Thru-Hiking 101: Backpacking Base Weight Calculator

Reducing your pack weight is very important for thru-hikers and backpackers. You can use our backpacking base weight calculator to help reduce the total pack weight. It’s important to focus on the pack’s base weight. Base weight is generally considered everything you pack in your backpack except for consumables like food, water, and fuel.

Related Post: 10 Weight Saving Tips for Backpacking

What type of backpacker are you?

Your pack weight will drastically impact your hike. If your pack is heavy, you will hike slower and it will take longer for you to hike to your destination. A lighter pack makes it a lot easier and more comfortable to hike long distances.

A lot of thru-hikers obsess over pack weight because they want to be as comfortable as possible while hiking long distances. These hikers focus on their pack base weight. Base weight is generally considered all of your hiking gear minus consumables such as food, water, and fuel.

There are three general categories of hikers. They are the conventional, lightweight, and ultralight backpackers and their classification corresponds to the base weight of their pack.

Conventional Backpacker (Greater than 20 pound base weight)

The conventional backpacker typically carries a base weight of twenty pounds or more without food or water. This is perfectly fine for weekend trips or a few miles of hiking to a nearby campsite. However, base weights that exceed twenty or thirty pounds does not work well for long distance hiking. The typical conventional backpacker has a base weight around 25 to 30 pounds. Conventional backpacker’s total pack weight with food and water can easily exceed thirty to forty pounds. It is rare to see conventional backpackers successfully finish a long-distance trail.

Lightweight Backpacker (Greater than 10 but less than 20 pound base weight)

The majority of long-distance backpackers fall in the category of the lightweight backpacker. Their base weight exceeds 10 pounds, but is under 20 pounds. Most lightweight backpacks today are specifically created for the lightweight backpacker. These packs are designed to carry a base weight of around 20 pounds without food or water. The average lightweight backpacker has a base weight around 15 pounds and will likely never exceed a total pack weight of 30 pounds with food and water.

Ultralight Backpacker (Less than 10 pound base weight)

A minority of hikers fall under the category of the ultralight backpacker. Ultralight backpackers have a base weight under ten pounds without food or water. In order to have a base weight under ten pounds you will have to eliminate a lot of extra conveniences and likely spend a lot of money in highly specialized gear. The average ultralight backpacker has a base weight around 9 pounds. These hikers typically carry a total pack weight less than 20 pounds with food and water.