There are trade-offs, however. Full-batten mains chafe more on shrouds and spreaders when sailing off the wind, which means you could be doing more tacking downwind. Off-wind douses and hoists become more problematic. Standing and running rigging. When it comes to keeping the mast up, stainless-steel wire is still the most popular, though many sailors now are looking at the pros and cons of rod rigging.
Rod is lighter and stretches less, though it's more prone to fail without warning.
It is also impractical to store spare lengths onboard. For those married to wire, for bluewater use swage terminals are giving way to compression fittings that can be assembled with hand tools and disassembled for inspection. The carbon-fiber wave is still gathering momentum. Carbon is now de rigueur in racing and is increasingly common in larger performance-cruising rigs. Carbon masts are expensive, however, and the overall weight savings may not be as great as you expect, once the new mast is fully dressed.