Knowledgebase Page - The 15lb base weight gear list
Feb 10, 2020
Why 15lbs is a good target and how to achieve it
15lbs or 6.8Kg is a magical figure – it’s about the base pack weight you can achieve for an extended three season backpacking trip without really compromising on comfort or sacrificing any of the key pieces of gear; such as tents, sleeping bag, sleeping mat and rucksack.
Go much below this weight and there must be compromises to achieve such a low level – you could go without a sleeping mat, use a minimalist tarp instead of tent, leave the cooking gear and fuel at home and eat only cold food plus a host of other compromises that could reduce base pack weight further.
At 15lbs though none of these compromises have to be made, you can take a tent, full size sleeping mat, cooking gear etc. 15lbs is also a good starting weight for your back – with a good rucksack it’s a relatively small load to carry and even though you will be adding food, water and fuel you will probably still stay under 22lbs – which is a comfortable carry for most people.
Even with this low weight it’s notable that the largest single item is the RUCKSACK – the item you don’t need, except to carry the stuff you do need. In my 15lb list the rucksack weighs about a kilogram, that’s because I insist on a decent harness system with a frame that transfers the load to my hips for a comfortable carry – if I expect my total weight to be below 25lbs there are a wide range of packs that will carry this around the kilogram mark. Other people will go for a lighter pack than this – that’s personal choice – but it could save 3-400grams more – this is worth doing if you can still carry the weight comfortably.
In my list I’ve included a two skin TENT that’s under 800grams, two skin tents are the most popular because they are the best for managing condensation, but by moving to a single skin option weight could be saved or roominess improved for the same weight. Most tents of this low weight have mesh inners – these are ‘breezy’ in windy conditions but this is the only compromise you need to use for three season use.
I have also included a full sized SLEEPING MAT, many others might compromise here and take a torso mat, and you can use your rucksack to insulate your legs from the ground though it’s not as comfortable. There were lighter options for sleeping mat anyway (though not many) but these are generally un-insulated, I preferred the insulated option which again helps my sleeping bag keep me warm.
The SLEEPING BAG I have gone for is highly rated for its weight – at a Comfort Limit of 2C its around the minimum requirement for most 3 season backpacking trails, fine if I ‘sleep warm’ but not so good if I ‘sleep cold’, but I also have a pair of long johns a thermal top and a down jacket which I can wear to bolster the warmth from the bag.
Finally my total comes to 13lbs 14.23ozs, that leaves 17oz (481grams) for re jigging or for other items – note I haven’t included my camera – 12oz is a good allowance for this but my preferred camera weighs a bit more so it would take the total base weight over the target.
Extra weight may be added for ingredient bottles, salt and pepper or in my case something to carry my coffee in.
It’s a real list and one that I will be using for an upcoming trip, I will be swapping some stuff out and adding equivalents in – but the basic list is sound.
Basic Gear Carried
Basic Gear Carried | 6300g | | | 13lbs | 14.23oz | |||||
Tent | Sea to Summit Alto TR1 Tent | 930g | | | 2lbs | 0.8oz | ||||
Lightwave Cuben Peg Bag | 2g | | | 0lb | 0.07oz | |||||
GCG Titanium Tent Pegs - 6 | 36g | | | 0lb | 0.85oz | |||||
MSR Carbon Core Tent Stakes - 6 | 36g | | | 0lb | 1.27oz | |||||
Lightwave Lightning Guylines - 4 | 20g | | | 0lb | 0.71oz | |||||
Grip Clips x 2 | 10g | | | 0lb | 0.35oz | |||||
Sleeping Bag | STS Spark SPII Regular Sleeping Bag | 480g | | | 1lb | 0.96oz | ||||
STS Aero Ultralight Pillow - Regular inc. pouch | 58g | | | 0lb | 2.05oz | |||||
STS stuffsack supplied with sleeping bag | 30g | | | 0lb | 1.06oz | |||||
Sleep Mat etc | Nemo Tensor Regular | 394g | | | 0lb | 13.9oz | ||||
Repair Kit | 10g | | | 0lb | 0.35oz | |||||
Pumpsack | 56g | | | 0lb | 1.97oz | |||||
Rucksack | Granite Gear Crown 2 | 1064g | | | 2lb | 5.6oz | ||||
Gram-counter Gear 30L Pack Liner | 62g | | | 0lb | 2.19oz | |||||
Raingear | Outdoor Research Helium Rain Jacket | 172g | | | 0lb | 6.06oz | ||||
Montane Minimus Pants | 156g | | | 0lb | 5.51oz | |||||
Cooking | Soto Windmaster Gas Stove | 66g | | | 0lb | 2.33oz | ||||
Evernew ECA 278R Titanium Solo Potset | 152g | | | 0lb | 5.37oz | |||||
GCG Thermo Pocket Insulated Pouch | 34g | | | 0lb | 1.2oz | |||||
Optimus Sliding Spoon | 26g | | | 0lb | 0.92oz | |||||
MSR Deep Dish Bowl | 61g | | | 0lb | 2.16oz | |||||
Sawyer Mini Filter | 97g | | | 0lb | 3.42oz | |||||
GCG Firesteel | 12g | | | 0lb | 0.42oz | |||||
GSI Compact Scraper | 18g | | | 0lb | 0.64oz | |||||
Pot Washing Cloth and Pan Saver | 10g | | | 0lb | 0.35oz | |||||
Washroom | Coghlans Mirror | 20g | | | 0lb | 0.71oz | ||||
Granite Gear Air ZippDitty | 17g | | | 0lb | 0.6oz | |||||
Lightwave RAP-VAP Towel Small | 52g | | | 0lb | 1.84oz | |||||
Packtowel Nano - Medium | 18g | | | 0lb | 0.64oz | |||||
Disposable Razor x1 | 12g | | | 0lb | 0.42oz | |||||
Coghlans Camp Soap 59ml | 85g | | | 0lb | 3oz | |||||
MSR Blizzard Stake as Trowel | 33g | | | 0lb | 1.17oz | |||||
Coghlans Biodegradable Toilet Roll | 42g | | | 0lb | 1.48oz | |||||
Vaude Dento-Fresh | 45g | | | 0lb | 1.59oz | |||||
Pee Bottle | 35g | | | 0lb | 1.24oz | |||||
First Aid Kit | Total Weight | 181g | | | 0lb | 6.4oz | ||||
Granite Gear Air ZippDitty 1.0L | 17g | ||||||||
2 x 4" Wound Dressings | 14g | ||||||||
1 x Stretch Bandage | 10g | ||||||||
1 x Surgical Tape | 3g | ||||||||
1 x Bite and Sting Relief | 17g | ||||||||
6 x Wound Cleaning Wipes | 11g | ||||||||
5 x Plasters | 4g | ||||||||
1 x Small Vaseline Tin | 34g | ||||||||
Ibuprofen Tablets - 16 Pack | 8g | ||||||||
Sun Screen Stick | 12g | ||||||||
Micropur Tablets - 75 Pack | 8g | ||||||||
Elastoplast Fabric Strapping | 31g | ||||||||
STS Nano Mossy Net | 12g | ||||||||
Hydration | Hydrapak 750ml Stash Water Bottle | 70g | | | 0lb | 2.47oz | ||||
Evernew 0.6L Water Bottle | 27g | | | 0lb | 0.95oz | |||||
Hydrapak Soft Flask 750ml | 68g | | | 0lb | 2.4oz | |||||
Clothing | Patagonia Thermal Airshed Jacket | 230g | | | 0lb | 8.11oz | ||||
Rab Zero G Down Jacket | 290g | | | 0lb | 10.2oz | |||||
Rab Forge Leggings | 130g | | | 0lb | 4.59oz | |||||
Marmot Windstopper Gloves | 66g | | | 0lb | 1oz | |||||
OR Helios Sunhat | 84g | | | 0lb | 2.97oz | |||||
Montane Primino 140 Helmet Liner | 18g | | | 0lb | 0.64oz | |||||
Haglofs LIM Power Dry Top | 168g | | | 0lb | 5.94oz | |||||
XSocks Trekking Expedition Short | 54g | | | 0lb | 1.91oz | |||||
Montane Prism Booties | 154g | | | 0lb | 5.43oz | |||||
Accessories | Petzl Tikka Lamp | 85g | | | 0lb | 3oz | ||||
ALOKD2-8x11 Waterproof Bags - Double Zip | 20g | | | 0lb | 0.71oz | |||||
Petzl E+ Lite | 26g | | | 0lb | 0.92oz | |||||
Maps x 2 Cut to Size | 54g | | | 0lb | 1.91oz | |||||
Deejo Naked 15g | 15g | | | 0lb | 0.53oz | |||||
Sunglasses and Lowe Alpine Pouch | 108g | | | 0lb | 3.82oz | |||||
Compass - Silva | 26g | | | 0lb | 0.92oz | |||||
Glass Cleaning Cloth | 2g | | | 0lb | 0.07oz | |||||
Multimat Sit Mat | 32g | | | 0lb | 1.13oz | |||||
Gram-counter Gear Mini Firesteel | 15g | | | 0lb | 0.53oz | |||||
Cable Ties | 6g | | | 0lb | 0.21oz | |||||
Discretionary Gear Carried | |||||||||
Samsung Phone incl. LokSak | 115g | | | 0lb | 4.06oz | |||||
Credit Cards and Cash in LokSak | 23g | | | 0lb | 0.81oz | |||||
Granite Gear Document Pouch | 19g | | | 0lb | 0.67oz | |||||
Headphones | 10g | | | 0lb | 0.35oz |
15lbs or 6.8Kg is a magical figure – it’s about the base pack weight you can achieve for an extended three season backpacking trip without really compromising on comfort or sacrificing any of the key pieces of gear; such as tents, sleeping bag, sleeping mat and rucksack.