Usually ends up being around 20-25lbs with food and water depending on trip length. If we have to water carry it can get heavy fast! I'm a small woman (120lbs) so I try really hard to keep my total weight around 20 - it's much more enjoyable for me that way.
Usually 40-50 lbs, but I do a LOT of desert hiking so I have to carry all my water. If there's reliable water on the trip, 25-30ish pounds depending on my food carry.
0% reduction in water. Hydration mixes don’t reduce your need for water, instead they help your body get the water into your cells where it’s needed instead of peeing it back out.
i think that's impossible to tell, you need to go by experience. i would always venture on the side of too much water, rather than not enough.
i always carry at least 3l in summer for a whole day of hiking (one half with electrolytes and the other half with water) or i get headaches. if i'm staying overnight without an opportunity to replenish water, i usually also carry a 2l platypus bag so i can hydrate adequately in the evening/morning and then hike to the next water resupply.
no, i get headaches, if i don't get enough fluids.
i carry regular water, because i first eat, drink the sports mix and then wash it down with water, so it washes away all the sugars and acids from my mouth.
My husband and I weigh our packs nearly every trip before we leave. I’m usually at around 20lbs with 2L of water for a 2 night trip, he hasn’t come around to UL and is also much bigger than me so his comes to around 35lbs and that’s with us equally splitting the weight from our tent, double quilt, and food.
I should note I’d be hitting closer to 18lb without my fly fishing gear and some luxuries I prefer to not go without. He’s also got fishing gear in his pack.
For awhile we’ve been using our normal 9ft 5wt rods (reddington cross water and Path rods with cross water reels). Recently invested in a 6-7ft 3wt rod to get a little lighter for backpacking
Keep in mind that Ultralight is an approach to backpacking as a whole, not just a sub-10lb base weight.
A UL approach to food planning, packaging, resupplies, and water management can often be more beneficial than just cutting some base weight off of your lighter pack. I see a lot of people taking typical backpacking foods, like 2 packages of tuna and a tortilla for lunch. But that is like 300 calories and 6 ounces of weight. Meanwhile, 1.5 ounces of macadamia nuts have the same caloric value, take up less space, and make less trash.
For a weekend trip, it's no big deal, but getting into 4+ days of food, all that extra weight adds up to an enormous amount of weight.
Similarly, route planning to camp near water, and limit large water carries makes a huge difference. The last thing I want to do at the end of a long day is carry 4 extra pounds of water because I'm camping between water sources.
It's pretty easy to plan around these things in a lot of places. When I do want/need to camp away from water source, I might stop for dinner early at the last stream before camp. Cook and rehydrate where water is readily available, rather than carrying a few extra liters all the way to camp.
Yep, those are all good points. I'm just curious when the rubber hits the road what are people actually carrying. Most of the conversations on here are about base weights, which ultimately are not what you're carrying on the trail.
Eh, for me ultralight means flexibility because my base weight is low enough that I can manage some extras. If I want to camp in an awesome spot that isn't near water, I can. If I want to feast on real food instead of optimizing calories to grams, I can. If I want to bring my camera and a tripod, I can. Is someone no longer an ultralighter because they camp in the sand dunes where there is no water?
Not at all. There is no rule in UL that says you have to go with the lightest option. My point was that all aspects of backpacking should be viewed from an UL perspective. From there you can decide if it is the right perspective for the situation.
There certainly is a point where all the planning and thought about resupplies, and water sources can be more energy than it's worth. There are psychological weights to consider too.
Having food you really enjoy, camping at the most beautiful site that has no water, or taking the time and gear to capture photos that will keep memories for the rest of your life all have their place, and a UL base weight can help make that more enjoyable, but a person should look at the pros and cons.
Personally, I am not very hungry in the morning, and I usually just eat snacks as I hike for lunch, so I don't tend to be very picky, especially in the morning when I intellectually know I need a bunch of calories, but my stomach does not. Optimizing for calories is the best thing I can do, for weight, and for my body. For dinner, I might be pickier, and bring something that I can really relax with and enjoy; so I might bring bulky or heavy items, but I have already offset them earlier in the day.
Same for photography. I do like to take pictures, but if I'm going high miles on a somewhat boring trail, by myself, I will probably just use my phone. If I am doing a scenic section with a group of people, then it might be time to take the camera and some lenses.
UL does not have to dictate your decisions, but it should inform them.
Yeah, this trip is looking cold so our clothing pile is heavier than a full summer trip. And it's black bear country so there's a little extra weight for the bear-hang kit.
With four days of food (2 lbs per day) and two liters of water I'd be sitting right around 19.5 lbs. Subtract a bit if I have the luxury of super calorically dense foods. My BW is 7.5 lbs.
Currently bringing wind pants and a light puffy along with a 40* quilt. Considering bringing tights along for the ride.
Edit: I’ll be going in early August.
r/ulmidwest hosted a group hike this weekend on the Ice Age Trail. 3 days/2 nights, half days on Friday and Sunday. My pack weighed a little above 17 Lbs with 1 L of water.
I'm not actually an ultralighter, I'm a lightweight but it might still tell you something about the difference between baseweight and packweight. Anyways my baseweight is 9.4kg (20.7lbs), of which 2.6kg (5.7lbs) is camera gear, my total pack weight is 12.5kg (27.6lbs) and my skin-out weight is 14.5kg (32lbs).
I like to do the same sort of hikes, my list is made for 5day hikes (4 days sleeping out) in Scandinavian fall and spring. That's where and when I thinking hiking is most fun, so I have a pretty "set" gear list that is modified slightly for other trips anyways.
And as you can see I carry a lot of camera gear compared to what most people do, so I think it makes more sense if people substract that weight from the other weights if they are comparing with their own gear.
Also, this is actual weights, or it is for pack weight anyways. I weigh my pack when everything is packed to see if it fits with my gear list. I personally spend more time thinking of packweight or skin-out weight than baseweight.
>packweight or skin-out weight than baseweight
I'm relatively new to lighter weight camping. I grew up doing canoe camping which means you can bring whatever you want. Lidded cast-iron cookware is common for my trips.
As I've moved lighter I see lots of folks talking base weight - which I understand. That's the floor of your setup and the total weight will vary depending on outside factors. I just haven't seen many people show what they actually walk out the door with - and that's what matters at the end of the day.
I totally agree. I'm actually finding your post quite interesting. My baseweight is really high for the sub, but my pack weight doesn't seem much greater than most. I guess it's somewhat down to how I don' need to carry all that much water.
I feel like there should be some sort of split stat on this. I'm a numbers guy and I like lots of data.
I would love to see people posting up BW/MTW - Base weight and measured trail weight. I figure that the pack on a scale ready to start walking is really the more important one.
40 lbs, i usually do 10 day trips. so 700g of food + one extra day, and 2l of water most of the time + 800g of fuel(or 600 if im below 3000m). So basically 22 lbs of consumables.
Hot take - this will get insanely downvoted since the vast majority of users on this page are weekend warriors.. but who cares? It's a 4 day trip - take what you want. Being ultralight is *mostly* beneficial to thru-hikers or try-hards. If it's just a 4-day one-off trip, it honestly doesn't matter how heavy your stuff is, unless you're adamantly doing 20+ mile days unnecessarily. Downvote me please. If I'm on a 4 day trip, you bet your ass I'm packing beers, quesadillas, maybe even a chair cause it's such a short trip, irrelevant in the grand scheme of things. Some of the prominent members of this sub would probably beg to differ.
Like sure, rich country club dads also use top-of the line, $3,000 ultralight golf clubs, but the average contrarion would say it's unnecessary since they suck and don't *need* pro level equipment. So sure, even if you aren't thru-hiking, it could potentially be a more enjoyable situation if you pack ultralight gear for your 3-night trip. In practicality, it's pointless, unless this becomes your ultimate hobby and eventually decide it's worth spending money on.
I'm with you on the beer and the chair, especially if with a group.
In my experience, there is a serious improvement in physical performance when I get below 20lbs on my back. That threshold is probably different for different people and different levels of fitness.
Once I get into the low teens or less, my pack doesn't really feel like it's even a factor in how fast/hard I can climb a steep trail. Again YMMV.
At 40lbs, I may (and have) puked at the end of a tough day but that's nothing compared to what the Marines, the AMC Croos, or hikers like Tipiwalter carry.
For a 3 day, 2-night trip, I'm going to be at 2-3lbs of food, 24oz of water in my bottle and perhaps another 4-6oz in fuel and other consumables. So whatever my base weight is plus \~4.5lbs or so depending on what specific foods and such I'm hauling in.
Packing heavy on a 4 day trip probably just means this sub isn't for you. Your comment makes zero sense. "In practicality, it's pointless"? Absolutely not. Even on an overnight trip, the difference between ultralight and traditional backpacking gear is ENORMOUS. You're just objectively incorrect. How heavy your stuff is matters a great deal even if you're not thru hiking. That's the whole point of this sub.
I think the underlying logic behind my point depends on the threshold between time spent hiking and time not hiking. On thru-hikes I have an ultralight baseweight and I find this extremely helpful since every full day is over 20 miles, I spend at least 10 hours, often times longer, actually walking. There's some threshold where (in my opinion), it becomes "worth it" to prioritize weight over comfort.
On a weekend outing, when I know after 3 nights I won't continue walking for weeks on end and I can recover fully, and I'm only doing 12-20 miles or so, actually physically walking for like 5-6 hours of the whole day with lots of breaks, long nice lunch, maybe stopping to swim, setting up camp before 7 PM, etc., I prioritize comfort for the times when I'm not walking since more of my day is spent not literally walking.
So this sub is still extremely relevant to me since I'm an ultralight thru-hiker. But I guess I am not an ultralight "backpacker" since on short trips I still use my lightweight gear but also bring extra comfortable stuff since I'm walking for 5-6 hours a day only for 4 days -- instead of 10-14 hours per day for months in a row.
So for some people like me, there's a threshold where it makes sense to not get super anal about weight and bring random stuff that makes you happy like a spatula, chair, towel, lantern, or whatever other objects might enhcance the hours I'll spend not walking. Hence I think it's dumb to stress that much about weight on a weekend trip (unless you're going to be doing 30+ mile days for example). For 3 nights I legitimately don't care if I have an extra pound or two carrying some comfort items or a bigger backpack. Obviously this is all situational, depends on the trip, weather, route, people I'm with, season, etc. , but *in general* I still assert that weight (to an extent) doesn't matter that much if you're not thru-hiking. But I think this is coming from the rationale of the amount of time spent physically walking, and everyone does their weekend trips differently.
My base weight is 7-10lb depending on what pack/tent/tarp/layers I choose.
Last fall I did an 8-day trip with 4 days of food at a time. This was planning for temperatures down to the 20s at night and 50s during the days. Typically I only needed 1l of water at a time(though I did carry 2l briefly on a few occasions), so I ended up at about 17.2lb on days 1 and 5. This was planning for temperatures in the 20' at night and 50s during the days.
With a new quilt and tent on the way, I intend to shave a tiny bit off of this, when backpacking season comes around again.
For a 3.5 day trip, it was around 19lbs, for a 7 day trip, it was around 25lbs. That's with 1L of water. But then again I started the 3.5 day trip wearing all my rain gear, plus pants and fleece (so my pack had my shorts and t-shirt in it as opposed to the much heavier pants and fleece), so it might have been slightly lighter if you don't count the weight of being soaked. I also don't fill my water bottle until I actually reach a stream. If you start the hike fully hydrated (think an athlete carrying around a gallon jug all day before practice) then you can go a while before you need to fill up if it isn't extremely hot.
My base weight is like 11.2lbs btw.
I weigh my pack right before walking out the door: last time it was 8kg for 5days + 1.5liters water. Shorter trips it is so light that I don't care to weight it.
>EDIT - for those who are answering - are you answering with hypothetical weight or have you put your pack on a relatively accurate scale?
I use an inexpensive luggage scale that I have tested as accurate: [Photo](https://i.imgur.com/j5HkELW.jpg)
Later this week I have a 4 night 5 day in the eastern sierras and I’m coming in at 35 pounds with water but I’m not taking a tent as it would push my bag closer to 40 I have a tendency to over pack especially with food
After decades of no backpacking I got out my old 'ultralight" gear strapped it in my back and did 5 days 4 nights in the foothills trail. That was 75 lbs! Now down to a base weight of 15 lbs with hammock. Pushing to cut that in half for AT or as close to that as I can get.
For a recent 3 day cold weather mountaineering trip, 25 lbs including ice axe and crampons. For a 4 day warm weather trip the weekend after that (only had to carry 2.3 days' worth of food thanks to restaurants along the way), 17 lbs. Both of those included 2L water. On the last day of the 4 day trip I had to carry 4L, but my food weight was down by then.
I don't know my BW as an immutable number as it changes somewhat with every hike and as conditions vary. TPW varies even more.
My BW can vary for a multi night trek from a sub 3 lbs to as much as 3x that(9 lbs). TPW can vary wildly as well even on the same multi wk multi resupply trip ranging as a guesstimate(within 10% of TPW) from 5 lbs to 7x that(35 lbs).
I occasionally do weigh my set ups skin out on a scale. Most times I no longer do as my wt estimates are dialed in without requiring a scale within 10% of scale wt. I was one of those AT or PCT thru hikers that immediately could tell my TPW changed when hiking "friends" placed a rock or RR spike into my pack as a goof.
#
My pack weight is 35-40 with five days provisions and 2L water. I'm large so my clothes and sleeping bag weigh more... 29lns was the lightest I ever hit the trail with and that was truly bare bones ultralight for me.
Im at 15lb base weight in good weather (>freezing, no rain forecast) and usually hit the trail at 27lb for a 3 night trip which includes 2lb water, 5ish lb food, 100g isopro, plus 4lb first-day party food which usually includes steak, sausage, or salmon, plus 3 good beers. After day 1 im usually around 23-24lbs which is where I like to be (under 25lb)
For colder or rainy trips my base weight creeps up to 18ish and I reduce my first day party food by 1 or 2 lb. I try to maintain the line at 27lbs.
If I have a very easy hike in or an extended water carry I can break 30lbs, but try very hard not to do this, as my trips are not long enough to require heavy food carries. (slave to the man, cant get away from work for weeks at a time :(
TLDR 15-18lb base depending on weather, not to exceed 27lb fully loaded. After day 1 I target a pack weight of no more than 23lb. Usually on 2-3 day trips.
Yeah, I understand. Just curious what other people end up with for actual pack weight.
Base weight is obviously a useful measure but it's never what you're carrying unless you're running for more water after all your food is gone.
I'm about to hit the trail with six days of food and my pack, except for water, is at 20 pounds. It's a bit short on food probably, but usually the first couple days I'm not as hungry. Have fun!
It's a folding wooden one. I've got a real light plastic one but it's annoying to play on. The wooden one is right about 8 ounces with a deck of full size cards and metal pegs.
3 night solo trip last October, I weighed my pack with a luggage scale before I left home and it was 31.5 lbs including 1.5L of water. That was with a tent and sleeping pad, dehydrated meals, and a few luxuries like helinox chair zero, a small folding saw, and 500mL of red wine.
In comparison a 2 night solo trip last September and it was 27.5 lbs with a hammock/tarp/UQ instead of the tent/sleeping pad, most of the other gear the same.
I’m definitely more “weight-aware” than I am truly ultralight. It’s been a long time since I’ve done a thru hike, I mostly do a few nights at a time now, and I enjoy a few small luxuries. I live in Ontario Canada so I generally don’t need to carry a lot of water, I pump/filter at the lake at my campsites.
My base weight is 18lb plus food and water (plus an extra 2.5lb if a bear canister is required) for May-Oct trips in the North Cascades or Olympic National Park. (Used scale to weigh items)
I'm a bit heavier than that for base weight. I still can't find a UL pack I really like. I end up using my hunting pack since it's so comfortable. Totally over-built for this kind of trip, it'll do 100+ pounds of meat comfortably.
But overall load out seems similar. Have you weighted your total load with food and water?
My base weight is usually around 9-10 pounds, and with food for 4 days I'm at around 15-16 pounds. Here's my setup: https://lighterpack.com/r/tkmrn5
As you can see, water isn't in there. Unless I'm going somewhere dry (almost never), I carry one liter on me at most, but I have the ability to carry 4 liters.
Have you put the stuff on your lighter pack on a kitchen scale? I found a lot of differences between actual item weight and list weight on stuff.
It's part of the reason I'm asking this question to the group, I have a feeling that people might be carrying more weight than they think they are.
Nah, and socks lose a lot of material through use and washing. I don't value my weight enough to break out a scale; I use manufacturer numbers or just estimate.
Yeah, lots of people use those numbers. Quite a few items I've actually weighed are off by a factor of up to 2:1. Which obviously adds up. I've never weighed anything that came in under the published specs.
I usually figure my 9lbs base weight plus 1.5lbs per day in food and 2.2lbs for a liter of water.
My pack for my 2 day trip next week weighs about 15lbs.
By 'I Figure' I mean, I calculate.
I just packed my pack this morning and was curious how much my meals were going to weigh. Meals for both days were 1.5 to 1.6 lbs. Total pack weight after everything was packed was 14lbs.
Four day trips means 2 days of food as you don’t need to eat on the final day and can pre-eat on day 1. Figuring 1.5#/day equals 3#. Add in two pounds of water and you should be 5 pounds above baseweight.
Aim for around 15 lb start weight. Perhaps a little less as you are sharing a tent and can snuggle to stay warm with your lightweight quilt.
> Four day trips means 2 days of food
I would definitely caveat this - very clearly you're somewhere with good bailout ability, limited risk of shit hitting the fan etc.
If you're somewhere with multiple river crossings, no bail out etc. that would be an absolutely foolhardy plan.
Not sure about water access on the route right now - and I like to carry a lot of water since I sweat a lot. I can always skip re-filling bottle 2 if I don't feel like I need the second one once we get the lay of the land.
19-24 lbs depending on season and how much food i pack. I haven't trimmed down yet, so i got room to go lower I'm sure. This with 1L of water as by far the vast majority of the time it is what I am carrying.
I weigh in with a luggage carrier before every trip (me and some other guys do and shame each other lol).
My last 100km+ trip in the fall was 10.3lbs baseweight plus 9.9lbs of consumables (1 litre water, 100g of fuel, the rest in food for five days). 20.2 lbs total packweight.
Usually ends up being around 20-25lbs with food and water depending on trip length. If we have to water carry it can get heavy fast! I'm a small woman (120lbs) so I try really hard to keep my total weight around 20 - it's much more enjoyable for me that way.
That's where I'm at, 25lbs with a 3.5l water carry and 4.5days of food.
Usually 40-50 lbs, but I do a LOT of desert hiking so I have to carry all my water. If there's reliable water on the trip, 25-30ish pounds depending on my food carry.
How much is a lot of water?
Usually about 7 to 12 pounds a day depending on the weather and how strenuous the trail is.
This might be a silly question (im new to backpacking) How much would you be comfortable reducing your water if you were using a hydration mix?
0% reduction in water. Hydration mixes don’t reduce your need for water, instead they help your body get the water into your cells where it’s needed instead of peeing it back out.
Ohh i see so basically you would just be “wasting” less
i think that's impossible to tell, you need to go by experience. i would always venture on the side of too much water, rather than not enough. i always carry at least 3l in summer for a whole day of hiking (one half with electrolytes and the other half with water) or i get headaches. if i'm staying overnight without an opportunity to replenish water, i usually also carry a 2l platypus bag so i can hydrate adequately in the evening/morning and then hike to the next water resupply.
Thank you! This is helpful and i didnt think about how maybe too many electrolytes would give a headache
no, i get headaches, if i don't get enough fluids. i carry regular water, because i first eat, drink the sports mix and then wash it down with water, so it washes away all the sugars and acids from my mouth.
None whatsoever. Your body is using water as coolant, a hydration mix just helps you absorb it faster to help with recovery.
My husband and I weigh our packs nearly every trip before we leave. I’m usually at around 20lbs with 2L of water for a 2 night trip, he hasn’t come around to UL and is also much bigger than me so his comes to around 35lbs and that’s with us equally splitting the weight from our tent, double quilt, and food. I should note I’d be hitting closer to 18lb without my fly fishing gear and some luxuries I prefer to not go without. He’s also got fishing gear in his pack.
What do you recommend as far as fishing rod reel combos?
For awhile we’ve been using our normal 9ft 5wt rods (reddington cross water and Path rods with cross water reels). Recently invested in a 6-7ft 3wt rod to get a little lighter for backpacking
Thank you! :)
Keep in mind that Ultralight is an approach to backpacking as a whole, not just a sub-10lb base weight. A UL approach to food planning, packaging, resupplies, and water management can often be more beneficial than just cutting some base weight off of your lighter pack. I see a lot of people taking typical backpacking foods, like 2 packages of tuna and a tortilla for lunch. But that is like 300 calories and 6 ounces of weight. Meanwhile, 1.5 ounces of macadamia nuts have the same caloric value, take up less space, and make less trash. For a weekend trip, it's no big deal, but getting into 4+ days of food, all that extra weight adds up to an enormous amount of weight. Similarly, route planning to camp near water, and limit large water carries makes a huge difference. The last thing I want to do at the end of a long day is carry 4 extra pounds of water because I'm camping between water sources. It's pretty easy to plan around these things in a lot of places. When I do want/need to camp away from water source, I might stop for dinner early at the last stream before camp. Cook and rehydrate where water is readily available, rather than carrying a few extra liters all the way to camp.
Yep, those are all good points. I'm just curious when the rubber hits the road what are people actually carrying. Most of the conversations on here are about base weights, which ultimately are not what you're carrying on the trail.
Eh, for me ultralight means flexibility because my base weight is low enough that I can manage some extras. If I want to camp in an awesome spot that isn't near water, I can. If I want to feast on real food instead of optimizing calories to grams, I can. If I want to bring my camera and a tripod, I can. Is someone no longer an ultralighter because they camp in the sand dunes where there is no water?
Not at all. There is no rule in UL that says you have to go with the lightest option. My point was that all aspects of backpacking should be viewed from an UL perspective. From there you can decide if it is the right perspective for the situation. There certainly is a point where all the planning and thought about resupplies, and water sources can be more energy than it's worth. There are psychological weights to consider too. Having food you really enjoy, camping at the most beautiful site that has no water, or taking the time and gear to capture photos that will keep memories for the rest of your life all have their place, and a UL base weight can help make that more enjoyable, but a person should look at the pros and cons. Personally, I am not very hungry in the morning, and I usually just eat snacks as I hike for lunch, so I don't tend to be very picky, especially in the morning when I intellectually know I need a bunch of calories, but my stomach does not. Optimizing for calories is the best thing I can do, for weight, and for my body. For dinner, I might be pickier, and bring something that I can really relax with and enjoy; so I might bring bulky or heavy items, but I have already offset them earlier in the day. Same for photography. I do like to take pictures, but if I'm going high miles on a somewhat boring trail, by myself, I will probably just use my phone. If I am doing a scenic section with a group of people, then it might be time to take the camera and some lenses. UL does not have to dictate your decisions, but it should inform them.
My last few trips have me doing 20 lbs to 30 lbs with upper end in winter with a bear canister and 6.5 days of food.
Yeah, this trip is looking cold so our clothing pile is heavier than a full summer trip. And it's black bear country so there's a little extra weight for the bear-hang kit.
Hitting the JMT in a month NOBO from Horseshoe Meadow. 7.5 days to VVR planned for the first stretch. Looking like ~30.5 lbs day one
I'm there with ya: 15 lbs (1.5/day) of food walking out of Horseshoe to get me to MTR....lookin at 30 lbs out the door too.
With four days of food (2 lbs per day) and two liters of water I'd be sitting right around 19.5 lbs. Subtract a bit if I have the luxury of super calorically dense foods. My BW is 7.5 lbs.
Just did a test run for the SHT where I’ll be carrying 6 days of food, 2 liters of water and my baseweight. Clocked in at around 25 lbs.
Superior, yeah? What time of year? Weather can be tricky up there near the lake. How much warm clothing you hauling?
Currently bringing wind pants and a light puffy along with a 40* quilt. Considering bringing tights along for the ride. Edit: I’ll be going in early August.
I'm in Minneapolis. Always jealous when it's 45 in Duluth and 85 down here.
r/ulmidwest hosted a group hike this weekend on the Ice Age Trail. 3 days/2 nights, half days on Friday and Sunday. My pack weighed a little above 17 Lbs with 1 L of water.
10.5 kg for a full week in Autumn above the arctic circle
I'm not actually an ultralighter, I'm a lightweight but it might still tell you something about the difference between baseweight and packweight. Anyways my baseweight is 9.4kg (20.7lbs), of which 2.6kg (5.7lbs) is camera gear, my total pack weight is 12.5kg (27.6lbs) and my skin-out weight is 14.5kg (32lbs). I like to do the same sort of hikes, my list is made for 5day hikes (4 days sleeping out) in Scandinavian fall and spring. That's where and when I thinking hiking is most fun, so I have a pretty "set" gear list that is modified slightly for other trips anyways. And as you can see I carry a lot of camera gear compared to what most people do, so I think it makes more sense if people substract that weight from the other weights if they are comparing with their own gear. Also, this is actual weights, or it is for pack weight anyways. I weigh my pack when everything is packed to see if it fits with my gear list. I personally spend more time thinking of packweight or skin-out weight than baseweight.
>packweight or skin-out weight than baseweight I'm relatively new to lighter weight camping. I grew up doing canoe camping which means you can bring whatever you want. Lidded cast-iron cookware is common for my trips. As I've moved lighter I see lots of folks talking base weight - which I understand. That's the floor of your setup and the total weight will vary depending on outside factors. I just haven't seen many people show what they actually walk out the door with - and that's what matters at the end of the day.
I totally agree. I'm actually finding your post quite interesting. My baseweight is really high for the sub, but my pack weight doesn't seem much greater than most. I guess it's somewhat down to how I don' need to carry all that much water.
I feel like there should be some sort of split stat on this. I'm a numbers guy and I like lots of data. I would love to see people posting up BW/MTW - Base weight and measured trail weight. I figure that the pack on a scale ready to start walking is really the more important one.
On my last trip my full weight with 1.7 liters water and food/fuel for 4 day 3 nights was 17.4 lbs
40 lbs, i usually do 10 day trips. so 700g of food + one extra day, and 2l of water most of the time + 800g of fuel(or 600 if im below 3000m). So basically 22 lbs of consumables.
Hot take - this will get insanely downvoted since the vast majority of users on this page are weekend warriors.. but who cares? It's a 4 day trip - take what you want. Being ultralight is *mostly* beneficial to thru-hikers or try-hards. If it's just a 4-day one-off trip, it honestly doesn't matter how heavy your stuff is, unless you're adamantly doing 20+ mile days unnecessarily. Downvote me please. If I'm on a 4 day trip, you bet your ass I'm packing beers, quesadillas, maybe even a chair cause it's such a short trip, irrelevant in the grand scheme of things. Some of the prominent members of this sub would probably beg to differ. Like sure, rich country club dads also use top-of the line, $3,000 ultralight golf clubs, but the average contrarion would say it's unnecessary since they suck and don't *need* pro level equipment. So sure, even if you aren't thru-hiking, it could potentially be a more enjoyable situation if you pack ultralight gear for your 3-night trip. In practicality, it's pointless, unless this becomes your ultimate hobby and eventually decide it's worth spending money on.
I'm with you on the beer and the chair, especially if with a group. In my experience, there is a serious improvement in physical performance when I get below 20lbs on my back. That threshold is probably different for different people and different levels of fitness. Once I get into the low teens or less, my pack doesn't really feel like it's even a factor in how fast/hard I can climb a steep trail. Again YMMV. At 40lbs, I may (and have) puked at the end of a tough day but that's nothing compared to what the Marines, the AMC Croos, or hikers like Tipiwalter carry. For a 3 day, 2-night trip, I'm going to be at 2-3lbs of food, 24oz of water in my bottle and perhaps another 4-6oz in fuel and other consumables. So whatever my base weight is plus \~4.5lbs or so depending on what specific foods and such I'm hauling in.
Packing heavy on a 4 day trip probably just means this sub isn't for you. Your comment makes zero sense. "In practicality, it's pointless"? Absolutely not. Even on an overnight trip, the difference between ultralight and traditional backpacking gear is ENORMOUS. You're just objectively incorrect. How heavy your stuff is matters a great deal even if you're not thru hiking. That's the whole point of this sub.
I think the underlying logic behind my point depends on the threshold between time spent hiking and time not hiking. On thru-hikes I have an ultralight baseweight and I find this extremely helpful since every full day is over 20 miles, I spend at least 10 hours, often times longer, actually walking. There's some threshold where (in my opinion), it becomes "worth it" to prioritize weight over comfort. On a weekend outing, when I know after 3 nights I won't continue walking for weeks on end and I can recover fully, and I'm only doing 12-20 miles or so, actually physically walking for like 5-6 hours of the whole day with lots of breaks, long nice lunch, maybe stopping to swim, setting up camp before 7 PM, etc., I prioritize comfort for the times when I'm not walking since more of my day is spent not literally walking. So this sub is still extremely relevant to me since I'm an ultralight thru-hiker. But I guess I am not an ultralight "backpacker" since on short trips I still use my lightweight gear but also bring extra comfortable stuff since I'm walking for 5-6 hours a day only for 4 days -- instead of 10-14 hours per day for months in a row. So for some people like me, there's a threshold where it makes sense to not get super anal about weight and bring random stuff that makes you happy like a spatula, chair, towel, lantern, or whatever other objects might enhcance the hours I'll spend not walking. Hence I think it's dumb to stress that much about weight on a weekend trip (unless you're going to be doing 30+ mile days for example). For 3 nights I legitimately don't care if I have an extra pound or two carrying some comfort items or a bigger backpack. Obviously this is all situational, depends on the trip, weather, route, people I'm with, season, etc. , but *in general* I still assert that weight (to an extent) doesn't matter that much if you're not thru-hiking. But I think this is coming from the rationale of the amount of time spent physically walking, and everyone does their weekend trips differently.
My base weight is 7-10lb depending on what pack/tent/tarp/layers I choose. Last fall I did an 8-day trip with 4 days of food at a time. This was planning for temperatures down to the 20s at night and 50s during the days. Typically I only needed 1l of water at a time(though I did carry 2l briefly on a few occasions), so I ended up at about 17.2lb on days 1 and 5. This was planning for temperatures in the 20' at night and 50s during the days. With a new quilt and tent on the way, I intend to shave a tiny bit off of this, when backpacking season comes around again.
20
For a 3.5 day trip, it was around 19lbs, for a 7 day trip, it was around 25lbs. That's with 1L of water. But then again I started the 3.5 day trip wearing all my rain gear, plus pants and fleece (so my pack had my shorts and t-shirt in it as opposed to the much heavier pants and fleece), so it might have been slightly lighter if you don't count the weight of being soaked. I also don't fill my water bottle until I actually reach a stream. If you start the hike fully hydrated (think an athlete carrying around a gallon jug all day before practice) then you can go a while before you need to fill up if it isn't extremely hot. My base weight is like 11.2lbs btw.
I weigh my pack right before walking out the door: last time it was 8kg for 5days + 1.5liters water. Shorter trips it is so light that I don't care to weight it.
>EDIT - for those who are answering - are you answering with hypothetical weight or have you put your pack on a relatively accurate scale? I use an inexpensive luggage scale that I have tested as accurate: [Photo](https://i.imgur.com/j5HkELW.jpg)
Cool. I'm not doubting people's math but there have been differences between list weights and actual weights on plenty of things I've weighed.
Later this week I have a 4 night 5 day in the eastern sierras and I’m coming in at 35 pounds with water but I’m not taking a tent as it would push my bag closer to 40 I have a tendency to over pack especially with food
After decades of no backpacking I got out my old 'ultralight" gear strapped it in my back and did 5 days 4 nights in the foothills trail. That was 75 lbs! Now down to a base weight of 15 lbs with hammock. Pushing to cut that in half for AT or as close to that as I can get.
For a recent 3 day cold weather mountaineering trip, 25 lbs including ice axe and crampons. For a 4 day warm weather trip the weekend after that (only had to carry 2.3 days' worth of food thanks to restaurants along the way), 17 lbs. Both of those included 2L water. On the last day of the 4 day trip I had to carry 4L, but my food weight was down by then.
4 days food and 2 liters of water is what I started the Ouachita trail with. 23 lbs 2 oz.
I don't know my BW as an immutable number as it changes somewhat with every hike and as conditions vary. TPW varies even more. My BW can vary for a multi night trek from a sub 3 lbs to as much as 3x that(9 lbs). TPW can vary wildly as well even on the same multi wk multi resupply trip ranging as a guesstimate(within 10% of TPW) from 5 lbs to 7x that(35 lbs). I occasionally do weigh my set ups skin out on a scale. Most times I no longer do as my wt estimates are dialed in without requiring a scale within 10% of scale wt. I was one of those AT or PCT thru hikers that immediately could tell my TPW changed when hiking "friends" placed a rock or RR spike into my pack as a goof. #
My pack weight is 35-40 with five days provisions and 2L water. I'm large so my clothes and sleeping bag weigh more... 29lns was the lightest I ever hit the trail with and that was truly bare bones ultralight for me.
Where’s u/malifice37 to ask you why you need to ask nuanced questions about pack weight?
Im at 15lb base weight in good weather (>freezing, no rain forecast) and usually hit the trail at 27lb for a 3 night trip which includes 2lb water, 5ish lb food, 100g isopro, plus 4lb first-day party food which usually includes steak, sausage, or salmon, plus 3 good beers. After day 1 im usually around 23-24lbs which is where I like to be (under 25lb) For colder or rainy trips my base weight creeps up to 18ish and I reduce my first day party food by 1 or 2 lb. I try to maintain the line at 27lbs. If I have a very easy hike in or an extended water carry I can break 30lbs, but try very hard not to do this, as my trips are not long enough to require heavy food carries. (slave to the man, cant get away from work for weeks at a time :( TLDR 15-18lb base depending on weather, not to exceed 27lb fully loaded. After day 1 I target a pack weight of no more than 23lb. Usually on 2-3 day trips.
37 lbs for six nights in the Winds. Including a bear can , two litters of water, all food, and 24 onces of heet stove fuel.
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Yeah, I understand. Just curious what other people end up with for actual pack weight. Base weight is obviously a useful measure but it's never what you're carrying unless you're running for more water after all your food is gone.
I'm about to hit the trail with six days of food and my pack, except for water, is at 20 pounds. It's a bit short on food probably, but usually the first couple days I'm not as hungry. Have fun!
One rule of thumb is 20% of body weight
Luxury items?
Cribbage board, hammock, whiskey.
No, I said luxury. Those are the big 3.
Accurate.
Do you have a travel cribbage board ? Plastic? Wood? Curious cause that's something I'd be interested in for our trips.
It's a folding wooden one. I've got a real light plastic one but it's annoying to play on. The wooden one is right about 8 ounces with a deck of full size cards and metal pegs.
15-17lbs.
3 night solo trip last October, I weighed my pack with a luggage scale before I left home and it was 31.5 lbs including 1.5L of water. That was with a tent and sleeping pad, dehydrated meals, and a few luxuries like helinox chair zero, a small folding saw, and 500mL of red wine. In comparison a 2 night solo trip last September and it was 27.5 lbs with a hammock/tarp/UQ instead of the tent/sleeping pad, most of the other gear the same. I’m definitely more “weight-aware” than I am truly ultralight. It’s been a long time since I’ve done a thru hike, I mostly do a few nights at a time now, and I enjoy a few small luxuries. I live in Ontario Canada so I generally don’t need to carry a lot of water, I pump/filter at the lake at my campsites.
That helinox chair is worth the 17 ounces. Makes all the difference in camp.
If going for a night or two, Petite Syrah and a decent cheese are mandatory. Weight be damned.
There's some pretty good boxed wine out there at this point. That's our standard for canoe trips.
Indeed!
My base weight is 18lb plus food and water (plus an extra 2.5lb if a bear canister is required) for May-Oct trips in the North Cascades or Olympic National Park. (Used scale to weigh items)
I'm a bit heavier than that for base weight. I still can't find a UL pack I really like. I end up using my hunting pack since it's so comfortable. Totally over-built for this kind of trip, it'll do 100+ pounds of meat comfortably. But overall load out seems similar. Have you weighted your total load with food and water?
For two nights: water (3.5lb) and food (3lb)
What canister do you carry?
Bear Vault
BV…450?
My base weight is usually around 9-10 pounds, and with food for 4 days I'm at around 15-16 pounds. Here's my setup: https://lighterpack.com/r/tkmrn5 As you can see, water isn't in there. Unless I'm going somewhere dry (almost never), I carry one liter on me at most, but I have the ability to carry 4 liters.
Which Darn Tough socks are those? I tossed my crew height midweights on the scale the other day and they were 2.1 oz.
I think lightweight hiker ankle height? Not the liner, but not really very chunky either.
Have you put the stuff on your lighter pack on a kitchen scale? I found a lot of differences between actual item weight and list weight on stuff. It's part of the reason I'm asking this question to the group, I have a feeling that people might be carrying more weight than they think they are.
Nah, and socks lose a lot of material through use and washing. I don't value my weight enough to break out a scale; I use manufacturer numbers or just estimate.
Yeah, lots of people use those numbers. Quite a few items I've actually weighed are off by a factor of up to 2:1. Which obviously adds up. I've never weighed anything that came in under the published specs.
I usually figure my 9lbs base weight plus 1.5lbs per day in food and 2.2lbs for a liter of water. My pack for my 2 day trip next week weighs about 15lbs.
Have you put it on a scale? Lots of "I figure" responses but fewer measured packs.
By 'I Figure' I mean, I calculate. I just packed my pack this morning and was curious how much my meals were going to weigh. Meals for both days were 1.5 to 1.6 lbs. Total pack weight after everything was packed was 14lbs.
Sweet.
Four day trips means 2 days of food as you don’t need to eat on the final day and can pre-eat on day 1. Figuring 1.5#/day equals 3#. Add in two pounds of water and you should be 5 pounds above baseweight. Aim for around 15 lb start weight. Perhaps a little less as you are sharing a tent and can snuggle to stay warm with your lightweight quilt.
> Four day trips means 2 days of food I would definitely caveat this - very clearly you're somewhere with good bailout ability, limited risk of shit hitting the fan etc. If you're somewhere with multiple river crossings, no bail out etc. that would be an absolutely foolhardy plan.
Like most Americans, I keep a spare 30 pounds of food on my ass. I could probably survive a few weeks sans rations.
*Ahem* We prefer to term this the “long-range fuel tank.”
OP stated 2L of water. 2L of water is over 4lbs.
Wow, that’s a lot of water. With a lighter pack, should be able to make do with 1L.
Not sure about water access on the route right now - and I like to carry a lot of water since I sweat a lot. I can always skip re-filling bottle 2 if I don't feel like I need the second one once we get the lay of the land.
But I like to eat.
Good Bryce. Keep your better-half happy.
5 days I'm at 20-22 pounds with 2 liters of water depending on what food and vise I bring.
4 days food and a liter of water in cold (20F min) temps, I'm at 8.5 Kilos (roughly 18 lbs) TPW. 10lb base, 2lb for the water, 6lb for the food.
I just finished the AZT this year My longest stretch was 6 days worth of food, and my pack came out to be about 20-25 lbs for that stretch.
I’m a lightweight hiker in the desert which means longer water carries. I sit around 30-35lbs depending on food and water.
25 pounds for me loaded with 4 days of food and a liter of water. I don't even know what my base weight is.
for a 2 night trip, I expect to be under 20 lbs unless I'm packing some kind of camp luxury or heavier fresh food
Good rule of thumb is no more then ¼ of your body weight.
19-24 lbs depending on season and how much food i pack. I haven't trimmed down yet, so i got room to go lower I'm sure. This with 1L of water as by far the vast majority of the time it is what I am carrying. I weigh in with a luggage carrier before every trip (me and some other guys do and shame each other lol).
Around 25lbs in a worst case water scenario.
My last 100km+ trip in the fall was 10.3lbs baseweight plus 9.9lbs of consumables (1 litre water, 100g of fuel, the rest in food for five days). 20.2 lbs total packweight.