I'm no "elitist", but I am trying to lighten up my load. In the 70's when I was climbing we would carry 50+ lbs including rope and gear for a one week trip into the mountains. A Kelty pack frame with a huge bag was the ideal. Then I found the Jensen frameless pack by Rivendell.

(Now back in production!
http://www.rivendellmountainworks.com/)
I still have mine.
When I took up long distance canoing my pack weights actually went UP to 70 lbs! But most of the time it was in the canoe and had to be carried on portages only. 2 packs, both from Duluth, a #4 and smaller "Cruiser" for the food. Totally unsatisfactory to hiking though.
There is a difference in how long you plan on being out or how long to the next resupply. I see UL hikers going out with day packs and plan to resupply every 3-4 days. I don't consider being out one or two nights to be "hiking". It's a couple day trips with a night in the woods. I have always been drawn to epic adventures.
The three places I have tried to lighten up is tent, pack and sleeping bag.
I found a guy on the net who makes UL packs and other stuff in the Philippines. Rodney can make about any outdoor gear you want. He made a Gust clone for me a couple years ago. Nice workmanship and weights around 2 lbs. It cost me less than 1/2 what a Golite Gust would have cost. This site is a little dated but gives and idea of his packs.
http://www.freewebs.com/litepacks/
I picked mine up in person in Manila, but I think Rodney now ships to the US.
Don't let some pimple faced salesperson try to influence your choice of gear. In most instances they were selling shoes or working at MickeyD's a month ago. Everyone thinks they are an expert, but YOU are the one who is going.
There's an old saying, "Hike your own hike".