Ultralight Backpacking Gear List (10 lb Base Weight)
Here is an example of an ultralight backpacking gear list that you can use for everything from overnight hikes to thru-hikes. Ultralight backpacking gear works great for hiking trails like the Pacific Crest Trail, John Muir Trail and Appalachian Trail between late Spring and early Fall.
Instead of suggesting just one item for each category, I have listed several popular options for the most important gear categories (like the big three and clothing) for you to choose from. If you would like to see the gear I use myself, check out My Lightweight Backpacking Gear List.
The Big Three (Backpack, Shelter, Sleep System)
Weight: 5-6 pounds, Budget: ~$900
These three items (technically four, if you count sleeping bag and pad separately) are the foundation of your lightweight backpacking system. They get used more than anything else, make up the bulk of your gear weight and will take the biggest chunk out of your budget.
Ultralight Backpacks (Under 1.5 pounds)
- Option A: ULA Equipment CDT (24 ounces) ULA
- Option B: Granite Gear Virga 2 (19 ounces) Amazon Granite Gear
- Option C: Zpacks Arc Blast (20 ounces) Zpacks
Ultralight Backpacking Shelters (Around 1.5 pounds)
- Option A: Gossamer Gear The One (22 ounces) Gossamer Gear
- Option B: Six Moon Designs Lunar Solo (26 ounces) Six Moon Designs
- Option C: Tarptent ProTrail (26 ounces) Tarptent
- Option D: Zpacks Plexamid (15 ounces) Zpacks
Ultralight Sleeping Bags (Around 1.5 pounds)
- Option A: REI Magma 15 (28 ounces) REI
- Option B: REI Igneo 25 (26 ounces) REI
- Option C: Marmot Hydrogen 30 (23 ounces) Amazon REI
- Option D: Nemo Tango Solo 30 (28 ounces) Amazon REI
Ultralight Sleeping Pads (Under 0.75 lb)
- Option A: Therm-a-Rest NeoAir XLite Reg (12 ounces) Amazon REI
- Option B: Big Agnes Insulated AXL Petite (11 ounces) Amazon REI
- Option C: Therm-a-Rest Z Lite Sol Short (10 ounces) Amazon REI
- Option D: Therm-a-Rest Ridgerest Short (9 ounces) Amazon REI
Clothing Worn
Weight: 3 pounds, Budget: ~$300
These are clothing items that are typically worn every day on the trail. Hiking clothing should be lightweight, comfortable, breathable, durable and made from synthetic fabrics, wool or silk (no cotton.) Since these items spend more time on your body than in your pack, they are excluded from the “base weight” calculation, but are included in your “skin-out weight.”
Ultralight Hiking Shoes
- Option A: Altra Lone Peak 4 (19 ounces) Amazon REI
- Option B: Brooks Cascadia 13 (24 ounces) Amazon REI
- Option C: Salomon X Ultra 3 Low GTX (27 ounces) Amazon REI
- Option D: The North Face Ultra 110 GTX (31 ounces) Amazon
- Option E: Merrell Moab 2 Ventilator Low (31 ounces) Amazon REI
Ultralight Hiking Socks
- Option A: Wrightsock Coolmesh II (1.5 ounces) Amazon REI
- Option B: REI Coolmax Ultralight Hiking (1.5 ounces) REI
- Option C: Smartwool PHD Outdoor Light (2 ounces) Amazon REI
- Option D: Darn Tough Hiker Cushion (2 ounces) Amazon REI
Hiking Insoles
- Option A: Superfeet Green (5 ounces) Amazon REI
- Option B: Columbia Montrail Enduro-Sole (5 ounces) Amazon
- Option C: Spenco Polysorb Cross Trainer (5 ounces) Amazon
Hiking Shirts
- Option A: Patagonia Capilene T-Shirt (5 ounces) REI
- Option B: Columbia Silver Ridge Lite Shirt (6 ounces) Amazon REI
- Option C: Mountain Hardware Canyon Shirt (8 ounces) Amazon REI
Hiking Pants
- Option A: Columbia Silver Ridge Convertible Pants (12 ounces) Amazon REI
- Option B: prAna Stretch Zion Pants (13 ounces) Amazon REI
- Option C: REI Sahara Convertible Pants (10 ounces) REI
Hiking Underwear
- Option A: Under Armour Boxer Jock (3 ounces) Amazon
- Option B: Champion Tech Performance Boxer Briefs (3 ounces) Amazon
- Option C: Icebreaker Anatomica Boxer Briefs (3 ounces) Amazon REI
- Option D: REI Boxers (3 ounces) REI
Hiking Hats
- Option A: Outdoor Research Sombriolet (3 ounces) Amazon REI
- Option B: Outdoor Research Helios (2.5 ounces) Amazon REI
- Option C: Sunday Afternoons Sun Tripper (2.5 ounces) Amazon REI
- Option D: Outdoor Research Swift Cap (2.5 ounces) Amazon REI
Hiking Sunglasses
- Option A: Duduma Polarized Superlight Tr62 (0.9 ounce) Amazon
- Option B: 3M Tekk Safety Glasses (1 ounce) Amazon
- Option C: Duduma Polarized Sport Tr8116 (1.3 ounces) Amazon
Clothing Packed
Weight: 1.5 pounds, Budget: ~$500
These are clothing items which typically spend more time in your pack than on your body. They are used primarily for staying warm and dry in inclement weather, in the evenings in camp and as spares for clothing that needs to air out between uses (like socks and underwear.) Because they are usually stored in your pack, these items are included in the “base weight” calculation.
Ultralight Insulated Vests
- Option A: Patagonia Nano Puff Vest (9 ounces) REI
- Option B: REI 650 Down Vest (7.5 ounces) REI
- Option C: Arc’teryx Cerium LT Down Vest (6.5 ounces) REI
Ultralight Rain Jackets
- Option A: Outdoor Research Helium II Jacket (6.4 ounces) Amazon REI
- Option B: Arc’teryx Zeta FL Rain Jacket (7.8 ounces) REI
- Option C: Marmot Bantamweight Jacket (5 ounces) Amazon Marmot
Ultralight Base Layer Tops
- Option A: Terramar ThermaSilk Shirt (3 ounces) Amazon
- Option B: REI Silk Long Underwear Shirt (4 ounces) REI
- Option B: Smartwool Merino 150 Shirt (5.5 ounces) Amazon REI
Ultralight Base Layer Bottoms
- Option A: Terramar ThermaSilk Bottoms (3 ounces) Amazon
- Option A: REI Silk Long Underwear Bottoms (4 ounces) REI
- Option B: Smartwool Merino 150 Bottoms (5.5 ounces) Amazon REI
Other Clothing Packed
- Warm Cap: REI Polartec Fleece Beanie (0.8 ounce) REI
- Gloves: REI Polartec Power Stretch Gloves (1.4 ounces) REI
- Spare Socks: Smartwool PHD Outdoor Light Socks (2 ounces) Amazon REI
- Wallet: Granite Gear Hiker Wallet (0.4 ounce) Amazon
Cooking & Hydration
Weight: 1.3 pounds, Cost: ~$200
These items are used for cooking, eating and cleaning dishes as well as storing and treating drinking water. This example provides carrying capacity for up to 4 liters of water. You may need to adjust this up or down, depending on how much water is available where you hike.
- Camp Stove: MSR Pocket Rocket 2 (2.6 ounces) Amazon REI
- Cook Pot: MSR Titan Kettle 850ml (4.2 ounces) Amazon REI
- Cup: TOAKS Titanium 450ml (2.7 ounces) Amazon REI
- Pot Cozy: Home-made Pot Cozy (1.4 ounces) Instructions
- Spoon: HumanGear GoBites Uno Spork (0.5 ounce) Amazon REI
- Pot Scrubber: 1/2 Scotch-Brite Pad (0.4 ounce)
- Hydration Reservoir: Platypus Hoser 3 Liter (3.8 ounces) Amazon REI
- Water Bottle: Aquafina Bottle 1 Liter (1.5 ounces)
- Water Purification: Aquamira (3 ounces) Amazon REI
Survival & Miscellaneous
Weight: 1.6 pounds, Cost: ~$400
These are items used for navigation, fire starting, first aid, gear repairs, personal hygiene, organization and other various tasks. Though some of these items may not get used very often, it is still wise to carry them, because they can make all the difference in an emergency.
- Trail Map: Pocket Atlas (3 ounces) Blackwoods Press
- GPS Receiver/Messenger: SPOT Satellite Messenger (4.7 ounces) Amazon REI
- Compass/Thermometer: Silva Forecaster (0.5 ounce) Amazon
- Light: Petzl Zipka (2.4 ounces) Amazon REI
- Multi Tool: Swiss Army Classic (0.7 ounce) Amazon REI
- Fire Starter: Mini Bic Lighter (0.4 ounce) Amazon
- Backup Fire Starter: SOL Fire Lite Kit (0.6 ounce) Amazon REI
- Whistle: SOL Slim Howler (0.2 ounce) Amazon
- Tape: 50″ Duct Tape (0.6 ounce) Amazon REI
- Cord: 25′ Guyline (0.5 ounce) Amazon REI
- First Aid Kit: Adventure Medical .3 Kit (3.2 ounces) Amazon REI
- Bug Head Net: Sea to Summit Head Net (1 ounce) Amazon REI
- Wash Rag: Packtowl Personal Towel (0.7 ounces) Amazon REI
- Toothbrush: Folding Toothbrush (0.7 ounces) Amazon
- Phone Charger: Smartphone Charger (2 ounces)
- Food Sack: Granite Gear Air Zippsack 16L (1.5 ounces) Amazon
- Sleeping Bag Sack: Sea to Summit UltraSil 8L (1 ounce) Amazon REI
- Clothing Sack: Sea to Summit UltraSil 8L (1 ounce) Amazon REI
- Ditty Sack: Granite Gear Air Zippsack 5L (1 ounce) Amazon
Items Worn or Carried
Weight: 1.6 pounds, Cost: ~$150 (not including cost of phone)
These are non-clothing items which are typically carried in your hands or on your body. They are excluded from the “base pack weight” calculation, but are included in “skin-out weight.”
- Trekking Poles: REI Flash Carbon Trekking Poles (15 ounces) REI
- Fixed Blade Knife: Morakniv Craftline Basic 3.6 inch (4 ounces) Amazon
- Smartphone: Your Phone & Accessories (7 ounces)
Consumables
Weight: ~20 pounds
These are items which get used up as you go along, so they have to be replenished regularly. Since the weight of consumables is always fluctuating, they are excluded from the “base pack weight” calculation, but are included in your “full pack weight” and “skin-out weight.”
- Food: 5 Days Backpacking Food (160 ounces)
- Water: 4 Liters Water (140 ounces)
- Fuel: Small Fuel Canister (7 ounces) Amazon
- Toilet Paper: Toilet Paper (1 ounce) Amazon
- Hand Sanitizer: Purell (1.2 ounces) Amazon
- Wet Wipes: 5 Wet Ones Singles (1 ounce) Amazon
- Spare Batteries: 3 AAA Lithium (0.8 ounces) Amazon
- Body Powder: Gold Bond Powder (1.8 ounces) Amazon
- Toothpaste: Travel Toothpaste (1 ounce) Amazon
- Sunscreen: Travel Sunscreen (1.2 ounces) Amazon
- Lip Balm: Carmex (0.5 ounce) Amazon
- Bug Repellant: Repel 30% Deet (1.5 ounces) Amazon
Ultralight Backpacking Gear List Summary
Base Pack Weight: 9.9 pounds, Cost: ~$2,400
There are several methods for calculating pack weight. “Base weight” includes all packed gear, but does not include consumables, clothing worn and other items worn or carried. “Full pack weight” includes packed gear, food, water, fuel and other consumables. “Skin-out weight” includes everything packed, worn and carried. Here is how our example gear list stacks up: