Creative way you dropped 1oz

Chop off the tip of your index finger like I did, next are the ear lobbes.

All kidding aside, like some have said I use far less stuff sacks then when I first started hiking I just stuff everything in it's place in the pack, you'll find it's more efficient when you break camp in the morning, I used to be one of the first in my group to get up but always the last to break camp, once I started using this method it is much faster and less weight/bulk

Next like others have said are food and water, know your eating habits and how much water you really need to take. I use to always come back from long trips with 2-3 days worth of food, now I've got it down to 1/2 day if I bring back any at all.

I use toothpaste dots, I like these because I can only pack what I need and 4 of them for a 5 day trip is about .10oz. Small travel toothpaste tube was about .90 semi-full.

I cut my small Scout note journal down and use the refill portion of a Fischer space pen for writing. This set up in a tiny zip lock bag weighs in at .84oz, saved.65oz.

I ditched the incredibly heavy bandanna (1.16oz) and went with a Pack Towel nano at .60oz with better water absorption.

Go Commando.

I have make a homemade pot lid or used folded up heavy duty foil instead of the pot lid that came with my pot.

You could put your toothpaste into a straw instead of into a sample-sized toothpaste tube. Fold the end over and seal it with a hair tie. I always have extra hair ties because the worst thing in the world would be the tangled mass I'd end up without hair ties.

Half a bandana works as well as a whole one.

I've put some DEET into a visine bottle for my next trip. I can't imagine I'll even need to use up the entire visine bottle.

Would I really notice if each of my homemade dehydrated meals had one bite less food in it?

I have a pair of running shorts I plan to bring. I ripped the underwear liner out of them long ago. You might consider doing this yourself if modesty won't be too big an issue.

You know those little tabs in your shirt that appear when you roll up your sleeves? They are always in the wrong place for me so I cut them off.

I cut off the silly "rudder" thingie and the velcro cover on the "gator trap" off my Altra running shoes. Probably saves a gram. I also remove the cushioned insoles because they're not needed. Probably saves a half an ounce right there.

will the DEET melt the Visine bottle like DEET does some plastics?

Being a relative newcomer to BPL and to UL concepts, I am in the process of honing down my kit.

Thanks to inspiration received here and to relentless pressure from the anti-groundsheet guys elsewhere, I did a little more shaving and have managed to cut a significant amount of weight.

Eliminating ground cloth and stuff sacks: -5.9 oz
Stove storage sleeve, stock to MYOG tyvek: -0.7 oz
Trekking poles, removing baskets and straps: -2.4 oz
Side compression cords on pack, not used: -0.32 oz
GPS, Etrex 30: -5.3 oz
Tripod, Zipshot mini vs zipshot: -2.0 oz

And a few other things, such as using lighter ziploc sandwich bags vs heavier freezer bags, where appropriate, Bic mini vs Bic, etc.

The biggest decision was whether to remove the straps from the trekking poles. On the last couple of trips I made it a point to not use the straps and to pay attention to when I was really using the poles and found that they were a genuine benefit to me only on moderate uphills, and that they actually slowed me down when using them on slight up/downhill and flats, and especially on steep uphill/downhill. In those "scrambling" situations with steep uphill and downhill, it was safer and faster for me just to concentrate on foot placement and not to have to worry about pole placement as well.

The side compression cords on the pack were not a huge deal, but I figure that if I haven't found them at all useful after a few trips, clearly I can live without them. I removed the bottom straps after the first trip because I have never, ever liked strapping things there.

The GPS is not needed when I have maps and am in a well-traveled area, which I am most of the time lately. I only carried it for the track logs to get accurate distance and vertical information, which really isn't necessary. HOWEVER, this was offset by the 4.4oz addition of a SPOT3 to keep my wife informed of my whereabouts and maintain peace of mind for her when there is no cellphone signal, and for that it is a very worthwhile trade-off.

So I guess I am not SUL yet, but definitely getting on the lower end of UL after the latest "haircut", sub 7lbs base weight. I will know for sure when I pack tomorrow for a 2-night trip.

I have not seen deet melt the visine bottle. Deet comes in a plastic bottle already.

DEET melts some plastic. Like some leaked onto my thermometer/wind meter and it didn't work after that. Must be some particular type of plastic because, like you said, DEET comes in a plastic bottle which doesn't melt.

If you put it into a different type of bottle, you might want to verify that before taking it on a trip.

Sounds like it's not a problem in your case.

drinking organic freeze dried coffee [Mt Hagen] which has a decent taste
saves ounces and is wayy convenient.

I find it amusing that several suggested having a pee or a dump before taking off , to lighten the load, yet it is then suggested taking a drink as if that water weight magically disappears once ingested .

I'm working on losing the 20 lb. spare tire built up over the past two years of drinking Foster's to make into cook pots, which would be like negative five pounds even with my full pack with fuel and food for a week long trip. I hike in lycra bike shorts when it's warm and tights when it's cooler (no liners in either). The tights also give good sun protection, so I bring less sunscreen, and I use the shorts and/or tights as my thermal layer under wind/rain pants. Plus I carry a pair of trekking poles that only weigh 3.1 oz each (no baskets).

Anyone here noticed how many holes it actually takes to lighten a metal or plastic item? It's amazing how much drilling it takes, for a very small return. I do it anyway, out of tradition. Many of my items are now perforated and weakened. Although I drew a line at the fly of my tent; decided not to drill that.

"I find it amusing that several suggested having a pee or a dump before taking off , to lighten the load, yet it is then suggested taking a drink as if that water weight magically disappears once ingested ."

Well, water higher up in the digestive system has a better chance of being useful than the water that's trying to exit the digestive system. Same with the food.

What are those 3.1 oz poles?

"Well, water higher up in the digestive system has a better chance of being useful than the water that's trying to exit the digestive system"
In that case you might as well take something out of your pack and put it in your pocket and call that saving weight..
Hop on a scale holding a bottle of water.
Now still on the scale,drink some of that water.
Has the weight on your scale dropped ?

BTW, yes drinking that water is a more efficient way of carrying the weight (if that drinking does not make you pee again therefore losing some of the hydration advantage) just like having a pound more in your pack works better than a pound more on your feet but it isn't weight saving.

"Hop on a scale holding a bottle of water.
Now still on the scale,drink some of that water.
Has the weight on your scale dropped ?"

Yes! (Well, but that's because I'm quite sloppy when I drink water…..)

I learned with bicycles that most of the performance advantages of lighter weight are in the wheels,  and to a lesser degree anything else that moves/rotates In relation to the bike and rider, the greater its acceleration the greater the mass penalty… paying more for a lighter frame gives no more advantage than losing body weight,  or carrying less gear,  But losing weight in the wheels results in faster acceleration and deceleration, and greater perceived lightness, freedom of movement, the more, and more frequently that the mass accelerates and deccelerates,  the greater the benefits of reducing that mass… so that’s an argument for going barefoot a little while each day,  and for lighter shoes,  as well as for carrying your load at your center of gravity and away from moving extremities… say no to cargo pockets,  except maybe as a convenience for maps or TP, etc.

If the load flops around or otherwise moves in relation to your center of gravity,  it’s stealing energy.

“will the DEET melt the Visine bottle like DEET does some plastics?”

DEET comes in HDPE (recycling symbol #2).  Other HDPE containers will work fine.

I’m a big proponent of keeping things in (small, light) factory containers when possible to avoid confusion on a trip or when you get home.  Mistaking a Visine container with DEET for a Visine Container with Visine seems like a particularly bad potential mix-up.  Professional medical samples, Chinese hotel toothpaste tubes and such allow you to take 5-10 grams of something in a clearly marked container instead of a full ounce.  That said, I haven’t found a good source of small DEET containers to use and refill, so the Visine container is tempting.

On a (long ago) trip to Asia, I found an aluminum spoon.
It is big, but so lightweight.
I bought 20 of them and gave them out for Christmas presents for my hiking friends.
Still have one.
I’ve already used a styrofoam cup with plastic lid in the states for my coffee cup (they last on average, about a week, then get another one)

I still use a PhotonII microlight for my only flashlight    .2 oz.     However, I just found, and bought a “finger flashlight” in Asia and it is even lighter (although I’m not sure how it will hold up to rain and tough trail conditions, so, it’s not in my pack YET!)

I recently bought the new lightweight Frogg Togg rainsuit and it is a lot lighter than my old Frogg Toggs.

I don’t use trekking poles.

My pack still weighs 15 lbs with 2 days food and 1/2 litre of water.     (I do “Camel-up” at water sources and do believe that water is the heaviest thing to carry)

If I’m on a trail that I know, I figure 7 miles: I don’t need to carry water!

So, I’m reading this thread looking for ideas but it’s tough at this point.
ALWAYS be on the lookout for something lighter than what you now carry.

And assess all your gear after each trip and get rid of what you didn’t use.

(wish I could still take along my guitar, but, those days are over as it weighs 2 lbs.)

If I’m on a trail that I know, I figure 7 miles: I don’t need to carry water!
I won’t argue with the idea that one can survive 7 miles without carrying lots of water (we do), but …
what about coffee?????

Cheers