exactly 11 kg

Avengers, partially assembled:

Fully assembled:
 

The bag is packed, and I'm just about ready to shove off.  I weighed the bag, and it came out to about the same weight as last year:  11 kilograms.  Assuming I lose 10 kg along the way, the weight loss ought to counteract the pack weight—eventually.  (I won't be losing 10 kg within the first day or two.)  This, by the way, is what pro hikers call the pack's base weight, i.e., the weight of all the items whose weight doesn't change throughout the day.  Knowing the base weight of your pack gives you a rough idea of what strain you'll be under.  This measure doesn't include food or drink because those weights vary throughout the day.  

Except for one brutal day along the trail—October 18, I believe—I'll be carrying only 1.5 liters of water per day with me.  Last year, I got into a rhythm in which I'd walk 12K to 15K steps, then stop, pop some ibuprofen, and rest thirty minutes before trudging onward.  1.5 liters of water—i.e., three 500-ml bottles—means I'll rest three times throughout the day for a total of 90 minutes.  That's enough water to get me through a 9- or 10-hour walk.  On October 18, I'll be walking a nasty 42 km, so I'll start the day off with 2.5 liters of water, then drink my way down to zero.  Am not looking forward to that day.

Righto—launching soon.  Will write again when I'm at the motel in Incheon.