Depends mate. I'd keep a daypack under 6kg and a full trek under 15kg, but if you can go under 12kg then that is pretty good. Depends on how big a fram you are and what luxuries you want.
For a daypack I'm lazy as f***. I take a small pack, leatherman, water, ammunition, lighter, UHF and phone and a snack or two. If I'm really in some sort of crazy country I take a map and compass... but thats rare. Hole kit could fit in a lunchbox most times, exclusing the water.
The two-night kit is a bit more elaborate.
Pack (1.2kg)
Tent (2.3kg)
Sleeping bag (1.3kg)
Thermarest (900g)
Trangia & fuel (1kg)
Leatherman / lighter / UHF / phone (500g)
Water (2kg+)
Food (2kg+)
Ammunition (variable)
1st Aid (pfft)
Most first aid kits are just expensive luxury items. You don't really need bandaids and gauze and ointment in an emergency, what you need is a tornique or two, well chosen medication and a good sharp knife. I'd recommend taking what you like to take and know you'll need - I tend to whittle my kit down to a tornique, 4x bandaids, 6x antihistamine tabs, 6x aspirin, 6x codeiene painkillers, 2x single-use Zaditen eydrops (or anything with ketitofen as the active ingredient) and thats about it. It'll all fit in a playin-card size pouch.
The trangia is a beautiful stove and great for hiking. Their 25-2 kit is about all anyone would ever need and not overpriced, very lightweight, great to use and packs up into itself. It runs on metho, too, or unleaded petrol in an emergency, and will cook in any weather conditions. I've out-paced very expensive MSR pressurised fuel stoves with this thing time and time again, often ending up finishing my meal and a coffee before the other guy had cooked his properly. Highly recommended.
LINK TO EBAYThe tent I favour is an Outer Limits 'Backpacker' I bought almost 20 years ago. Two man tent, 2.3kg, all-weather and quite compact. Single pole to set up which helps if you're doing it in the dark. Outer Limits has since been aquired by Oztrail, but they still make the tent. You can find one on ebay or at Barbeques Galore outlets, or most places which sell Oztrail gear. Check here:
LINK TO EBAYMy Thermarest is a foam insulated inflatable matress, 38mm thick when inflated. Doesn't sound like much but its amazing how mucn comfort and ground insulation it provides. It weighs about 900g but is worth every scrap of that weight because you have a decent nights sleep. Its also lasted me about 20 years so far. I don't know what the market is on about these days but I assume there would be good alternatives.
My sleeping bag varies but is usually a cocoon-style rated for 5'C. For colder weather I take a heavier bag.
Rainwear? Take a few big garbage bags.
For the pack I'd recommend a 50L style with some sort of frame in it. Even if its just a plastic stake thats all you really need. Make sure it has a chest strap and hip belt.
Again, if you can get all that in 15kg you're doing well. If its under 12kg thats epic. This will vary depending on water and food taken, too. I do like to take a few luxuries (coffee, punger cup, shake-n-bake pancake mix, McD's butter and syrup, 200ml bourbon spirits of some kind) but I'm a big framed person and happy to carry the extra kilogram or so. You may not be.
Anything else just ask.
- boingk
