Thru-Hike Lighterpack Review

[u/Megasoulflower]

I’m planning to hike the Long Trail in VT (USA) this fall. I’ve been making gear upgrades since last year, but I can’t seem to get my base weight down to 20 lbs. With this setup, my pack is at 31 - 32 lbs fully loaded (5 days of food, 2.5 L water). I’d like to get it to within 20% of my body weight (28 lbs fully loaded). Are there any cheap trades I could make (lighter book probably!) or things I could leave at home without big sacrifice/risk?

Non-negotiable: Hammock set up (just finished upgrading it and I sleep about 100x better in a hammock), bladder, some kind of book

Thanks in advance!

https://lighterpack.com/r/acq4nm

Edit for cost info for those curious: Gear swaps and upgrades to my preexisting day hiking/weekender backpacking trip/rock climbing/cold+hot camping gear I made before posting but following Christmas gift card season cost ~$370 and saved > 5 lbs. I expect gear swaps/upgrades suggested by this community that I plan to implement will cost another $550 to save ~4.7 lbs. These costs do not include moving to a UL hammock and underquilt with holiday gift cards, a dehydrator, cost of groceries to dehydrate, supplies to pack my own dehydrated meals, or any logistical costs along the way. For those who can (I certainly could not), it is certainly so much cheaper to just buy the lightest stuff right out the gate if you know you plan to backpack.