey Exos 46. That REI Cruise is a 60 liter pack, right? You can get by with much less and still get a weight-transferring frame. A smaller pack will put a lot less torque on your lower back and weigh less too.
Best of luck with your back!
