Real products · published weights
Ultralight backpacking gear list
The lightest product we track for each essential, and the weight a more typical ultralight choice comes in at. Every weight is the maker's published figure.
Lightest of everything (9 items)
3.4 lb
Typical ultralight picks (9 items)
7.1 lb
Typical = the lighter quarter of the eligible products on each shelf; packs are 30 L and up and not stuff sacks or daypacks, and rain jackets exclude wind shells. Add the small items (first aid, navigation, toiletries, utensils) and you have a base weight.
The list
| Item | Lightest we track | Weight | Typical ultralight | Eligible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shelter | Gossamer Gear The DCF Whisper | 9.8 oz | 2.13 lb | 71 |
| Sleeping bag or quilt | Gossamer Gear Cumulus x Gossamer Gear Aerial 330 Sleeping Bag | 11.6 oz | 1.06 lb | 25 |
| Sleeping pad | Therm-a-Rest Z Lite SOL Sleeping Pad - Blue / Silver / Small | 10.0 oz | 14.0 oz | 31 |
| Backpack | Gossamer Gear Murmur 36 Hyperlight Backpack - Aluula | 7.9 oz | 1.71 lb | 25 |
| Stove | Zpacks Titanium Wing Stove for Esbit | 0.5 oz | 2.9 oz | 23 |
| Water filter | Sawyer Mini Water Filtration System | 2.0 oz | 2.5 oz | 12 |
| Headlamp | Nitecore NU20 Classic Ultralight Headlamp | 1.3 oz | 2.5 oz | 8 |
| Rain jacket | Zpacks Women's Vertice Rain Jacket | 5.1 oz | 5.4 oz | 5 |
| Insulated jacket | Zpacks Zpacks Down Jacket | 6.1 oz | 8.8 oz | 4 |
Complete ultralight packs
Full gear lists built from these products, item by item.
- Summer · 3 nights · Ultralight 8.2 lb base · Ultralight
- 3-Season · 3 nights · Ultralight 9.9 lb base · Ultralight
Questions
- What counts as ultralight backpacking?
- By convention, a base weight under 10 lb (about 4.5 kg) — everything you carry except food, water and fuel. Under 5 lb is called super-ultralight.
- What gear do you need for ultralight backpacking?
- The same essentials as any trip — shelter, sleeping bag or quilt, sleeping pad, pack, a way to cook and to treat water, a light, and rain and warm layers — chosen lighter. The shelter, bag, pad and pack decide most of the weight.
- How light can a backpacking kit get?
- Taking the lightest product we track for each of these 9 essentials adds up to 3.4 lb. Choosing from the lighter quarter of each shelf instead — a more typical ultralight kit — comes to 7.1 lb for the same items.