Gear list builder and complete kits
Find out what your pack really weighs, then make it lighter
Base weight is everything in and on your pack except food, water and fuel, and the pack itself counts toward it. Build your list in the free tool, watch the number move as you edit, then copy one of 6 complete kits that are priced and linked line by line, from 8 lb 11.9 oz up to a full winter setup.
- Lightest kit here
- 8 lb 11.9 oz
- base weight
- Complete kits
- 6
- every line priced
- Gear pages
- 56
- verified specs
- Calculators
- 6
- free, no signup
Copy a complete kit
Six kits, all built from the same verified gear, so the comparison between them is honest rather than rhetorical. Each one lists every item you need to actually go, with a per item weight and price, a running total down both columns, and an upgrade ladder priced in grams saved per dollar. Every kit also loads straight into the builder so you can swap in gear you already own.
| Kit | Season | Base weight | Big Three | Pack weight | Kit cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sub-10 lb The canonical ultralight kit, and what it costs to get there | Three season | 8 lb 11.9 oz | 5 lb 0.9 oz | 21 lb 2.2 oz | $3121.78 |
| Thru-hike Built for two thousand miles, not for one perfect weekend | Three season, long distance | 9 lb 15.2 oz | 6 lb 4.2 oz | 22 lb 5.5 oz | $2700.83 |
| Desert The kit where water weighs more than everything else combined | Desert, spring and autumn, high heat | 11 lb 4.5 oz | 6 lb 15.0 oz | 31 lb 1.9 oz | $2902.86 |
| Sub-15 lb Freestanding tent, real sleeping pad, bear canister, still under fifteen | Three season | 13 lb 3.1 oz | 7 lb 6.0 oz | 24 lb 1.4 oz | $3054.16 |
| Budget 3-season A complete working kit for well under a thousand dollars | Three season | 14 lb 15.7 oz | 11 lb 4.8 oz | 24 lb 6.0 oz | $1209.25 |
| Winter Where cutting weight stops being clever | Winter and cold shoulder season | 17 lb 2.9 oz | 10 lb 2.0 oz | 28 lb 9.0 oz | $4501.70 |
- Ultralight Sub-10 Pound Ultralight Gear List The canonical ultralight kit, and what it costs to get there. 8 lb 11.9 oz Open →
- Ultralight Thru-Hike Gear List Built for two thousand miles, not for one perfect weekend. 9 lb 15.2 oz Open →
- Lightweight Desert and High-Heat Backpacking Gear List The kit where water weighs more than everything else combined. 11 lb 4.5 oz Open →
- Lightweight Sub-15 Pound Lightweight Gear List Freestanding tent, real sleeping pad, bear canister, still under fifteen. 13 lb 3.1 oz Open →
- Lightweight Budget 3-Season Backpacking Gear List A complete working kit for well under a thousand dollars. 14 lb 15.7 oz Open →
- Lightweight Winter Backpacking Gear List Where cutting weight stops being clever. 17 lb 2.9 oz Open →
Build your own list instead
The builder is a spreadsheet that already knows the rules. Type an item, pick a category, and it sorts the weight into the three buckets this hobby argues about: base for everything in the pack you do not eat, drink or wear, worn for what is on your body at the trailhead, and consumable for food, water and fuel. It totals each one, flags the Big Three, and tells you which weight class you are in.
Nothing is stored on a server and nothing needs an account. Your list lives in the URL, so you can bookmark it, send it to a hiking partner, or post it in a shakedown thread and have it open exactly as you left it.
The four weight classes
| Class | Base weight | Grams |
|---|---|---|
| Super ultralight | Under 5 lb | Under 2268 |
| Ultralight | Under 10 lb | Under 4536 |
| Lightweight | Under 20 lb | Under 9072 |
| Traditional | 20 lb and up | 9072+ |
These bands are conventions, not rules, and no band is a goal on its own. A 12 lb kit that matches the conditions beats an 8 lb kit that does not. Full detail in the base weight tiers chart.
Run the numbers
Six free calculators, no signup, no export wall. They exist because the arguments in this hobby are almost always arithmetic wearing a costume. Water is 2.2 lb per litre. Food is about 1.5 lb per day in three season conditions. A frameless pack carries well to roughly 25 lb loaded and badly above 30. Those four facts settle most gear debates before a single product name comes up.
- Base weight calculator Add your kit line by line and see which of the four weight classes it lands in. Open →
- Food weight calculator Turn calories per day into ounces carried at a calorie density you choose. Open →
- Water carry calculator Litres between sources, and the 2.2 lb per litre that decision costs you. Open →
- Pack volume calculator Litres you actually need, which is usually the number that picks the pack. Open →
- Sleep system temperature Check the quilt and the pad together, because a warm bag over a cold pad does not work. Open →
- Pack weight to body weight Your loaded pack against the commonly cited 20 percent of body weight guidance. Open →
Gear, in three tiers, with the weight next to the price
Every gear guide here splits its picks into beginner, intermediate and expert, quotes the manufacturer's listed weight beside the price, and says plainly who should not buy the expensive option. A lot of the best ultralight gear is not on Amazon at all: Zpacks, Durston, Hyperlite Mountain Gear, Enlightened Equipment, Katabatic and Nunatak all sell direct and build to order. Those links earn us nothing and we list them anyway, because leaving them out would misrepresent the category.
Start here if this is new
The order of the work matters more than any single purchase. Weigh what you already own first, because manufacturer figures run optimistic often enough to matter and because half of a gear list is items you never needed to buy again. Then fix the Big Three, which are a little over half of base weight between them. Buy the pack last of all, because a pack sized and framed for a 30 lb load is the wrong pack once the load is 18 lb.
- Ultralight for beginners What the words mean and what the first three decisions actually are. Read →
- The Big Three explained Shelter, sleep system and pack are roughly 55 percent of base weight at every level. Read →
- How to cut base weight The ordered method, starting with the rounds that cost nothing. Read →
- Base weight tiers chart Where under 5, under 10 and under 20 pounds sit, and what each one implies. Read →
We research published manufacturer specifications and verified owner reviews. We do not test gear in person, and every weight quoted on this site is the manufacturer's figure for the size and configuration named unless we say otherwise. We earn commissions from Backcountry and, as an Amazon Associate, from qualifying purchases, at no extra cost to you. That never decides what gets recommended, and plenty of the best answers here cost nothing at all. See the affiliate disclosure and the disclaimer.