What do I pack for a dayhike in the rainforest in the winter?

This is everything that would be in my pack for a typical rainy day hike in the winter time.

If the rain is expected to be heavy then I bring the purple camera in this picture.

If the rain is expected to be light then I bring my big 4 pound camera and lens

That means I carry almost 15 pounds on a day hike when I bring my big camera!

 

On a hike like this in the winter I would normally be wearing thermal bottoms with nylon pants over them and a thermal top with a tee shirt over it.  If I'm sure it's going to rain all day I wear my rain pants over my thermal bottoms and don't bother with the nylon pants.   I also might pack my tarp if it's really expected to pour.  I like to have lunch under my tarp when it is raining very hard.

 

For a backpacking trip all that I would need to add to this set up is my3 pound sleeping bag, my tarp, a sleeping pad and a bunch of food.

 

If I through hike Oregon this summer I will ditch the GPS and I will pack much lighter rain gear.  I will probably also find a lighter camera lens to carry. I might ditch the SPOT messenger too.   I will probably also ditch one of the hats.   I want to keep my backpacking base weight at or below 15 pounds.

Here is a break down of my gear list by weight.

 

When I go backpacking,  I go for a base weight of 15 pounds or less and the only way I can do that is to do something about my heavy camera.  Base pack weight is weight of all the gear minus food, fuel and water.

To go backpacking I would have to add a sleeping pad and a sleeping bag.  My sleeping bag is is 39 ounces and my sleeping pad is 14 ounces.  Bottom line, if I want a base pack weight of 15 ounces or less I have to carry a smaller camera and or lens.  Maybe the Nikon D40 with the kit lens.  But I have a hard time with the idea of shelling out so much money just to save some weight on my camera.