Ultralight vs. Lightweight Backpacking

by Ryan Jordan

October 6, 1999

To attempt to distinguish (in quantitative terms at least) "ultralight," "lightweight", and "normal" backpacking is to invite peaceful controversy at minimum and incite noticeable global conflict at worst.

However, this attempt serves some useful purposes: quantitative definitions allow us to identify appropriate classes of gear (e.g., "ultralight" or "lightweight", they provide a benchmark for comparing our own packweights, and offer some general guidelines as a starting point for readers new to ultralight and lightweight concepts.

When discussing packweights, I will refer to a pack's base weight, to include the necessary equipment one needs for shelter, sleeping, packing, clothing, cooking, water treatment and storage, and other essential functions. The base weight does not include "extras" such as fishing gear, binoculars, camera equipment, field guides and journals, consumables (food, fuel, and water carried), normal hiking clothing and footwear worn during mild weather.

So, with that introduction, I will confidently expound my subjective opinion regarding where I happen to draw the lines between ultralight, light, and normal backpacking. In general, the weights listed below are determined as follows:

As a very general guideline, "Ultralight" weights indicate those items that represent the 5th weight percentile, indicating the lightest 5% of products within their class, "Light" weights indicate those items that represent the 25th percentile, and "Normal" weights indicate those items that represent the 50th percentile.

Disclaimer: These estimates are based on the "average" individual male hiker, i.e., a 160-lb, 5'9" man, and are suitable for equipment taken on a typical "2-season" (early summer to late summer) backpacking expedition to mountainous terrain in the continental U.S. (e.g., Cascades, Sierras, Rockies, Adirondacks). Adjustments to this somewhat subjective guide may need to be made to accommodate larger or smaller body frames, gender, 3- or 4-season equipment, or camping above the treeline. Further, I am more concerned about proposing the 12-20-30 classification for total base pack weight than I am about individual category weight classifications (e.g., 2-3-5 for sleeping bags). If I saw someone basking in the luxury of a 4 pound tent but still managed to keep their pack weight to 12 pounds, I would have a hard time arguing that backpacker's adherence to the ultralight philosophy.

Thus, based on the above, I propose the following quantitative base pack weight guidelines for ultralight, light, and normal backpacking:

• Ultralight Backpacking: < 12 lbs
• Lightweight Backpacking: 12-20 lbs
• Normal Backpacking: 20-30 lbs

Finally, I'd like to define a new category of backpacking:

• "Seriously Reconsider Why You're Doing This" Backpacking: > 30 lbs

To close this discussion, I'd like to present three example gear lists for an ultralight, lightweight, and normal weight backpacking trip, in reverse order:

Normal Weight Backpacking Gear List (Base Weight = 30 lbs)

Sleeping (Total: 5 lbs)

• high quality synthetic 3-season (+15) sleeping bag (48 oz)
• full length inflatable sleeping pad (32 oz)

Shelter (Total: 5 lbs)

• typical 3-season solo tent with ground cloth, stakes, and guylines (80 oz)

Packing (Total: 6 lbs)

• typical internal frame backpack with 5000 ci volume (96 oz)

Cooking & Water (Total: 3 lbs)

• typical white gas stove with windscreen, repair kit and fuel bottle (16 oz)
• water/windproof lighter (2 oz)
• 1.5-L cookpot with lid (8 oz)
• bowl, insulated cup, and eating utensils (8 oz)
• bear bag rope, 1/4-inch diameter, 50 feet (8 oz)
• water filter (12 oz)
• two hard plastic quart-sized water bottles (10 oz)

Essentials (Total: 4 lbs)

• 2AA headlamp with extra bulb and batteries (8 oz)
• sunglasses (2 oz)
• map (2 oz) and high-tech compass (2 oz)
• typical multi-purpose pocketknife or multi-tool (4 oz)
• toilet paper (3 oz), toothbrush, paste, and dental floss (2 oz), sunscreen (2 oz), bug repellent (2 oz), lip balm (1 oz), liquid soap (2 oz), quick-drying pack towel (3 oz)
• pre-packed first aid kit (8 oz)
• waterproof matches (1 oz), firestarters (2 oz), bottle of iodine tablets for backup water purification (2 oz), assorted ziplocks and garbage bags (4 oz), emergency whistle (1 oz), signal mirror (2 oz), emergency space blanket (4 oz)
• sewing kit (2 oz), extra buckles and straps (2 oz), tent repair kit (1 oz), duct tape (2 oz)

Clothing (Total: 7 lbs)

• long underwear top and bottoms, midweight (16 oz)
• fleece jacket (20 oz)
• fleece vest (12 oz)
• lightweight fleece pants (12 oz)
• waterproof/breathable rain jacket (24 oz)
• waterproof/breathable rain pants (16 oz)
• fleece hat (2 oz)
• fleece gloves (2 oz)
• extra "trekking-weight" hiking socks, 2 pair, with extra pair thin nylon liners (8 oz)

Based on my own experience, as well as from watching others, I used to consider this an extremely conservative gear list. In other words, I used to have a very difficult time paring down the equipment to the above items. This is by no means an unreasonable list of equipment, and includes gear that represents the "lighter" half of items within their respective categories! You can see that it's not too difficult to add enough gear to really send your packweight climbing above 30 pounds in the interest of comfort.

Lightweight Backpacking Gear List (Base Weight = 20 lbs)

Sleeping (Total: 3 lbs)

• high quality down 2-season (+25F) sleeping bag (32 oz)
• 3/4-length light weight inflatable sleeping pad (16 oz)

Shelter (Total: 4 lbs)

• lightweight solo tent with ground cloth, stakes, and guylines (64 oz)

Packing (Total: 4 lbs)

• lightweight internal frame backpack with 3500-4000 ci volume (64 oz)

Cooking & Water (Total: 2 lbs)

• alcohol burner stove with windscreen and fuel bottle (7 oz)
• bic lighter (1 oz)
• 1-L cookpot with lid (6 oz)
• bowl and spoon (4 oz)
• bear bag rope, 1/8-inch diameter, 50 feet (3 oz)
• small water filter (8 oz)
• two soft quart-sized water bottles (3 oz)

Essentials (Total: 3 lbs)

• 2AA flashlight with extra bulb and batteries for navigation (4 oz)
• Small AAA flashlight for camp chores (2 oz)
• sunglasses (2 oz)
• map (2 oz) and compass (1 oz)
• basic pocketknife (3 oz)
• toilet paper (3 oz), toothbrush, paste, and dental floss (2 oz), sunscreen (1 oz), bug repellent (1 oz), lip balm (1 oz), liquid soap (1 oz), quick-drying pack towel (2 oz)
• self-packaged first aid kit (6 oz)
• waterproof matches (1 oz), firestarters (2 oz), iodine tablets for backup water purification (1 oz), extra ziplocks and garbage bags (2 oz), emergency whistle (1 oz), signal mirror (2 oz), emergency space blanket (4 oz)
• sewing kit (1 oz), duct tape (3 oz)

Clothing (Total: 4 lbs)

• long underwear top and bottoms, lightweight (14 oz)
• sythetic microloft jacket (16 oz)
• waterproof/breathable rain jacket (16 oz)
• waterproof/breathable rain pants (10 oz)
• fleece hat (2 oz)
• fleece gloves (2 oz)
• extra "hiking-weight" hiking socks, 2 pair (4 oz)

Without too much effort, precious few items were eliminated. Most equipment was simply replaced by items that perhaps served dual functions or were carefully selected because of their lighter weight. The biggest difference between the normal backpacker and the lightweight backpacker is this: most backpackers tend to overprotect themselves from the elements (more shelter, sleeping bag, or clothing than they need) because of lack of experience in selected sheltered camps or knowledge about effective layering strategies. With less weight and bulk, we can go to a smaller pack as well.

Ultralight Backpacking Gear List (Base Weight = 12 lbs)

Sleeping (Total: 2 lbs)

• high quality down summer weight (+35) sleeping bag (24 oz)
• torso sized closed cell foam pad (8 oz)

Shelter (Total: 2 lbs)

• ultralight solo tent, bivy sack, or tarp with ground cloth, stakes, and guylines (32 oz)

Packing (Total: 2 lbs)

• ultralight frameless backpack simple suspension system and 2500-3500 ci volume (32 oz)

Cooking & Water (Total: 1 lbs)

• fuel tab stove with windscreen (3.5 oz)
• mini bic lighter (0.5 oz)
• 1-L titanium cookpot with foil lid (3.5 oz)
• spoon (0.5 oz)
• bear bag rope, 1/8-inch diameter, 35 feet (3 oz)
• in-line water filter with tubing (3.5 oz)
• one soft quart-sized water bottle (1.5 oz)

Essentials (Total: 2 lbs)

• Small AAA flashlight for navigation, with extra bulb and batteries (2 oz)
• Small LED flashlight for camp chores, with extra batteries (1 oz)
• sunglasses (1 oz)
• trimmed map (1 oz) and compass (1 oz)
• small, lightweight pocketknife (1 oz)
• toilet paper (2 oz), toothbrush, paste, and dental floss (1 oz), sunscreen (1 oz), bug repellent (1 oz), lip balm (1 oz), liquid soap (1 oz), quick-drying pack towel (1 oz)
• self-packaged first aid kit (4 oz)
• waterproof matches (1 oz), firestarter (1 oz), iodine tablets for backup water purification (1 oz), extra ziplock bag (1 oz), emergency whistle (1 oz), signal mirror (1 oz), emergency space blanket (3 oz)
• sewing kit (1 oz), duct tape (3 oz)

Clothing (Total: 3 lbs)

• long underwear top and bottoms, lightweight (14 oz)
• ultralight sythetic microloft jacket (12 oz)
• ultralight waterproof/breathable rain jacket (10 oz)
• ultralight waterproof/breathable rain pants (6 oz)
• fleece hat (1 oz)
• fleece gloves (1 oz)
• extra "hiking-weight" hiking socks, 2 pair (4 oz)

Maximum efficiency and integration of the shelter/clothing/sleeping system gives the ultralight hiker slightly less flexibility when traveling above the treeline in harsh (cold and/or wet) conditions, but with this mild consolation, a significant packweight savings is achieved. What really makes this system fly is the use of a lighter, frameless or minimal frame pack that can simply be slung over one's shoulder. The increase in hiking efficiency realized from such a packing style must be experienced to be believed!

In addition, quantities of other essentials are reduced, making the ultralight hiker evaluate carefully each decision related to equipment use. Ultralight backpacking with the above gear list should be accomplished by experienced backpackers who have tested this system with backup equipment in a wide variety of conditions.