shibumiseeker
Grandmaster
Nothing whatsoever. Anyone who backpacks any serious distance will avoid extra weight like the plague.
Meh, depends on philosophy. I usually put at least a couple hundred trail miles a year in including a bunch out west and I've carried anywhere from my LCP .380 to my Glock 20 while on multi-day trips with major elevation gain-loss and 20-25 miles a day. I figure if that extra couple of pounds is going to make that much difference then it's worth a little more effort to take it off my body. Every hiker has a different set of priorities though. I won't pay double or triple the price on gear to save 10% of the weight, but many will. If I were through-hiking the AT or PCT or planned on being on trail for a month at a time then my priorities may be different and I might be cutting the handle off my toothbrush.