Midweight Backpacking Gear List

Weight: 8.4 lbs

These “big three” items make up the foundation of your lightweight backpacking system. They get used more than anything else, make up the bulk of your pack weight and will take the biggest chunk out of your budget.

The Big Three:

• Backpack: ULA Equipment Circuit (37 oz)
• Shelter: Big Agnes Copper Spur HV UL1 (34 oz)
• Sleeping Bag: REI Magma 15 Med-Wide (40 oz)
• Sleeping Pad: Big Agnes Rapide SL Reg-Wide (23 oz)

Alternatives:

• Backpacks: REI Flash 55 (45 oz) | Osprey Exos 58 (45 oz) | Granite Gear Crown 60 (37 oz) | Granite Gear Blaze 60 (49 oz)
• Shelters: MSR Hubba Hubba 1 (34 oz) | NEMO Hornet OSMO 1P (29 oz) | Sea to Summit Alto TR 1 (33 oz) | Tarptent Rainbow (32 oz)
• Sleeping Bags: NEMO Disco 15 (43 oz) | Big Agnes Lost Ranger UL 15 (35 oz) | Sea to Summit Ascent 15 (36 oz) | Marmot Helium 15 (35 oz)
• Sleeping Pads: NEMO Tensor All-Season RW (19 oz) | Therm-a-Rest Neo Air XTherm RW (20 oz) | Therm-a-Rest Prolite Apex Reg (22 oz)

Weight: 3.9 lbs

This is the clothing you will wear every day on the trail. Since these items spend more time on your body than in your pack, they are excluded from the “base weight” calculation. But they are included in your “skin-out weight.”

Clothing Worn:

• Shoes: Merrell Moab (31 oz)
• Socks: Darn Tough Hiker Cushion (2 oz)
• Insoles: Superfeet Green (5 oz)
• Shirt: Patagonia Capilene Cool Daily Shirt (5 oz)
• Pants: Columbia Silver Ridge Convertible Pants (12 oz)
• Underwear: Under Armour Boxer Jock (3 oz)
• Hat: Outdoor Research Helios (3 oz)
• Sunglasses: 3M Tekk Safety Glasses (1 oz)

Alternatives:

• Shoes: Altra Lone Peak (21 oz) | Danner Trail 2650 (24 oz) | Salomon X Ultra (27 oz) | KEEN Targhee II (32 oz)
• Socks: Merrell Wool Everyday Hiking (2 oz) | Smartwool Hike Light Cushion ( 2 oz) | REI COOLMAX Lightweight Hiking (2 oz)
• Insoles: Superfeet Hike Cushion (5 oz) | Spenco Polysorb Cross Trainer (5 oz) | Sole Active (5 oz) | Currex HikePro (5 oz)
• Shirts: REI Sahara T-Shirt (5 oz) | Columbia Tamiami Shirt (6 oz) | Mountain Hardware Canyon Shirt (8 oz)
• Pants: REI Sahara Convertible Pants (10 oz) | Adidas Utilitas Zip-Off Hiking Pants (12 oz) | prAna Stretch Zion Pants (13 oz)
• Underwear: REI Everyday Boxer Briefs (3 oz) | REI Merino Boxer Briefs (3 oz) | Smartwool Merino Boxer Briefs (3 oz)
• Hats: Outdoor Research Sombriolet (3 oz) | Sunday Afternoons Sun Tripper (3 oz) | Outdoor Research Swift Cap (3 oz)

Weight: 3.5 lbs

This is clothing that is usually packed and gets worn during cold and wet weather, at camp in the evenings and on laundry day. Because these items spend as much time in your pack as on your body, they are included in the “base weight” calculation.

Clothing Packed:

• Insulated Jacket: Patagonia Nano Puff Jacket (12 oz)
• Rain Jacket: REI Rainier Jacket (11 oz)
• Base Layer Top: REI Merino 185 Base Layer Top (7 oz)
• Base Layer Bottom: REI Merino 185 Base Layer Bottoms (7 oz)
• Rain Pants: Outdoor Research Helium Rain Pants (11 oz)
• Warm Cap: REI Polartec Fleece Beanie (0.8 oz)
• Gloves: REI Flash Power Wool Gloves (1.4 oz)
• Spare Socks: Darn Tough Hiker Cushion Socks (2 oz)
• Spare Underwear: Under Armour Boxer Jock (3 oz)
• Bandana: Cotton Bandana (1 oz)
• Wallet: Granite Gear Hiker Wallet (0.4 oz)

Alternatives:

• Insulated Jackets: REI 650 Down Jacket (11 oz) | Arc’teryx Atom Hoodie (13 oz) | Montbell Thermawrap Pro (15 oz)
• Rain Jackets: Marmot Precip Eco Jacket (11 oz) | Arc’teryx Beta LT Jacket (14 oz) | Patagonia Torrentshell 3L (14 oz)
• Base Layer Tops: REI Lightweight Base Layer (7 oz) | Icebreaker Merino Oasis 200 (7 oz) | Terramar Thermasilk (3 oz)
• Base Layer Bottoms: REI Lightweight Base Layer (7 oz) | Icebreaker Merino Oasis 200 (7 oz) | Terramar Thermasilk (3 oz)
• Rain Pants: REI Rainier Pants (12 oz) | Arc’teryx Beta Pants (12 oz)

Weight: 1.8 lbs

These items are used for cooking and eating, cleaning dishes and storing and treating drinking water. This example will allow you to pack up to 4 liters of water. You may need to carry more or less water, depending on the conditions where you plan to hike.

Cooking & Hydration:

• Camp Stove: MSR Pocket Rocket 2 (2.6 oz)
• Cook Pot: MSR Titan Kettle 850ml (4.2 oz)
• Cup: TOAKS Titanium 450ml Cup (2.7 oz)
• Pot Cozy: Home-made Pot Cozy (1.4 oz)
• Spoon: HumanGear GoBites Uno Spork (0.5 oz)
• Pot Scrubber: 1/2 Scotch-Brite Pad (0.4 oz)
• Water Bladder: Osprey Hydraulics 3 Liter (7.8 oz)
• Water Bottle: Aquafina 1 Liter Bottle (1.5 oz)
• Water Filter: MSR Trailshot Water Filter (4.9 oz)
• Backup Water Purification: Aquamira (3 oz)

Weight: 2.1 lbs

These items are used for navigation, fire starting, first aid, gear repairs, personal hygiene, organization and other various tasks. Some of these things may not get used very often, but it’s still wise to carry them, because they are important to have in an emergency.

Survival & Miscellaneous:

• Trail Map: Pocket Atlas (3 oz)
• GPS Receiver/Messenger: Garmin GPSMAP 67i (8.1 oz)
• Compass/Thermometer: Silva Pocket Compass (0.5 oz)
• Light: Black Diamond Spot 400 (2.7 oz)
• Multi Tool: Swiss Army Classic (0.7 oz)
• Fire Starter: Mini Bic Lighter (x2) (0.8 oz)
• Backup Fire Starter: Spark-Lite Fire Kit (0.4 oz)
• Whistle: SOL Slim Howler (0.2 oz)
• Signal Mirror: Signal Mirror (0.6 oz)
• Tape: 50″ Duct Tape (0.6 oz)
• Cord: 25′ Guyline (0.5 oz)
• Journal: Memo Pad, Pencil & Sharpie (1.8 oz)
• Sewing Kit: McNett Gear Aid Sewing Kit (0.8 oz)
• First Aid Kit: Adventure Medical .3 Kit (3.2 oz)
• Trauma Bandage: QuickClot Gauze (1 oz)
• Bug Head Net: Sea to Summit Head Net (1 oz)
• Wash Rag: Packtowl Personal Towel (0.7 oz)
• Toothbrush: Folding Toothbrush (0.7 oz)
• Phone Charger: Smartphone Charger (2 oz)
• Food Sack: Granite Gear Air Zippsack 16L (1.5 oz)
• Sleeping Bag Sack: Sea to Summit UltraSil 8L Dry Sack (1 oz)
• Clothing Sack: Sea to Summit UltraSil 8L Dry Sack (1 oz)
• Ditty Sack: Granite Gear Air Zippsack 5L (1 oz)

Weight: 1.6 lbs

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 your “skin-out weight.”

Worn or Carried:

• Trekking Poles: REI Flash Carbon Trekking Poles (14 oz)
• Fixed Blade Knife: Morakniv Craftline Basic 3.6 inch (4 oz)
• Smartphone: Phone & Accessories (7 oz)

Weight: 20 lbs

These items get used up as you hike and have to be replenished occasionally. Since the weight of consumables fluctuates, they are excluded from the “base pack weight” calculation. But they are included in your “full pack weight” and “skin-out weight.”

Consumables:

• Food: 5 Days Trail Food (160 oz)
• Water: 4 Liters Water (140 oz)
• Fuel: 4 oz Isobutane Fuel Canister (7 oz)
• Toilet Paper: Toilet Paper (1 oz)
• Hand Sanitizer: Purell 1 fl oz (1.2 oz)
• Wet Wipes: Wet Ones Singles (x5) (1 oz)
• Spare Batteries: Lithium AA (x4) and AAA (x3) (3 oz)
• Body Powder: Gold Bond Powder (1.8 oz)
• Toothpaste: Travel Toothpaste (1 oz)
• Sunscreen: Travel Sunscreen (1.2 oz)
• Lip Balm: Carmex Lip Balm (0.5 oz)
• Bug Repellent: Deet 1 fl oz (1.5 oz)
• Medication: Tylenol, Ibuprofin, Bennadryl, Immodium (0.5 oz)

Base Pack Weight: 12.5 lbs

There are a few different methods for calculating pack weight. “Base weight” includes all of your packed gear, but does not include clothing worn, consumables and other items worn or carried. “Full pack weight” includes all of your packed gear and consumables like food, water and fuel. “Skin-out weight” includes everything packed, worn and carried.

Here is how our example midweight backpacking gear list stacks up:

Midweight Backpacking Gear List

The Big Three: 8.4 lbs
Clothing Packed: 3.5 lbs
Cooking & Hydration: 1.8 lbs
Survival & Miscellaneous: 2.1 lbs
Base Pack Weight: 15.8 lbs
+ Consumables: 20 lbs
Full Pack Weight: 35.8 lbs
+ Clothing Worn: 3.9 lbs
+ Items Worn or Carried: 1.6 lbs
Skin-Out Weight: 41.3 lbs