indytechnerd
Master
Backpacking Light would be a great reference, as stated above. Also, check out whiteblaze.net, the forum for the Appalachian Trail. Plenty of gear lists for hiking the full 2000 miles down to a weekend trip of 20-30. Start with the 10 essentials and scale up from there. Honestly, I'd stay away, far away, from a vast majority of the ubiquitous "tactical" and milsurp gear (MREs, ALICE pack/Assault Pack, etc.). There are tons of lighter, more durable pieces of gear at your local REI, Campmor, or even (somewhat) Dicks Sporting Goods.
This from above "The heaviest part of my pack were the 15 x 16oz water bottles (5 per day) for hydration" is INSANE. That's 75% of the weight of my pack TOTAL for 3 days. Buy a decent bladder and water bottle and a good filter. The MSR Sweetwater is good, I personally use the Sawyer Squeeze. As with most things, 2 is 1 and 1 is none, so throw in a bottle of Aquamira tabs as a 2nd method of purification.
Esbit stoves are ideal for this type of use, they weigh nothing, and will start with little effort from some waterproof matches (or matches in a waterproof container) or bic lighter.
This from above "The heaviest part of my pack were the 15 x 16oz water bottles (5 per day) for hydration" is INSANE. That's 75% of the weight of my pack TOTAL for 3 days. Buy a decent bladder and water bottle and a good filter. The MSR Sweetwater is good, I personally use the Sawyer Squeeze. As with most things, 2 is 1 and 1 is none, so throw in a bottle of Aquamira tabs as a 2nd method of purification.
Esbit stoves are ideal for this type of use, they weigh nothing, and will start with little effort from some waterproof matches (or matches in a waterproof container) or bic lighter.