What does “ounce-counting” mean?
The product description of a titanium flask reads,
Appeals to anyone from the ounce-counting mountaineer to the snobby Scotch collector
What does "ounce-counting" mean here? I searched dictionaries but couldn't find a relevant result.
Ounce counting is outdoor-enthusiast jargon for minimising the weight of equipment. Heavy equipment wears out its wearer, so some backpackers, hunters, mountaineers, etc. pay a great deal of attention to how much external weight they carry. They are referred to as ounce-counting backpackers, hunters, mountaineers, etc.
Over the years I have touched on ounce counting when backpack hunting and how I’ve developed a system to help me drop significant pounds (not just ounces, but pounds) from my “going in” pack weight.
— Eastmans' Issue 156 - OCD (Ounce Counting Document) Packing
Marketers use the term as an adjective to attract their target audience of serious adventurers:
If you are the type of ounce-counting backpacker who hasn't been able to justify carrying a pillow in your pack the ergonomic Exped Air Pillow UL may change your mind.
— Exped AirPillow UL (2020)