- Hiking
Backpacking Base Weight: How to Decrease Your Pack Weight
Every backpacker starts somewhere and that is typically with a very heavy pack. Getting into backpacking can be scary, daunting and expensive. I’m here to help everyone who wants to be a more purposeful backpacker identify their backpacking base weight.
Backpacking Base Weight refers to the weight of your backpack and everything inside of it except for consumables like water and food. Water and food weight will fluctuate throughout your trip so we’re going to focus on the base weight of the items that will stay consistent throughout the trek.
This blog post will be helpful for anyone just getting into backpacking, anyone looking to decrease their backpacking base weight, or anyone trying to determine their ideal backpacking base weight.
Just a heads up! This post contains affiliate links which means I could earn a small commission at no cost to you. Thanks for your support!
How Much Should a Backpack Weigh for Backpacking?
Oddly enough, if you ask someone who is backpacking 20 miles and someone who is backpacking 2,000 miles how much their backpack weighs, the person backpacking 2,000 miles will have a lighter pack(typically). Think about someone completing the 2,190 mile Appalachian Trail, a lighter load would be a lot more comfortable on that backpacking trail. The lower base weight, the less energy it takes to complete longer trips.
What is Base Weight?
There is no “correct” weight that a backpacking pack should be, but the weight should be comfortable for the length of your trip. Which is why thru-hikers typically have extremely lightweight packs.
The standard rule is to have a target base weight between 10 – 20% of your target body weight.
A loaded backpack includes all of your gear plus consumables.
HINT: If you’re just getting into backpacking, my best suggestion for you is to purchase your gear at REI. REI has a 1-year return policy so as you are making adjustments to find your ideal base weight you can exchange gear for lighter options if need be.
Backpacking Weight Terms
In addition to base weight, there are a couple more terms that refer to the weight of a backpack that would be helpful to know!
Base Weight: Total pack weight without consumables.
Total Pack Weight: This is the base weight in addition to the consumables like food and water.
Skin Out Weight: The skin out weight (SOW) is the weight of your pack with consumables and the gear on your person like clothes, camera gear, sunglasses, etc.
Conventional vs. Lightweight vs. Ultralight Backpacking
There are three main categories for backpackers.
Let’s talk about them!
Conventional backpacking
Conventional Backpackers have a backpacking base weight between 20 – 30 pounds.
This added weight comes from added comforts, more affordable gear, and sturdier/framed packs. Conventional Backpacking is great for single nights to multiple day trips. It is not standard to see this weight of pack on a thru hike.
Lightweight Backpacking
Lightweight Backpackers have a backpacking base weight between 10 – 20 pounds.
Going from a conventional to lightweight backpacker is actually pretty accessible with a few minor adjustments to the Big 3. Lightweight backpacks are frameless making for easy packing and comfortable carrying on the trail. The weight of consumables for lightweight backpackers will likely not exceed 30 pounds.
Ultralight Backpacking
Ultralight Backpackers have a backpacking base weight below 10 pounds.
Achieving a base weight below 10 pounds requires significant sacrifices to creature comforts and requires extremely specialized gear. The weight of consumables for ultralight backpackers will likely not exceed 15 pounds.
The Big 3 Equipment: Make or Break Base Weight
If you’re trying to make a significant difference in your base weight, you’ll want to focus on the Big 3 – your backpack, shelter, and sleep system. Between those three items, you can yield the most weight savings for your backpacking base weight.
Backpack
The weight of your backpack matters! Conventional Backpacks have larger frames with plenty of buckles and pockets. They are great for organization and come in lots of different sizes! Lighter backpacks can still have a frame but use lightweight materials and are missing some of the bells and whistles of a conventional pack. Ultralight packs ditch the frame and have one large packing cavity on the inside.
Shelter
Tents and shelters can be some of the heaviest and most expensive piece of gear you will carry with you on the trail. Ironically enough they can also be one of the most fragile pieces of gear. The options for shelters are significant, from standard pop-ups, ultralight tents, bivy sacks, tarps, and trekking pole shelters.
Sleep System
Your sleep system will consist of two (sometimes three) items – a sleeping pad, sleeping bag or quilt, and an optional pillow. Sleeping pads can range from around 10 oz to 2 lbs. Sleeping bags and Quilts from 20 oz to 4 lbs. Pillows are around 2 oz to 15 oz.
The range in weight for your sleep system is going to impact your backpacking base weight significantly. Not to mention all the other factors involved in choosing your sleep system items such as temperature rating and cost. This is when you will need to balance cost, trail needs & comfort, with your base weight.
Sleeping Pad
Sleeping Bag
Pillow
From Conventional to Lightweight Backpacking
Embracing simplicity is the quickest way to go from conventional to lightweight backpacking. It is amazing how quickly a person can shed 10 pounds from the base weight of their backpack just by packing the necessities.
I’m not saying you have to shave off the bottom half of your tooth brush, but do you REALLY need a full sized hair brush?
Here are six steps to minimizing your pack weight without breaking the bank:
- One outfit to walk in, One outfit to sleep in. Putting on a clean outfit at the end of the day feels great! But it can be the same outfit. Packing multiple outfits adds up in weight quickly. Just bring one additional outfit and make it a lightweight one!
- Condense your beauty routine. I still have a multi-step skin care routine on the trail but I use cleansing wipes and small containers. Full sized products stay at home.
- Share the weight. When I’m hiking with other people, we share items that we won’t need multiples of.
- One Pot Kitchen: Keep your camp kitchen simple.
- Small Changes. Backpacking gear can be expensive! When I started, I tried to trade in for one lighter weight item each year until my base weight was significantly lighter.
- Shop resale! The REI Garage sale has so many great items at a reduced cost.
Use this backpacking base weight calculator by Kia Ora.
Gear List of a Lightweight Backpacker
Let’s keep it simple! The deal with lightweight backpackers is that not everything in their pack is even ultralight gear, they just pass on luxury items, pack the necessities, and have a good base weight.
Here is a short list of what a lightweight backpacker is bringing in their pack.
– Lightweight tent or shelter
– Sleeping bag or quilt
– Sleeping pad
– Stove and cookware
– Food and snacks
– Water filtration system & Water Bottle
– Rain Gear
– Clothing layers (think versatile and packable)
– First aid kit
– Navigation tools (map, compass, GPS)
– Multi-tool or knife
– Personal hygiene items (toothbrush, toilet paper, etc.)
-Trekking poles
What Will Influence the Base Weight of Your Backpack?
There are a couple of factors that will impact the base weight of your backpack. As much as we may want a lightweight, comfortable pack, it is important to make sure we have everything we need for a safe journey.
Seasons/Weather
Depending on the season that you will be completing your backpacking trip, the gear you’ll need may change. In colder seasons, the gear you will need will likely be heavier adding to the total base weight of your pack.
This added weight will come from one of the big three, your sleep system. Your sleep system will have the biggest impact on keeping you warm. Check the R-Value of your sleeping pad. This is the insulating value of the sleeping pad which is arguably more important than your sleeping bag. It does come with extra weight.
Check ahead for weather conditions. You will want to pack rain gear for inclement weather and ensure you have a rain cover for your backpack.
Trip Length
Trip length is going to minimally impact your base weight. If you’re completing a longer backpacking trip and are packing extra clothes.
The total weight of your backpack, your base weight plus consumables will be heavier the longer the trail due to the increased amount of food. The good news is that every day your pack will get just a little bit lighter.
Personal Preferences
At the end of the day, the base pack weight of your pack is up to you, the kind of gear you have to bring and the kind of gear you want to bring. One of my non-negotiable are Teva Hurricanes. I refuse to backpack without them. Some people do not believe camp shoes are a necessity.
Some people bring a backpacking chair, while others bring a sit pad, and others don’t bring either.
Ultralight backpackers, Veggie and Karma, packs weigh around 12 lbs. but carry an additional 6 lbs. of camera gear. Learn all about their setup and the 18,000 miles of thru-hiking they’ve done here.
Backpacking Consumables
You’ll need to bring consumables on the trail: food, water, and fuel. There aren’t a ton of things you can do to get around carrying these things. But here are a couple tips for remaining conscious of how much weight you’re carrying in consumables.
- Pack for Target Caloric Intake: I pack between 1.5 – 2.0x your standard daily calorie intake, plus one additional day of food. Pack lightweight, calorie dense food with high nutritional value. Make sure the food you bring counts!
- Identify Water Sources: If your trail has a lot of water sources, plan for filter stops so you can minimize how much water you’re carrying at a time. Water is the heaviest item in your pack.
- Keep Food in Hip Belt: If your food is accessible you will eat it. I find that when food and water are immediately accessible to you on the trail, you will consume it. There is no point in carrying it, if you’re not going to eat or drink it!
- Weigh Your Food: You will be surprised at how much pounds of food you’re bringing if you weigh it. Once you see the number it will be easier to adjust to lighter alternatives!
- Fuel: Unless you’re planning on boiling your water over a burning pile of wood that you collected in the forest to avoid bringing a fuel canister, there isn’t anything you can do to cut weight on fuel. Fuel is lightweight anyways.
Considering the fact that 3 liters of water weighs 6.6 pounds, but it is a necessity. This is why it is easier to lower your pack’s base weight than it is to lower the weight of your consumables or limit how much food you’re bringing.
Pack It Up
To decrease your backpacking base weight, you don’t have to purchase all lightweight gear, sometimes you just need to get a little creative in avoiding heavy gear. Ditching unnecessary gear is just the start to avoiding additional weight.
You’ll find that you don’t need to be an experienced hiker or need to be on a long-distance trail like the Pacific Crest Trail to care about your pack base weight. Carrying less weight on the trail feels better regardless of the distance traveled along the trail.
Decreasing your gear weight will take time. The best way and easiest way to do it is identify items you don’t use or don’t need and slowly make changes over time. You can purchase new gear during sales events or ask for it as gifts rather than purchasing it all at once since lightweight equipment tends to be pricey.
I hope you enjoy your journey to reducing the total weight of your entire gear kit! It is all about your own comfort levels at the end of the day.
Enjoy the trek and happy backpacking!
Meet the Author -
Sarah Borgen
I am an Educator and outdoor Enthusiast based out of Seattle and writer of Exploren Borgen! My adventures consist of weekends spent in the woods, on a hike, car camping, and taking a deep breath of fresh air. When not on an adventure, you can find me in a classroom teaching high school science! I love having a job that allows me to the opportunity to discuss things like conservation, sustainability, and accessibility.
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Meet the author
Sarah Borgen, AKA your outdoor bestie
I’m an outdoorsy educator and adventure advocate, which is why I’m passionate about creating resources – like blogs, guides, and interactive maps – to simplify your travels. I’m eager to share some of Washington’s greatest destinations and hidden gems with you.
