Below is a gear list for backpacking in Colorado. I'm not an ultralight
backpacker, but I have definitely shaved weight off my load. I consider myself a
lightweight backpacker. Saving weight feeds
back on itself. The less you take, the lighter your pack and boots need to be. I
have to admit I'm a gear head, so not taking a lot of gear with me requires some
serious discipline on my part. An excellent site for more info on lightweight
and ultralight backpacking is the Lightweight Backpacker
and Backpacking Light. See why I
haven't gone ultralight here.
The list contains the weight of everything in ounces. All items in the
base pack are for Summer backpacking in the mountains of Colorado, sometimes
above tree line. Considering some items
may be shared with a partner, compensation for these items is also listed. The
base pack weight works out to 19 lbs. This includes everything but
consumables. For a 5 night trip with some luxuries like a book and a camera, my
total pack weight (including consumables) works out to be about 30 lbs. For more details on items in
the list, check here.
For an Excel spreadsheet with these weights click here.
You can use this as a starter to calculate your own load.
|
Items |
Weight (oz.) |
Shared
Compensation |
|
|
|
|
|
Essentials (Base Pack) |
|
|
|
Backpack |
58 |
|
|
Camp shoes (Reef sandals) |
11.9 |
|
|
Compass |
1 |
|
|
Cookpot |
6.4 |
-3.2 |
|
Emergency Items |
|
|
|
Cash (2 x $20) |
0.1 |
|
|
Duct tape |
0.2 |
|
|
Extra car key |
0.2 |
|
|
Extra sunglasses |
1 |
|
|
Inhaler (asthma) |
1.1 |
|
|
Lighter |
0.6 |
|
|
Fire Sparker |
0.1 |
|
|
First aid kit |
4.3 |
|
|
Knife - Spyderco |
1.6 |
|
|
Medical insurance card + ID |
0.1 |
|
|
Moleskin |
1 |
|
|
Thermarest repair kit |
0.6 |
|
|
Water purification tablets |
1 |
|
|
Whistle |
0.1 |
|
|
Fleece gloves |
4.8 |
|
|
Food prep container (gatorade) |
1.9 |
|
|
Fork |
0.3 |
|
|
Headlamp w/3 AAA (Petzl Zipka) |
2.2 |
|
|
Insulated sweater (Moonstone Cirrus) |
13.1 |
|
|
Lighter |
0.7 |
|
|
Lip balm |
0.4 |
|
|
Long underwear shirt (light - medium weight) |
8.2 |
|
|
Maps |
0.5 |
|
|
Pillow case |
1 |
|
|
Rain cover for pack |
5.4 |
|
|
Rain jacket |
12.5 |
|
|
Rain pants |
7.8 |
|
|
Rib Pack |
4.5 |
|
|
Route description |
1 |
|
|
Sleeping bag, 25 degree (incl. Stuff sack) |
31 |
|
|
Sleeping pad (guidelite w/stuff sack) |
21.6 |
|
|
Small mesh bag for essentials |
0.3 |
|
|
Spare briefs |
2 |
|
|
Spare socks |
2.8 |
|
|
Stove (incl. Windscreen and bag) - GigaPower Titanium |
4 |
-2 |
|
Stretch fleece tights |
7.3 |
|
|
Stuff sack (small) for toiletries |
0.7 |
|
|
Stuff sack for clothes |
1.3 |
|
|
Stuff Sack for tent |
3.3 |
-1.65 |
|
Sunglasses case |
3 |
|
|
Sunscreen |
1.5 |
|
|
Tent (Sierra Designs Orion, 2 person incl. Poles, fly,
stakes, ground cloth) |
90.9 |
-45.45 |
|
Thin warm hat (Bergelene) |
1.9 |
|
|
Toiletries |
|
|
|
Toilet paper |
1.3 |
|
|
Toothbrush |
0.2 |
|
|
Tooth powder |
0.4 |
|
|
Hand sanitizer |
1.8 |
|
|
Soap |
0.8 |
|
|
Dental floss |
0.1 |
|
|
Lip balm |
0.5 |
|
|
Towel (small square of camp towel) |
0.7 |
|
|
Trash bag (note this is just expended food ziplocks) |
|
|
|
Trowel (plastic) |
1.7 |
|
|
Utility cord (50 ft.) |
2.1 |
|
|
Water bladder - platypus 1 liter |
0.8 |
|
|
Water bottle - 1 quart gatorade bottle |
1.7 |
|
|
Water Filter (w/bag, brush, bottle top, prefilter) -
Sweetwater |
12.5 |
-6.25 |
|
Ziplock bags (2 for double bagging) for nasty trash |
0.8 |
|
|
Ziplock for reading material |
0.4 |
|
|
SUBTOTAL (oz.) |
351 |
298.7 |
|
lbs |
21.9375 |
18.66875 |
|
|
|
|
|
Consumables |
|
|
|
Fuel butane/propane, 6 days + 1 for safety @ 1
oz/person/day-> one 225g fuel cartridge) |
12.4 |
|
|
Water (2 liters) |
70.5 |
|
|
Food per day (incl. stuff sack, ziplocks, seasoning, olive
oil, breakfast, lunch, dinner, drink powder, snacks) |
21 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Clothes On My Body |
|
|
|
Convertible supplex pants |
13.3 |
|
|
Long-sleeve supplex shirt |
11.2 |
|
|
Wicking briefs |
2 |
|
|
Socks |
2.8 |
|
|
Medium weight shoes/boots |
|
|
|
Lightweight wide brimmed hat. |
2.2 |
|
|
Altimeter watch |
|
|
|
Sunglasses |
1.2 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Optional, Older, and Seasonal Stuff |
|
|
|
2 extra AA batteries (lithium) |
0.9 |
|
|
Backpack (khamsin 38 w/rib pack) |
46.3 |
|
|
Betamid |
|
|
|
Tarp w/Sewn on noseeum netting |
45.3 |
-22.65 |
|
Stakes |
3.4 |
-1.7 |
|
Stuff Sack |
1.4 |
-0.7 |
|
Tyvek Groundcloth |
6 |
-3 |
|
Bathtub Floor |
19.6 |
-9.8 |
|
Stuff sack for bathtub floor |
0.9 |
-0.45 |
|
Bug juice |
0.7 |
|
|
Camera accessories (ultrapod, lens cloth, remote release,
bag) |
3.5 |
|
|
Climbing helmet (Petzl Ecrin Roc) |
16.9 |
|
|
Compression sack for tent |
5.9 |
-2.95 |
|
Cooking oil |
|
|
|
Cooking seasoning |
|
|
|
Crampons |
|
|
|
Deck of cards |
1.6 |
|
|
Extra Battery for small camera |
0.4 |
|
|
Extra bulb |
0.1 |
|
|
Film weight/roll |
1 |
|
|
Fuel Pump |
1.9 |
-0.95 |
|
Fuel (for Coleman xtreme stove (powermax) 30 g/person/day,
5 days + 1 for safety -> 1 big and one small bottle for two people) |
22.5 |
-11.25 |
|
Gaiters (low cut OR) |
4.4 |
|
|
Good camera w/cover w/28-105 zoom lens |
41.7 |
|
|
Good Camera w/cover w/24mm lens no film |
37.5 |
|
|
Headlamp w/2 AA Lithium (Princeton Tec Solo) |
4.9 |
|
|
Ice axe (w/strap and cover) |
20 |
|
|
Insulated mug |
6.3 |
|
|
Journal |
1.6 |
|
|
Lens filters |
|
|
|
Monocular |
3.7 |
|
|
Mosquito head net |
1.4 |
|
|
Paperback book |
6.4 |
|
|
Pen |
0.2 |
|
|
Potscrubber |
0.5 |
|
|
Powder baskets for poles |
|
|
|
Radios |
|
|
|
Rucksack knife |
3.7 |
|
|
Shovel |
29.3 |
|
|
Skillet (MSR nonstick) |
5.6 |
-2.8 |
|
Sleeping Bag (Zero degree FF Snowbunting w/stuff sack) |
53 |
|
|
Sleeping pad (guidelite wo/stuff sack) |
19.6 |
|
|
Sleeping pad (thermarest ultralight w/sack) |
16 |
|
|
Sleeping pad (ultralight w/stuff sack) |
16 |
|
|
Small Camera |
6.8 |
|
|
Space blanket |
1.8 |
|
|
Star chart |
|
|
|
Stove (incl. windscreen) - xtreme |
12.6 |
-6.3 |
|
Stove (incl. windscreen/reflector) - whisperlite |
11.8 |
-5.9 |
|
Stove repair kit |
0.5 |
|
|
Stuff sack for food (large. Note already included in per
day weight) |
3.3 |
|
|
Thermarest chair converter |
9.9 |
|
|
Towel (small square of camp towel) |
2 |
|
|
Trekking poles (2) |
21.2 |
|
|
Tripod |
|
|
|
Water bottle - nalgene 1 liter |
5.4 |
|
|
Waterproof socks |
|
|
|
White Gas Fuel (2 people 5 days) |
24 |
-12 |
