Start here
A complete pack, already built and already explained.
We've done the research, the measuring and the calculations. Pick where you are, the season, and how many nights you'll be out — every item is confirmed against an authorized retailer's listing, and every choice tells you why it's there.
First trips
Forgiving over clever. Gear that tolerates mistakes: a pad that cannot puncture, a tent that stands without perfect stakes, a stove with nothing to match.
Summer
Nights around 50°F and up.
3-Season
Spring through fall, nights near freezing.
Lightweight
Under 20 lb base weight without giving up margin. The Big Three get lighter; the safety floor does not move.
Summer
Nights around 50°F and up.
3-Season
Spring through fall, nights near freezing.
Ultralight
Under 10 lb base weight through systems thinking — poles that hold up the shelter, a pot that is also the bowl. Never by dropping below a safety floor.
Summer
Nights around 50°F and up.
3-Season
Spring through fall, nights near freezing.
What we deliberately leave out
A pack list is as much about what isn't in it. These are the things people most often carry and never use — named so you can decide for yourself, not quietly omitted.
- Spare hiking outfits
- One hiking set worn, one dry sleep set. No spare shirts or pants up to three nights.
- Camp pillow
- A stuff sack of clothing does the job you already carry.
- Camp chair
- Single-use comfort weight. Your foam pad is the sit pad.
- Large fixed-blade knife, hatchet or saw
- Nothing on a trail trip needs it.
- Plates, bowls and cutlery sets
- One pot is the bowl and the mug. One long spoon.
- Lantern
- The headlamp is sufficient and hands-free.
- A second filter as backup
- The correct backup is chemical tablets, which weigh a fraction and cannot clog.
- More than 2.5 lb of food per day
- Guide data across hundreds of clients shows most people come home with leftovers at 2 lb/day.
Make it yours
Every pack opens with a Start from this pack button that loads the whole kit into the Pack Builder — swap any item, watch the weight update to the gram, and save it. Nothing here is a rule. It's a defensible starting point.