There is no doubt that lightweight backpacking gear are expensive but backpacking light is not just about buying lighter gear, it teaches you to do more with less. If you're doing it right, you should be doing a lot of research before making the purchase and then only buying what really matters in terms of practical use.

The best way to lower your base pack weight is by taking less gear. Less gear doesn't just translate to less weight but it also means that there are less things to buy. There needs to be a clear distinction in your head between needs and wants.

There are just some things that you are not willing to part with. It takes experience to really differentiate between the things that you would regret not having on your trip and the things that you would hardly hardly miss at all.

Writing down on paper what you need and what you want helps you make the distinction. Making a list of gear with the weight and cost attached to it and asking yourself whether spending money on a particular gear is worth the extra weight it brings to your system will help you budget your pack weight and cost.

One way to budget your ounces and pounds is to compromise. Different categories (or different parts of the category) of gear gets varying priorities depending on the individual and situation. One area of gear might have to suffer to something else that's more important. A lot of people put a high priority on sleeping gear than anything else. Priorities will help you decide the maximum weight you're willing to assign on a particular gear.

For example if one such person decides to carry a 2 pound camping mattress as opposed to a much lighter closed-cell pad, you would have to the rest of your gear to reach your target weight. The key here is to have a target weight.

You can only go for what you're after if you know what it is. Without a target weight it is highly likely that you'll exceed your weight budget as well as your spending budget. Whatever your target weight, you should never leave behind essential gear. These are the ten essentials plus any other gear that are critical depending on where you're going.

To make sure you're within the target weight range, you need to know the weight of each piece of gear. Even the smallest of things can add up to something significant. A few dollars here and there can also add up to a lot.

This realization that a little can add up and the awareness of how much you're spending can help keep the cost down.