I have an Osprey also, and use dry bags in it. I see you carry a teeny tiny yellow plastic one. Many backpackers hesitate at buying ultralight gear, believing that packing less will diminish their experience on the trail. Im unfamiliar with Montbells 50-gram windbreaker, but I imagine its similar to my Zpacks jacket. Its comfortable, completely waterproof, and can haul four or five days worth of food with ease. Since you are hiking in the early season, youll probably be safe to book your buses when you arrive, but I still would book them beforehand if possible just to ensure that you get the exact bus you want. I think I know now! Here's What To Expect After a Record Winter, 32 Feet Up: A Single Mom and Her 15 Kids Hike the Appalachian Trail, Hyperlite Mountain Gear: Best Deals of the Day for Backpackers, 14 Handy Tricks To Get Better Sleep While Backpacking, Mt. Its more breathable and comfortable than the Versalite and packs down into the palm of my hand. I have the Versalite rain jacket, & was thinking of buying their ultralight windbreaker as well, around 50g, but I was wondering if its really necessary to have both, since the Versalite blocks wind really well. or did you bring trash bags with you? Its maddeningly slow. Are you hiking shirtless? Its equipped with fast charging 12-watt output and can juice up my battery bank and other gadgets in just a couple of hours. Carbon fiber vs. aluminum: Carbon fiber poles are lighter than aluminum but also much more expensive. This pad is a commonplace among backpackers and has cemented itself as a staple in the ultralight community. This crazy light pair of wind pants helps stop morale-zapping gusts and layers well with my thermal bottoms to keep my legs warm. Yes, Justin, its perfectly acceptable to wear your outdoor footwear inside the cooking shelters and/or refugios no need to bring sandals or camp shoes if you dont want to. Theres no cut-and-dry list of base weight items vs consumables in the ultralight backpacking community, so dont fret much about how to classify everything you carry. Thanks for the heads up on the bag for air travel. Enjoy your trek! A backpacking pack that holds 30-50 liters is about right for overnight trips; go with packs in the upper end of that range if you'll be out for two or three nights. Yeah, Japanese gear companies tend to make great gear with incredible attention to detail (like Montbell). Its great for solo backpackers who want peace of mind. Thanks so much for this site! Glad youve found my website useful so far. I usually just leave any scissors/knives behind and buy a cheap set on the other end if Im not checking bags. These shoes saved my Colorado Trail thru-hike. Base Layers Great post. Good venting and airflow through the back panel. SUBSCRIBE AND GET 1 YEAR FOR $21.99 $10. Buy a rain cover with elastic bands that you can pull tight around your bag to prevent it from being removed by the wind. On the Torres del Paine O circuit, you didnt need camp shoes/sandals to use the cooking shelters or to enter the refugios? Many inflatable pads come in a rectangular or mummy configuration. If you click an affiliate link and end up making a purchase, I may receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. To learn more, please visit the About This Site page. Your upcoming backpacking trips sound great! Click here to read more about how to do a proper bear hang. For more casual daywear, athletic gear is a good multi-purpose option, since it can be worn over a swimsuit, to exercise, and to sleep on vacation. Im glad you find the article useful, James! Once you have your main setup wired together and know how much it weighs, you can pick and choose a few luxury items to round out your pack. For more details, read How to Choose a Backpack. What does your current kit look like? Each item on the list has been carefully selected based on its weight, durability, and functionality, ensuring that you only bring what you need and nothing more. 2. Well, I hope. ^^. And I love it! Some hikers opt to carry both, but the ultralight solution is to just pack one or the other. Read More >>. These 14 minimalist products are made for going far and fast. However, it takes a lot of patience, especially after youve been using it for a while. Ill pack light wool trousers, a down vest, and a parka for wind and rain. 2.3 oz. Small packets of salt, pepper, olive oil, hot sauce, and fast food condiment packets (mayo, mustard, etc) can really elevate your backcountry grub. Really reinforced my own ultralight gear choices. Theyre made from crazy ultralight fleece, and even rock zippers at the bottom of the legs so you can take them on and off while wearing shoes. First Aid Straps dig into your shoulders, dull pain creeps up your back, and your knees begin to ache with every step. Worn clothing and items that will be carried outside of your backpack (like watches, sunglasses, trekking poles, etc.) Thanks for reaching out Jordan! I think youd be happy having a windbreaker in your pack, but if youre really trying to get your base weight down, you can use the Versalite for both purposes. It has a fast processor, 128 GB of storage, takes great photos, but only has so-so battery life. The tapered shape of a mummy pad uses less material and weighs less than a rectangular pad. Lightening your load will make you more sure-footed and lessen the chance of injuries that can derail your hike in an instant. This tiny little gizmo makes life much easier when filtering water on the trail. In addition to backpacking, I love skiing and really want to check out some of the world-renowned slopes in over there. The weight of these items should be more or less fixed for your entire trip. . When I was preparing, I couldnt find a good guide with all the information I needed in once place, so I decided to make one myself. Ive got to run now and cant reply to the rest of your comment, but do know that Ive read it and taken it to heart! Report back to me after your hike! Though it weighs an ounce more than my old Evernew pouch, my new Vecto makes it far easier to collect water along the trail. You can wear them as you step up your pace on the Tongariro River Trail. We are the word nerds of The Trek who want nothing more than to infuse some hiking and backpacking joy into your day. In practice, it is a good idea to weigh gear yourself using a kitchen scale, as real-world values can sometimes be significantly different from the published weight (and it can be hard to tell what is included in the published weight in some cases). *trekking pole with ice axe attachment; approximates the function of a real ice axe. I wear it almost every day on the trail. It also works quite well as a windbreaker. In summer, you might hike in a thin T-shirt or sun hoodie and shorts (nice and light), while in winter, you would need thicker fabrics. The Essential Ultralight Backpacking Gear List. LighterPack is a great place for backpackers to keep track of, analyze, and compare their gear lists. Favorite pair of sandals Ive ever owned. Your website is a great resource! Even though its twice the weight, I prefer the one-liter Smartwater bottle over the Sawyer Water Pouches that come with the Squeeze Filter. Ill try my best, though. Stuff Sacks Leave the heavy-ass Nalgenes and tiresome Camelbaks at home and just stick with a couple of one-liter Smartwater bottles, which you can replace every so often in town. Hello Noel, I have a few questions mostly regarding the Katabatic Alsek 22F quilt, I was wondering if you are hot, cold or average sleeper? The base weight of my 2023 ultralight backpacking gear list comes in right around seven and a half pounds. I love the blog, Noel. Study your hikes terrain, check forecasts, determine the distance between water sources, and pack accordingly. This means you can leave the extra socks, shirts, pants, underwear, and sandals at home. Savvy move sticking with the larger pot and moving your meals into lighter and more packable plastic bags. Piezo igniters are extremely unreliable. The only difference between the two quilts is that the Enigma has a zippered foot box and the Revelation doesnt. as I hike. Thru-hikers using a paper guidebook can just carry a small handful of relevant pages at one time and mail future page bundles ahead to themselves. I dont have any personal experience with either bag but Ive been eyeballing the Enigma down bag for quite some time. Lots of research on base weight, but your site helped me the most. Cost aside, the quality gear in my pack will perform at a high level and likely wont need to be replaced until many years in the future. For the bus to go from Puerto Natales to Torres del paine, and then for the 2nd bus inside the park, do you recommend to book it ahead? Backpacks Compare your current gear meticulously to other items on the market, and always ask yourself, Can I go lighter?. This is helping me pack for the last 300km of the Heysen Trail, South Australia. Do you have any ultralight packing tips or tricks? Electronics are limited to a small mini flashlight. Ive learned this lesson the hard way. Hammocks must be beefy by definition since they have to support the weight of a full-size human, and the poles that come with freestanding tents add unnecessary weight and bulk to your pack. Here are some helpful books, websites, and tools that have been invaluable along my journey as an ultralight backpacker. In addition to your excellent list, I would like to recommend Hiker Hungers Backpacking Gear List as a great resource for anyone looking to build their ultralight backpacking kit. I almost always travel solo - it's the best way to see the world. The ever-popular Katadyn BeFree and Sawyer Squeeze are both affordable, lightweight, and effective. Yes, I believe I do remember occasional trash cans along the way. Read More >>, This lightweight sit pad is nearly identical to the one included with my Zpacks Nero 38 pack. Particularly if you wear quick-drying, breathable trail runners, you simply may not need an extra pair of shoes just to wear around camp for a few hours per day (at most). Sleeping Pads It can be used as an emergency fire starter, mask, or gauze if the situation calls for it. The frame adds weight to the setup, though. Chemical purification drops/tablets are also viable options, but they take time to work and are more expensive in the long run since you have to continue buying more. Itll keep my phone, headphones, flashlight, and GPS unit charged for nearly a week. Happy backpacking! I am packing more clothes than I would be if I were just doing a local backpacking trek. Eliminating bulky, heavy rain pants is a no-brainer for an ultralight backpacking gear list, although you should bring them on winter expeditions for added warmth and safety. I switched to the Zpacks Nero 38-liter pack after my 2022 gear shakedown, and Im thrilled with it. Read this article on the new Outside+ app available now on iOS devices for members! Seems fitting since this is supposedly the ultimate UL backpacking list. Here are some of the best bits of ultralight backpacking wisdom I can offer you. Im going to do the O Circuit this November, it will be windy! I never actually ended up using my filter. Tall hikers can simply put extra clothing and gear (or even their entire backpack) underneath their lower legs, where they hang off the end of the pad. One person vs. two person: The lightest one-person tent will obviously weigh less than the lightest two-person tent. I recently upgraded to the luxurious Apple AirPods Pro. We are currently looking at the various possibilities for the pillow. Take care. Thanks for your support! (I do count items like this.) Garmin inReach Mini (2020 version). However, even if this is the case (and especially if it isnt), its always a smart idea to have a secondary, hard-copy method of navigation. If there are lighter thermal bottoms on the market, I cant find them. You can also set your tent up stake-free by anchoring it with large rocks or roots using extra cord. Sorry for the late reply! I love to take notes during my backpacking adventures, especially at nighttime inside my warm ultralight tent. For those with sewing skills, you can even make your own DIY tarp. I could have gone back out of security and checked them, but I didnt have time. I live right at the base of the Northern Japanese Alps (Toyama Prefecture), and the view is unbelievable. Maybe its a bit of an ultralight backpacking luxury, but the Garmin Instincts usefulness on the trail makes it a no-brainer for my 2023 gear list. Instead of covering the outside of your pack, line the inside of it with a trash compactor bag and keep all gear inside. Im not sure what hammocks youre using, but my complete hammock set up weighs 36oz which inludes the hammock, tarp with tieouts, stakes & snakeskins, and tree straps. I mostly use the compass combo for its thermometer and its whistle. We love hiking with an ultralight kit because it allows us to spend less time worrying about aches and pains and more time enjoying side trails and the beautiful scenery around us. Your camo hat is mega heavyI recommend you replace that with a Salomon XA Compact Cap as its about 1/3rd the weight. ( I watched a quality North Face tent peel its coating after twenty years of monthly trips) . The TOAKS 450 ml titanium pot fits the bill and has been as useful and durable as advertised. This could mean a map and compass (our compass recommendation: Suunto M-3 D Leader Compass (1.6 oz) or a trail-specific guidebook. Thanks for stopping by. Make sure to do so at least 100 feet away from water sources and youll be good to go! And yeah the sushi is so so so good! I was living with her in Chengdu but visited South America when covid hit and got stuck because China closed their borders as I was getting back to the US and planning my trip back. in place of freeze-dried or dehydrated dinners, you wont save much (if any) weight because those foods tend to weigh more. Pack covers are bulky, heavy and, sometimes, ineffective. Space and energy will no longer be needlessly wasted on hauling around a bunch of unnecessary stuff. Note on the Sawyer line of water filters: although the traditional Sawyer Squeeze isnt the lightest filter in the lineupthat honor belongs to the Miniit is the most reliable in terms of flow rate and cloggability (new word?). Its something I might consider in the future! Another advantage is the big 800ml pot lets me rehydrate a full meal in the pot rather than in the ziplock packs therefore I can repackage the food into lighter plastic bags. They are very cheap too at only 13.99 ($17). Used a Xiaomi cell phone instead of an iPhone Thanks! Im hoping with some of the circuits I can leave a drop bag of clothes/items I dont need at the beginning of the hike to lighten my load. As a result, they may not be as durable as tarps and trekking pole tents. A base weight of 10 pounds (or less) is the ideal that many strive for. Its going to be a while until we can see each other again. The Ultralight Backpacking Gear Checklist Lightweight pack with a hip belt Raincover for your pack Sleeping shelter ( tent, bivy, tarp, etc) Ground cover (tent footprint, Tyvek Wrap, etc) Sleeping pad Sleeping bag Waterproof compression sack for your sleeping bag (waterproof strongly recommended for down bags) Stove Cook pot Lightweight spork Ultralight freestanding tents are usually small and cramped, whereas tarps and trekking pole tents usually have larger footprints with room to spread out. Fewer moving parts, fewer ounces, infinite joy. If you want some protection for your lower half in three-season conditions, a rain skirt or a pair of ultralight wind pants (see next section) are more breathable alternatives to rain pants. 7.8 lb Ultralight Backpacking Gear List for 2023 I've spent years assembling the best ultralight backpacking gear setup for my multi-day hikes into the wilderness, and I'd love to share my 2023 list with you. On many trips I carry and eat a modified John Muir diet/ French bread, cheese, salami, dried fruit, and hot tea with brown sugar. Very helpful. To complete my gear for air travel, I aslo got a Forclaz 20 l backpack ( very light weight sold by Decathlon for 12 euros!), which I use as a carry-on to travel with my electronics. Hyperlite and Six Moons both sell mesh inserts (14.4 ozand11 oz, respectively) that pair with the tarps listed above. Im glad you find my gear list useful, Dan. I imagine theyre going to be quite delicate and will need to be babied a bit when pushing them into the ground. Consumables are the items that fluctuate in weight during the duration of your trip (like food, water, stove fuel, Advil, sunscreen, etc.) Quilts are the ultralight alternative to traditional mummy sleeping bags. Id consider myself an average sleeper. By day, this functions as a waterproof stuff sack to hold my clothing, and when bedtime comes, I stuff my Plasma 1000 down jacket inside and it transforms into a super comfortable pillow that secures to my sleeping pad. Id love to hear how everything went. BACKPACK SYSTEM: Pack, Pods, and Stuff Sacks 2. Seasonal Gear Thanks, Tim! Durston X-Mid 1p tent. However, pants protect you more from sun, bugs, cuts and scrapes, and cold weather. Ill be sure to check the list out. Thanks again for the info! I generally recommend a 0-degree or 10-degree bag for winter backpacking, but I live and hike in Colorado at high elevations where it can get very, very cold. Thats likely my next purchase since my previous name brand down jacket didnt quite keep me warm in colder weather on the AT a couple years ago. Gaiters: Gaiters are optional, but they are excellent for keeping sand, pebbles, and other trail debris out of your shoes for a minimal weight penalty (and a maximal fashion statement). Once the dust settles and life starts getting back to normal, my girlfriend and I have plans to travel to Japan and will definitely visit your neck of the woods. I regularly use mine as a headband, beanie, and face-covering during my hikes, and its versatile enough to be worn in countless other different ways. Midlayers Used MSR Groundhog tent stakes instead of Zpacks carbon fiber stakes More basic, flat tarp configurations keep the rain off you but dont provide privacy or full protection from the elements. Ice axe - most thru-hikers opt for the Camp Corsica as it is the lightest weight ice axe certified for mountaineering. Backpacking is my passion and my goal is to inspire others to fall in love with it. Hikers who rarely night hike wont need as big of a battery or as much light output as those who regularly take to the trail when its dark out. READ NEXT The Best Headlamps for Thru-Hiking. Alternative fuel stoves: Alcohol and solid fuel stoves are almost always the lightest options have their own drawbacks. CLOTHING Synthetic short-sleeve t-shirt Glad you enjoyed my post, Larry. Thanks for commenting. Hey, I'm Noel. Base weight is just a number in the end. Any recommendations? If you take your time with it, you shouldnt have problems though. I dont see that on the list above. An added pair of rain mitts (2 oz) can help coldfingers to continue functioning in cold rain or when filtering water on a winter morning. I have been reducing my base weight and essentially follows the same direction you used. Hi Noel, thank you for your advices on camp shoes! Granite Gear Blaze 60 $225 at Backcountry $240 at Amazon $300 at REI + More Info Best Bang for the Buck REI Co-op Flash 55 $199 at REI + More Info Backpacks Designed for Women Most, but not all, women will prefer a pack designed specifically for a women's body.