The first week or so, I was so aware of my pack but after that, it didn't seem to matter. I could add nectarines, a kilo of cheese, tomatoes, etc. and I barely noticed. I think your body responds to walking and carrying a load every day. So while the beginning is the harder part, once you get going and keep going, your body adjusts. There was only one thing I did not use--my first aid kit--but I did share the contents with others. I lost my towel and ended up with a replacement that actually weighed more. I had to buy new hiking pants because the ones I started with got to be too embarassing to wear--they wanted to crawl down my body--not a good look. And the replacements were much heavier than the first but were all I could find in Leon. [I weighed them when I got home and they were almost a pound heavier!!] However my body and feet did not seem to notice. I arrived in Santiago with no blisters and with everything (albeit some replacements!) I started with.
I too removed/razored out unessential pages from
Brierley (a habit from my AT days) but kept the remainder rather than tossing because I kept it as an adjunct to my journal. I noted weather, stops, where stayed/$$, time left--time arrived, incidences--all because it was easier to jot quick notes on the
Brierley at specific locations. I also had the
Brierley in my waist pouch so it was right there.
It is important to be as ruthless as possible at the beginning. More so because your body and more particularly your feet are not used to the daily routine. You can always add items when you find out you really need them. There were some days when I had to pull on all the clothing I had with me to keep warm and other days when I would have gladly walked with nothing on at all--the weather makes a huge difference. For me it is easier to carry my pack with great comfort when it is cool than when it is hot and humid--same pack/same weight feels very different, at least to me!! And don't even get me started about the gnats and flies when it was hot and humid--talk about making you miserable..... It was always a mystery to me that they preferred the faces of sweaty pilgrims to the piles of cow dung everywhere. But that is another issue unrelated to weight! (Although I would have given anything for a face net--2 oz).
What you feel is necessary and what you are willing to carry is so very personal. I continue to this day to be amazed by the young women in the Burgos alberque who were carrying jars of cosmetics and hairdryers.