Summer 4-5 day trips around mid america

Looks ok for regular old backpacking and traveling, especially if you stay at a developed campsite and you've got one set of gear to serve multiple purposes. There are some high mountains in the Rocky Mtns. that could test your sleeping bags but wearing insulation to bed should take care of that. Figure about 1.5 lbs of food per day if out in remote areas (plenty of grocery stores) – just watch the regulations on food storage. If you are required to carry a bear canister, most ranger stations will let you sign for one (maybe a small fee or deposit).

Yes, our sleeping bags are pretty much 40 degree bags. we slept the weekend at sleeping bear dunes in michigan this past week and pushed the limits to 30 (by morning my foot box was cold!

So i definitely know what you mean about high rockies.

Yes we do plan on "Back country camping" most of the time with designated campsites and all. My wife is new to the sport and I am getting back into it PLUS we are moving to korea, so no new gear will be acquired that we cannot take or ship over to Korea.

I'm thinking of cutting our zlite zip pad in half again and taking that. instead of a collective 14oz being shared we'd share 7oz. anyone find use of a sit pad, or are there lighter options?

AND

Options instead of hydration reservoirs?

I was thinking the platypus soft bottles and the nalgene canteen VS the two hydration packs we have plus everything else would work, but i don't know exactly how much weight we would save. I'll have to look into that

Can someone sell me on a sawyer? how easy is it to fill those pouches with dirty water? it seems like a small hole to fill especially if you don't have moving water, suggestions?

I really like the concept AND the weight but i'm not totally sold…. i relate this to my fascination with the Keltec PF9, fascinated by it, but not totally sold lol.

EDIT:

so with a sawyer mini/platapus soft bottles/fairweather clothes (just a houdini) and smaller z pad:
we are around 13 pounds

eh eh?? good? better?

Also, we are not against a different tent. I can still return this tent to REI and put the money toward something else, I am not totally against non free standing tents, i just have no experience with them. Suggestions welcomed. we would like it to have external gear storage or enough room to put our gear in. would also like it to be double walled.

I like the pie chart to gear grams. I can see as I refine other things in my list that the sleep and backpack are starting to take up more of the weight. about 30 percent of my weight is in my pack. I get it now!

gear lists are up to date, w/ changes made above. I think it looks pretty good, but let me know what you guys think!