I shoot the BT Tomkat...3lbs bare bow but probably weighs 4.5 with all the "crap" I have on it but I really like the weight. At 5'6" and a 27 in draw it is great for me. I don't like a bow that weighs more than about 3.5 lbs bare.

HCA Carbon riser bows are the lightest you will find anywhere on the market.

OK, I'll elaborate. Have you ever seen a rifle with a pencil thin barrel used for target work or varmints? The answer is generally "NO". That's because heavier settles down and aims better. Also there is less recoil at the shot. The same hold true with bows. A bow that is too light is harder to hold still to aim, because you physically have to hold it still--NOT GOOD in archery. There is also more recoil, vibration, and noise from most of these bows.
It is true that you can add weight to help some. You can also add limb savers, string silencers, a GOOD stabilizer. These help with the recoil, noise, etc. But you can always seek a middle ground when it comes to the weight issue. There are a lot of bows in the 3.5lb range that are pretty user friendly.

Personally I tote around about 6-6 1/2 lbs, but then I am not packing it for miles.

If your saying your Patriot is heavy, then I have 2 questions,

1) What year model is it?

2) What in the heck to you have on it to make it heavy?

I have an '04 Patriot and it is wayyyyy lighter than my HC I've been shooting.

i shoot a matthews feather max its light and i like it alot

The bowtech stalkers are light.

The older patriots w/ sandtrap limb pockets were somewhat heavier on paper than the new model.

Go here to compare weights of bows plus alot of other usefull info when selecting a new bow:

http://www.huntersfriend.com/compoundbows.htm

I love heavy bows and prefer 4 1/2 lbs or more.
Heck, my latest Accu-Riser II Type 2 came in at 6 1/2 lbs with only NV's installed.
I even like my Traditional Recurves at 3 lbs or more!
I am thinking about have one built at 4lbs for shooting 3-D with.
Nothing holds, feels, or shoots as well as a heavy bow. JMO.
Heavy bows are much quieter on average, also, soaking up the recoil.


Sag.

I shoot last years High Country Max-Extreme Carbon riser. I really like it. I would highly recomend it for hunting. My dad and brother hunt with their heavy Mathews and can't believe how lite my High Country is.[X(]

I used to have a Q2XL,that I ordered with the brass limb cups.The brass adds about a pound to the the bow.That bow had some MASS !!!.Best holding and shooting bow I have ever owned,,,sold it to a friend,,DIRT CHEAP He also shoots his best with it.