Curious to know what kinda pack weights people on here are looking at for a normal back packing trip. My pack is in the 20 pound range with food. Depends on how many days I am planning on being gone. But no food or water is around 15 pounds.

My winter pack weight for roughly 5 days is 29lbs and my summer load out in the same pack is 22.5lbs

The last major backpacking trip my wife and I did was in the Rockies and my pack weighed 65 pounds!

Did you carry your wife in your pack LOL

mine is just under 20 lbs before food and clothes

 Skylar Woodell

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A 3 day pack for me would be in the 20lb range, give or take. It all depends on how long Ill be gone, weather and location.

my pack for a few days is about 2 to 3 stone i travel a bit heavey but i use a internal back pack and feels like nothing accept for jumping accross rocks or crossing rivers 

3 day pack is 15 to 20lbs depending on which shelter I take, and whether or not I'm taking a firearm with me.

I've seen this question a few times and always feel like its up for interpretation on what your doing and who is with you. If its just you and one other person and its on a trail you've done before, its summer time, and you don't take any extra gear to try out. I could see around 20-25 pounds being normal.

If I take my girlfriend it gets bumped up to around 40-60lbs because you find yourself carrying a two person tent and two sleeping bags plus most of the food.

so like I started with it depends on the situation for me personally..  

I just completed a hiking weeked in the rockies...three nights four days. It was close to 25 KM into the backcountry, with about 2500 ft of vertical. I packed with essentials and come in at 38 lbs...then I added snacks and real food as well as the freeze dryed meals I already had. Throw a few maybe I might need that's in and boom, I was over 50lb. It was heavy on ascent, but I ate well! Your question is genereal, and everyone is echoing the same answer... it depends.  One could point out however, that two separate back packs filled with the same items from different manufacturers can weight completely different, so how much money you spend on gear can directly impact weight too. Just my two cents, take care. 

I meant it to be an open and kinda general question. We dont all do the same kind of trips and dont all do the same type of camping or use the same kind of gear. I am curious when people are over 35 pnds in the summer though. At one time my pack was in the 45 to 50 range and it was all stuff that I never used.

I normally dont camp during the winter, so my pack is usually pretty light. Usually, its around 8kg. Sometimes, I try to go even lighter if I'm planning on go up the mountains.

When I go hiking I usually bring some extra equipment like a folding saw and or a hatchet so I can do some bushcrafting/ harvesting if time and circumstance allow for it. So with food, water (I usually fill both my Camelbak bladder and my 40oz bottle) knife, folding saw, compass, poncho shelter plus small survival kit it can weigh about 25 pound. On the other hand if I know I'm going on a shorter hike I'll leave the hatchet behind and maybe go with only the 40oz water bottle. That usually drops me to about 20 lbs. It all rides pretty well in my Falcon II.

My trekking backpack is around 50 pounds for a 2-Week trip.

I'm currently working on my setup and I just don't see how people get into the 20lbs pack range without spending huge amounts of money on ultralight titanium camping gear. In my list I've got all my pack weight to about 30 to 32 lbs without food. Then once you add food in split up between 2 or 3 people you have to add another 10 pounds to that. Would some of yall give a list of what all you carry, including model numbers and weights, when you're in th 20lbs range. I certainly believe that you do it I just don't know how to do it myself. My last trip I was carrying like 50+ lbs and it liked to kill me and want to get my carry weight lower. Thanks.

Bill McGalliard wrote:

I'm currently working on my setup and I just don't see how people get into the 20lbs pack range without spending huge amounts of money on ultralight titanium camping gear. In my list I've got all my pack weight to about 30 to 32 lbs without food. Then once you add food in split up between 2 or 3 people you have to add another 10 pounds to that. Would some of yall give a list of what all you carry, including model numbers and weights, when you're in th 20lbs range. I certainly believe that you do it I just don't know how to do it myself. My last trip I was carrying like 50+ lbs and it liked to kill me and want to get my carry weight lower. Thanks.

Hey Bill - You don't have to spend tons to go ultralight, but you do have to spend a little on some key items.   My sub 20lb kit is as follows:

ENO Singlenest Sleep System (Hammock, Tarp, Bugnet, Homemade Slap Straps made of 550 cord, tent stakes) (I bought this piecemeal on sale, paid a total of 175 dollars for this)

Wool Blanket ( 6 bucks at harbor freight )

Reusable Space Blanket ( 15 dollars I think )

Gerber Freeman Knife ( 40 dollars )

Gerber Suspension Multitool (40 dollars )

Fuel Tab stove ( 6 dollars )

Firesteel, Tender Tube, Pocket Light, Lighter, Match Case, Fishing Kit ( probably have 25 bucks total into this )

Nalgene 32 ounce bottle + GSI Stainless steel cup ( 18 bucks )

Second Nalgene 32 ounce Canteen ( 17 bucks )

Platypus collapsible water bottle for filter ( 10 bucks )

Aquamira Frontier Pro water filter + Katadyn water purification Tablets ( Can't recall the price, but between 20 and 30 dollars )

Roll of bank line

50' of Paracord

Work Gloves

Guyot Design Spork/Spatula

Bandana

Spare Socks

Food ( Dehydrated Mountain House meals, Oddwala Bars, GORP, Jerky) - this is measured out to my calorie per day comfort level (about 3000 calories, I'm a smaller guy )

Map

Silva Compass

Starflash Signal Mirror

Jetscream Whistle

That's pretty much the basickit, it weighs 19.4  lbs according to the scale.  That is with the water bottles filled.  

That's the basic kit.  Sometimes I'll carry my 30-30 and my 22/45 with me also so I like to keep the pack light since that will toss on another 10lbs easy. I'll also carry my tomahawk if it's colder or I feel I'll need a bigger chopper.

Douglas,

Thanks a lot for the detailed list. I'm also a hammock guy, though I think I'm probably going to get a Warbonnet. With the blanket and space blanket do you find that that keeps you warm? Looking at my gear list it looks like my sleeping bag is by far the heaviest single item I carry at 3+ pounds. I know there are lighter ones out there but I got this one at an REI Garage Sale for 30 bucks. :) Also I don't remember if you said in your list, but what kind of pack do you carry and what is it's capacity? Again thanks for the information.

Douglas Snitker wrote:

3 day pack is 15 to 20lbs depending on which shelter I take, and whether or not I'm taking a firearm with me.

What determines IF you're carrying a firearm?

Jason Phelps wrote:

Douglas Snitker wrote:

3 day pack is 15 to 20lbs depending on which shelter I take, and whether or not I'm taking a firearm with me.

What determines IF you're carrying a firearm?  

I don't have a concealed carry permit yet - so mostly it's based on location.  In Texas I don't need a carry permit to have a firearm in my vehicle, just to carry on my person.  My office doesn't allow concealed carry, so I haven't taken the time to get the permit (I can leave a weapon in my vehicle by state law, which is as far as I can take it permit or not).  I need to buckle down and get the license so I'm not as limited on state parks/national parks.