Some links here are affiliate links: if you buy through one, we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. How this works

Shoulder / Cold · 3 nights · Ultralight

4-Day Backpacking Packing List (3 Nights) — Ultralight, Shoulder-Season

Weights and list prices come from maker or retailer listings · 28 of 30 items with a listed weight · record updated Oct 21, 2026

Ultralight · 3 nights · shoulder

Base weight

130.8 oz

Worn

58.9 oz

Consumable

171.3 oz

Total

361.0 oz

Carried in the pack

Base · 130.8 oz

Gossamer Gear DCF Whisper
Your shelter is what turns a bad night into a safe one. Pitch it at home at least once before the trip: a first pitch in wind and fading light is where things go wrong, and knowing your stake-out order fixes most of it.
9.8 ozBuy
Western Mountaineering Versalite
10°F rating, 10°F below a 20°F night (not stated as comfort or lower limit). Where a maker publishes a comfort rating, plan to it; otherwise keep the rating 10°F or more below the coldest night you expect. Being too warm is fixed by unzipping.

Print packing listStart from this pack

Worn or in hand

Worn · 58.9 oz

Zpacks Trail Cool Sun Hoody
The top you hike in every day. A hood and long sleeves cover your neck and arms from the sun, so less skin needs sunscreen.
5.7 ozBuy
Merrell Moab 3 Hiking Shoe
New shoes or boots on trip one are how you get blisters on mile three. Break them in on a loaded day hike first.
32.5 ozBuy
Zpacks Trail Cool Socks
Wool or synthetic, never cotton.
0.7 ozBuy
Zpacks Travel & Trail Hiking Pants
Quick-dry synthetic, never cotton: cotton holds water and stays cold once it is wet.
10.1 ozBuy
Gossamer Gear LT5 Three Piece Carbon Trekking Poles (pair)
Poles take load off your knees on descents and steady you at stream crossings. They extend to 130 cm, and the DCF Whisper needs a pole set to 130 cm. On this list they also pitch the shelter.
9.8 ozBuy

Food, water & fuel

Consumable · 171.3 oz

Food — 4 days
Planned at 620 g (about 1.4 lb) a day; adjust to your own appetite.
87.5 oz
Water — 2 L carried
About half a litre per hour of hiking — 2 L covers roughly four moderate hours between sources.
70.5 oz
Fuel — 230 g canister
377 g gross: 230 g of gas plus 147 g of steel you carry the whole trip. Boils roughly 16 L.
13.3 oz