Brett on Stuff

 38 Responses to “Ultralight Backpacking Gear List”

1. Sam Warner Says:
   September 20th, 2006 at 8:24 am

   Hello Brett & Theresa,
   I just found your website, very nice. I enjoyed looking! I have been using
   that same fleece hat for some time now, love it to. Sierra Trading post has it on sell for 8.95, great gifts!.In reguard to your TP. Have you tried the blue shop towels. I take one square and cut into quarters. I have found they work much better than toilet paper,and if they get wet they do not fall apart. I have converted alot of fellow hikers over to them. The copper ridge loop is on my list to do thanks to you two. I just did the Spider Gap& Buck Crk Pass loop on the east side of Glacier Pk. and it was great. Thanks for letting us look, Sam

2. Eric Blumensaadt Says:
   September 20th, 2006 at 12:57 pm

   Hi guys,
   Good list and well thought out gear selection. I JUST got into lightweight (not UL) gear this year after turning 63. My “old stuff” like the 7lbs.+ Dana Designs Terraplane & MSR Dragonfly stove are now reserved for winter trips.
   New stuff this year include:
   1. REI UL 60 pack -> 3# 4 oz.
   2. Mt’n. Hardwear Phantom 32 800 fill down bag (W/ sac) -> 1# 8.7 oz.
   3. MSR Wind Pro canister stove -> 10.7 oz. (I like to bake & needed this type stove.)
   Previously I had:
   4. REI Sololite tent & footprint packed wt.) -> 3# 12 oz. (no longer in production)
   5. Thermarest UL full length mat (W/ sac) -> 1# 6.4 oz.
   My Thermarest Ridgerest is lighter but not as comfortable.

   So I’m getting there. Total pack weight W/ food, water in hydration bladder, & side pockets added to pack was 32# for a 7 day trip in the Paria River, UT slot canyon.
   The REI UL 60 max cap. is 40#, not that I want to carry that much.
   As Father Guido Sarducci from SNL would say, “Notta too bad.”

   I like, and may buy, TarpTent’s newest solo tent but the VIrga 2 is OK also. Your Cloudburst 2 is perfect for 2.

3. Curt Says:
   September 20th, 2006 at 5:54 pm

   Good selection of gear mostly. We all differ a bit. I would substitute an alcohol stove & windscreen of alu. roof flashing. Also you might swap toothpaste for a filmcan of baking soda.
   Just my ideas.

4. brett Says:
   September 20th, 2006 at 7:25 pm

   hey curt – tell me more about the stove. i’ve seen several pepsi can stoves that seem ultralight for the stove, but then the liquid fuel (alcohol) seems to add too much weight. i’m wide open to ideas for a lighter kitchen.

5. brett Says:
   September 20th, 2006 at 7:25 pm

   sam – good tip on the shop towels. will try it out and let you know if i’m a convert

6. brett Says:
   September 20th, 2006 at 7:28 pm

   eric – good luck on getting lighter and take your time. i started that way also, getting down to a 30lb pack allowed me to start wearing trail runners, which inspired me to go even lighter. sounds like you’re headed in the right direction!

7. Doofo Says:
   September 20th, 2006 at 10:28 pm

   Two comments.

   (Okay three…)

   First, great site. Thanks for sharing.

   Second, it isn’t healthy to put items into an empty film canister that might be consumed by humans due to the left over chemicals.

   Third, try brushing your teeth with Dr. Bronners. 1 or two drops will do the job nicely. Just don’t get too much!

8. Frank Says:
   October 4th, 2006 at 12:51 pm

   Hey Brett, great work here. You gave me a lot of ideas for my soon to be published UL gear list. I noticed that you don’t put the items worn in the total weight. I actually manually added up all your stuff because I couldn’t figure out how your stuff was so much lighter than mine

   Might want to add Total Pack and then Total Pack + worn since you went through the trouble to weigh all your clothing as well.

9. brett Says:
   October 6th, 2006 at 8:15 pm

   frank – thanks for the feedback. the worn clothing weights are added up under each clothing section using “Total Worn” – you can see my worn weight and theresa’s worn weight individually. i didn’t list the weights in the final summary tables as it felt a little duplicative.

10. Dave Ward Says:
    May 3rd, 2007 at 11:09 am

    Have you considered going cookless? We stock up on super light snack foods…nilla wafers, cheese crackers, jerky etc. Then add a shake made of nesquick, powdered milk and whey protein. Saves a LOT of weight…which is worth it. I used to be the camp gourmet kind of guy. I would dehydrate lasagna and mexican corn pie. Now I just wait for real food when I hit a town or get back. Just a thought.

    I can’t find the golite helios on their site. Is it still made? That would shave 2.5 oz. off of my equinox jacket. Do you like it’s performance?

    Great site

11. brett Says:
    May 7th, 2007 at 9:48 pm

    Hi Dave,

    I haven’t at all considered cookless. I think I’d have a hard time with it – I love the sense of warmth on a cold night of a hot cooked meal, and it’s something to look forward to. I guess I used to think the same way about breakfast and am fine with no-cook breakfasts these days, so the only time we use the stove is at night. Might be worth a shot.

    Golite doesn’t make the helios anymore – my wife has the Ether “wind-shirt” which is water repellent and made out of the same stuff has the Helios. If you were wearing it under a direct down pour, it probably wouldn’t hold up – but combined with the umbrella keeping most of the rain off us, it seems to be working out OK at this point.

    I have yet to have many days of sustained heavy rain with it to really “soak-test”.

    Hope it works out for you.
    -B

12. keith comess Says:
    May 24th, 2007 at 10:01 am

    Brett,
    I keep checking your site hoping to make the financial commitment to trashing my heavy (but still new!) gear for the ultralight material you recommend. I have persistent memories of encountering you on the Copper Mountain Loop last summer when Frances, Saskia and I were totally wasted by our heavy gear and you two were pert and happy with light-weight materials!

    Keith

13. Richard Says:
    September 4th, 2007 at 9:30 pm

    Brett,

    Enjoyed your site. A lot of good ideas for me to follow up on.

    A couple of things you might think about: My wife and I recently went to a Jacks ‘R Better Mt Rogers Quilt. It weights 2 lbs and replaced my 1lb 6 oz marmot bag and her 2lb REI bag. We both really love it. We’ve been plenty warm to 25′F in our tent so far. The other thing is to consider the lightest Esbit stove and fuel tabs. They weigh a lot less than an stove and cannister for 2-3 day trips. The Esbit system works great for boil and wait dinners. I also recently went from a Golite Speed (1lb 10oz) to a Zpack at 6 oz. Still working on my wife on this one. I also have a tarptent cloudburst – great tent.

    Richard

14. Andrew Says:
    September 16th, 2007 at 5:56 pm

    Great site, very clear and professional. Keep up the good work.

15. Six2 Says:
    December 2nd, 2007 at 1:22 am

    Brett,

    Love the site! Looking at your gear list, I don’t know where you’ve left off with alcohol stoves, but if fuel efficiency and wind performance are concerns, you may want to give the Trail Designs Caldera Cone a look. I bought one of the first versions to market and used it for a two month hike this past spring and was pretty impressed. It was the last thing that let me make the leap away from my pocket rocket for longer trips. Here’s the site:

    http://www.traildesigns.com/products01.html

    They have a new version that I have yet to check out that burns alcohol, wood, or esbit.

    - Six2

16. brett Says:
    December 2nd, 2007 at 6:44 pm

    Six2 – thanks for the feedback. The cone system looks very cool.

    I actually switched to a Firelight 550 – a 2.5 oz version of that pan earlier this year and have loved it so far. It got a little bent on the WCT but popped back into shape OK. I need to take another pass at updating my gear-list.

    However, I haven’t switched to an alcohol stove yet. Although, I’m getting close to taking the plunge. Snow is falling in the mountains here in Seattle, and my snowboard is waxed and ready to roll – so I probably won’t get back on the trail until the spring

17. Ryan Says:
    March 30th, 2008 at 3:12 am

    Very nice site. Love the easy-to-follow layout.

    I noticed you listed a spare headlamp battery, but no headlamp. What do you (and everyone else on the board) use?

    Headed to the JMT in July. Time to get ready

18. brett Says:
    March 30th, 2008 at 10:59 am

    Hey Ryan,

    Oh yeah – I need to update that. I did use a black diamond LED headlamp, but switched for the Photon Freedom (which I use with velcro attached to a hat-rim as a make-shift headlamp). I need to update the battery picture & weight.

    Cheers for pointing it out!

    Have fun on the JMT – I really want to do that trail… someday

19. Ryan Says:
    April 1st, 2008 at 4:44 pm

    Thanks for the Photon Freedom tip. I noticed that the replacement batteries are only $2 from REI. While they designate them as a hazardous item and wouldn’t send them to me in Hawaii, it’s a good tip for those on the mainland.

    Aloha.

20. litehiker Says:
    April 6th, 2008 at 11:07 am

    Have just stumbled across your site. Impressive. I’ve put a link on my blog and mentioned it on outdoorbloggers.com in the UK.

21. Ezmate Says:
    April 20th, 2008 at 1:35 pm

    Nice site. I stumbled upon it while reading up on the WCT (my wife & I are heading out in June of this year).

    I find it amazing how similar your pack list is to ours, all the way down to the same lights, sleeping bags, towel, knife, & camera!

    Anyway, I’m a bit concerned about the WCT and trailrunners. Typically, my wife & I do all of our hikes in trail runners & have no problem. Of course, we rarely encounter rain since we do most of our hiking in the mountains.

    Until I read your site, I figured I’d be stuck going back to my old, heavy boots, but now you have me wondering if I can’t just do it with our favorite shoes. How did your trailrunner/gaiter combo hold up to the rain & mud?

    Also, my wife & I usually camp with a tarptent (2 lb. six moon designs, actually), but were worried about how it would hold up to the possibility of monsoon-like rains and strong winds. Our other alternative is our storm-proof REI tent that weighs in at something like 7 lbs…not a pleasant thought when it comes to weight. How’d your Cloudburst hold up? Any issues with it?

22. brett Says:
    April 20th, 2008 at 9:12 pm

    Hey Ezmate,

    Thanks for the feedback. Assuming you have a lot of experience with ultralight – I would totally recommend doing the WCT in trail runners. There was a lot of mud for sure, but if you are willing to tip-toe around the mud-holes and have poles you’ll be fine. The ankle-gaiters we used were very handy on the sand beaches. If you haven’t already – I’d recommend you read our trip report for the WCT as it has many pointers in it about mud/poles/umbrellas etc. The campsites we stayed at were sheltered from pounding wind – so driving rain was the only concern. The tarp tent held up well, but it was hard to pitch on the sand. Feel free to email me at brettm-at-gmail-dot-com if you want to pick my brain on other ideas. I’ve only done the trail once, so am by no means a guru – but my experience was very recent.

    Our actual WCT gear-list is archived here: http://www.brettonstuff.com/index.php/backpacking/how-to-pack-ultralight-for-the-west-coast-trail-in-under-10lbs/

    Good luck – you’ll love it!
    -Brett

23. Dylan Says:
    May 25th, 2008 at 8:46 pm

    Bret, first off let me say that this is one of the best ultralight gear list sites I have found so far. All the links are up to date and the format is very easy to follow. The pictures make it more interesting to read, and the intermittent weigh-ins after each subsection help the reader to get a better idea of what portion of THEIR pack weight should be coming from each section. Thanks for putting this together! One question I have though, when you say “The weights listed are my own measurements, not off the label”, what type of scale do you have, and where did you get it? Do you have any recommendations as to what type would be suitable to weigh things from .1 oz to over 5lbs? Thanks for your reply!

24. brett Says:
    May 25th, 2008 at 11:16 pm

    hey dylan,

    cheers for the feedback. i use a small electronic postage scale. google for “postage scale” and you’ll get a ton of hits.

    have fun lightening your load!
    -brett

25. shawn Says:
    July 8th, 2008 at 9:16 pm

    Great website!!

    I found my way here through a google search of the TGO challenge. I’ve been looking at the Challenge for a while now, and am setting plans to get myself to Scotland for the 2009 crossing. Have a lot to do though, being in college and having very little play in my finances. Great gearlist, and overall even better website! Hope to see you in scotland in may, if you’re going, that is!!

    -Shawn
    Duluth, mn

26. brett Says:
    July 8th, 2008 at 11:02 pm

    Thanks. Would love to do the TGO next year – we shall see!

27. 2Heeldrive - Walk it off Wimp! | Links to JMT resources and trail reviews Says:
    July 11th, 2008 at 8:57 pm

    [...] Brett on Stuff » Ultralight Backpacking Gear List [...]

28. pg Says:
    July 20th, 2008 at 4:01 am

    What a great site, and your update is fabulous too. Sawed off toothbrushes, yes!!! Tell me about the bugs in August on the loop. Our outfitter’s list doesn’t include a mosquito hoody, but with a newbie hiker, I want to be extra prepared.

    Also, if you dip in the lake, should we have a bigger ultrasoft sports towel. Love how you include honest assessments of weight. How many purchases have I made without any indication of weight on the packaging! ugh!

29. David Kim Says:
    November 19th, 2008 at 4:55 pm

    It’s great to see someone else’s list. I have had good luck with Equinox ultralight gear as well.

30. Derek Goffin Says:
    November 20th, 2008 at 2:03 pm

    Dear Brett,
    I hope you dont mind but I just looked through your list with the TGO challenge in mind. Scotland might rain horizontally for 3 days continuously. It usually doesnt,
    but you dont seem to have enough waterproofs, waterproof trousers, waterproof over gloves, really waterproof jackets. If you dont take goretex socks your feet may be wet all day.
    Not many people in Scotland carry umbrellas because too often the wind is too strong while it rains. It is so humid that a single skin tarp tent will often run with condensation. Theresa will have to work to keep her down gilet dry. I carry a down gilet but care is needed.
    I dont know your sleeping bag and I dont know how high you are going but the average fill of a challengers bag is 400 grams of top quality down. what we call 800 and I think you call 900.
    I dont expect you will need to carry more than half a litre each of water in Scotland. Some people dont carry any and just dip a cup in a burn as they go.
    You may wish you had more ways of keeping your gear dry than one or even 2 trash bags.
    The rope may be useful for something but large parts of Scotland are bare of trees. If the midge season is early you may both need midge nets (smaller mesh than mosquito).
    We end up carrying about 2 pounds more base weight to you and eat more food per day.

31. Brad Orr Says:
    December 20th, 2008 at 6:21 pm

    Yeah Brett, I’m with you there. I don’t understand why everybody doesn’t go this way. The enjoyment of the walk is better than the talk.

    B

32. Rob Hunter Says:
    March 26th, 2009 at 2:55 pm

    From my own experience and everything I’ve read, I dont’ see how you could get by on so little food. I have always carried 2-3 lbs per day. Did you go hungry?

33. brett Says:
    March 26th, 2009 at 10:10 pm

    Rob,

    Check out the food we took for the WCT detailed here: http://www.brettonstuff.com/index.php/backpacking/food-for-the-west-coast-trail/. A full day – is about 1.4 lbs / person / day for us. We definitley don’t go hungry on that and often have left-over food at the end of a trip.

    The 4lbs for 3 days number I use above might be misleading – as on a typical 3-day trip, I will get breakfast on the road on day-1 and dinner at the trailhead or on the return journey on day 3 – so we don’t pack 3 full days of food.

    I do try and focus on dry-weight foods with nutrition vs. heavy wet foods.

    I recommend you carry as much as you need to keep your energy up and not go hungry. We don’t aim to skimp on food for weight-savings – it’s just we don’t end up eating more than this.

    Thanks for the post!
    -Brett

34. jon Says:
    April 13th, 2009 at 11:05 am

    brett,

    Have you suggested using a buff as a scarf and hat depending on the situation, they’re versatile and help out in many situations.

    Just an idea of mine to help you combine two items into one.

35. Darrell Says:
    April 21st, 2009 at 7:55 am

    Hi Brett,
    I just turned 40 and will be hiking the West Coast Trail this July with 6 of my best friends! I’ve been doing tonnes of web-searching and let me say, your site is THE BEST all round site for the WCT and hiking in general. You’re obviously an enthusist and your passion for the outdoors is contagious! Anyway, I’m at the equipment buying stage and have a few questions. #1 is boots. I suspect your pack when you did the hike was smaller than mine will be (I have a major appetite and I’m 210 lbs, so I figure mine will be around 50lbs). What boot would you recommend? The REI hiker looked good for the money ($165) though it’s not GoreTex. #2. It seems a lot of folks recommend GoreTex gaiters for this hike…what do you say? #3. If I read your notes properly it seems you didn’t use a water purification system for this hike, but just the purification tabs (which seem like a logical choice given their weight, etc). Is this correct? #4. How important is waterproof pant/jacket for this hike? Everything “waterproof” that I’ve ever used didn’t enable me to breath – so while it kept the rain off of me, I sweat from the inside – so was wet anyway. Advice?
    I look forward to hearing from you soon.
    Darrell

36. brett Says:
    April 21st, 2009 at 8:13 pm

    hey darrell,

    congrats on your WCT permit and thanks for the kind words.

    as for your gearlist… our WCT gear-list is preserved here: http://www.brettonstuff.com/index.php/backpacking/how-to-pack-ultralight-for-the-west-coast-trail-in-under-10lbs/, but let me comment on your specific questions:

    #1 boots
    i’m not sure what to tell you… i’m not that up on the mainstream hiking boot market. we did the WCT wearing sneakers, but we had very light packs – so were able to do so. with 50lbs, i would certainly want something more sturdy. however, i would STRONGLY recommend you explore every option you can at making your load lighter. it will simply make your experience that much more enjoyable. i would NOT however, recommend making the WCT your first lightweight backpacking experience – but as your trip is in july – you have plenty of time to do practice hikes if you want to explore this. check out backpackinglight.com and other ‘ultralight backpackng’ sites to get some ideas. as for food – factor in moniques and the ferry crossing – cash is ligher than food

    #2 gaiters
    for sure. the beaches would have been miserable without them. however, i think heavy goretex gaiters are overkill. we wore very light (1.6oz) ankle gaiters (see http://www.brettonstuff.com/index.php/backpacking/sand-between-my-toes/) and they performed flawlessly. they were a little worse for wear after the WCT however . however, all depends on your hiking style. if i were carrying 50lbs and heavy boots, i would probably be trudging thro’ the mud head-on, and these ankle gaiters might not cut it. with sneakers, poles and 20lb packs we were able to navigate around the mud-pits easily unscathed.

    #3 filtration
    the tabs worked perfectly. however, lots of the water on the WCT is yucky brown with tannins, and sometimes has nice floaty bits. if that bothers you, then consider a filter. with a group of 6 – i would try and split a lot of stuff up between you. like take tabs as backup – but carry a few filters for the group. certainly not one each. you should be able to save a ton of weight in a group if you can get others to buy-in to the idea.

    #4. hah.. depends who you ask. we had 2 1/2 days of pissing down rainforest rains. i wore shorts (not waterproof, but treated with TX-direct) and t-shirt and used an umbrella. we stayed bone dry (except for our feet in stream crossings) – and didn’t get sweaty at all. i did wear my waterproof jacket in camp. the umbrella was hard to deal with on the ladders and with poles but we finally got the hang of it. if you haven’t read all 5 days of our trip report – then do so – there are lots of tips embedded in those pages.

    good luck – and have fun out there!
    -brett

37. How To Get Out in the Woods (and Survive the Bears!) - Nicholas D. Kristof Blog - NYTimes.com Says:
    August 8th, 2009 at 9:13 pm

    [...] their equipment lists, and they are great to learn from. This is one typical ultralite site, and here is another. Basically, you need a groundsheet, a sleeping bag, a tarp, water filter or tablets, and [...]

38. Hostelio Says:
    October 11th, 2009 at 6:11 pm

    I have never meet a traveler who, after five trips, brags, “Every year I pack heavier.” The measure of a good traveler is how light he travels. You can’t travel heavy, happy, and cheap. Pick two.

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