Michael Turner
Recommendation: Keep base weight between 4.5–9 kg (10–20 lb). Experienced ultralight setups target 4.5–6 kg (10–13 lb); mainstream lightweight kits fall in 6–9 kg (13–20 lb). Target a total carried load of 9–14 kg (20–30 lb) including food, water and fuel, and aim to stay below 25% of body mass for sustained trips.
Definitions and accounting: Base weight = shelter + sleep system + clothing + cook system + electronics (exclude consumables). Total carried load = base weight + food + fuel + water. Consumable benchmarks: food ≈ 0.45–0.9 kg (1–2 lb) per day depending on calorie needs (2,500–4,000 kcal/day); water = 1.0 kg per litre, so carry 0.5–4.0 L based on source frequency and climate; fuel usually adds 0.05–0.5 kg.
Route and season adjustments: add +1–2 kg for cold-weather insulation layers and heavier boots; add +2–4 kg for snow/ice tools (crampons, ice axe, heavier clothing). For longer resupply gaps, add roughly 0.45–0.9 kg per extra day of food required.
Concrete reduction tactics: replace a 1.8 kg shelter with a 0.9 kg shelter to save 0.9 kg; replace a 900 g steel pot with a 400 g titanium pot to save 0.5 kg; switch a 1.2 kg sleeping bag for a 500 g quilt to save 0.7 kg. Swap high-bulk snacks for calorie-dense options to reduce daily food from 0.9 kg to 0.45 kg, saving 0.45 kg per day. Reduce carried water by planning reliable fills (carry 0.5–1.0 L between sources instead of 3–4 L) to cut up to 3 kg.
Measurement and planning steps: weigh every item with a scale and log values, compute base weight by excluding consumables, then add planned food and water to model total load. Set a target (example: base <6 kg for fast travel, <9 kg for comfort), run short shakedown trips, and swap specific items until targets align with fitness and route demands.
Target load for 1–3 night trips on flat, mixed, and alpine terrain
Flat terrain (1–3 nights): total carry 7–10 kg (15–22 lb). Mixed terrain (1–3 nights): total carry 9–13 kg (20–29 lb). Alpine / technical (1–3 nights): total carry 11–17 kg (24–37 lb).
Base-load targets (excluding food and water): flat 4–6 kg (9–13 lb); mixed 5–8 kg (11–18 lb); alpine 7–10 kg (15–22 lb). Aim to keep base-load as low as possible; food adds ~600–900 g (1.3–2.0 lb) per day, each litre of water = 1 kg (2.2 lb).
Category budgets (grams): shelter 500–1,500; sleep system 700–1,300; clothing + insulation 500–1,200; stove + fuel 200–800; footwear 400–1,000; hygiene/first-aid/repair 100–400. Example target set for a mixed 2-night trip: shelter 900 g, sleep 1,000 g, clothing 800 g, stove 400 g, food 1,600 g (2 days), water carried 1.5 L = total ≈ 8.2 kg.
Terrain-driven adjustments: add 15–40% to total for alpine where rope, crampons, heavier footwear and extra insulation are required; add 0.5–1.5 kg for cold-weather layers. When water sources are scarce, plan for extra litres – each extra litre increases carry by 1 kg. Fit and conditioning allow trimming 0.5–2.0 kg safely by swapping to lighter shelter, quilt, or single-pot cook kit.
For transport to trailhead or flights pick robust travel options that protect gear: best luggage on market for man and best luggage bag for travelling.
Measure every item at home and trim 0.5–2 lb from your gear list
Use a digital kitchen scale (±1 g) for items under 2 lb and a luggage/handheld scale (±0.1 lb) for loaded kits; record every measurement in grams and ounces, then plan cuts totalling 8–32 oz.
Precise measuring procedure
1) Empty vs full: measure each container both empty and full (water, fuel, toiletries). 1 L = 2.20 lb (1000 g = 35.27 oz). 2) Individual pieces: weigh every single item (stakes, guylines, stove parts, batteries, cordage, zipper pulls, battery packs, headlamp) – items under 15 g (~0.5 oz) still add up, so log them. 3) Assemblies: weigh fully packed sleep system, shelter setup, cook system separately to identify biggest contributors. 4) Food packaging: prepackage each meal and snack; weigh per-meal totals and per-day totals; aim to eliminate excess packaging. 5) Accuracy and units: use grams for small items; convert to ounces (1 oz = 28.35 g) for totals. Keep a simple spreadsheet with columns: item, category, qty, weight (g), notes.
Concrete swaps and cuts that yield 0.5–2 lb
Replace by-example (savings approximate): titanium stakes 3.5 oz vs aluminum 10.5 oz = save 7 oz; ultralight shelter 28 oz vs traditional tent 56 oz = save 28 oz; inflatable pad 10–13 oz vs foam/air hybrid 18–26 oz = save 8–16 oz; canister stove 2–3 oz vs multi-fuel or heavier canister 8–10 oz = save 5–7 oz; one lightweight base layer 6–8 oz vs two heavy shirts totaling 20–26 oz = save 12–20 oz. Reduce fuel and water: carry only necessary fuel for estimated burns and refill water from reliable sources (1 L less = 2.2 lb saved).
Small-item pruning: remove duplicates (two knives → one) to save 1–4 oz; replace full-size toothpaste with a 10–15 g smear saved per trip; trade AA battery headlamp (3–4 oz with batteries) for a 1.5–2 oz USB-rechargeable light. Consolidate repair kit: needle, 1 m cord, 3 zip ties, small duct tape strip (target ≤1.5 oz).
Food and clothing targets: repackage meals to remove cans and excess packaging – shaving 4–12 oz per day is typical; limit clothing to a lightweight base layer, insulating layer, and rain shell – cutting one heavy midlayer often saves 8–16 oz. Shelter/pad/stove swaps provide largest single-item savings; food and clothes trimming are highest-return cumulative cuts.
Final test: after swaps, re-measure every item and rebuild total in your spreadsheet. If net savings <8 oz, prioritize swapping one shelter or pad item first; if aiming for ≥1 lb, combine one big swap (shelter or pad) plus food-rationing and small-item pruning. Repeat measurement after repacking to confirm a 0.5–2 lb reduction.
Safe load as a percentage of body weight – day hikes versus multi-day trips
Target 20–25% of body weight for single-day outings; aim for 12–18% total carried load on multi-day trips (including food, water, fuel).
- Single-day guidance
- Flat/easy: 25–30% of body weight.
- Mixed terrain: 20–25% of body weight.
- Steep/alpine or long day (>10 miles/16 km): 15–20% of body weight.
- Multi-day guidance (total carried load)
- Ultralight aim: ≤12% of body weight (ambitious kit choices, minimal luxuries).
- Light/comfortable: 12–18% of body weight (balanced between comfort and efficiency).
- Moderate/heavy: 18–25% of body weight (older gear, extra clothing, longer food/fuel needs).
Concrete examples (percent × body weight):
- 140 lb hiker – day: 28–35 lb; multi-day target: 17–25 lb.
- 170 lb hiker – day: 34–43 lb; multi-day target: 20–31 lb.
- 200 lb hiker – day: 40–50 lb; multi-day target: 24–36 lb.
Breakdown for multi-day planning (use as checklist to compute total):
- Base kit (shelter, sleep system, clothing, stove, tools): target 8–12% of body weight.
- Food: plan 1–2 lb (0.45–0.9 kg) per day; multiply by number of days and add to base kit.
- Water: 1 L = 2.2 lb (1 kg = 2.2 lb). If water sources frequent, carry 0.5–1 L between sources; if dry, calculate maximum required and add.
- Fuel and consumables: 0.5–1 lb total for short trips; add more for long cold-weather trips.
- Total carried load = base kit + food + water + fuel + group/shared items.
- Terrain and condition adjustments
- Alpine/technical routes: reduce targets by 3–5 percentage points (more mobility and safety gear needed).
- Cold or wet conditions: add 2–5 percentage points for extra insulation and fuel.
- Less conditioned or older hikers: reduce targets by 3–6 percentage points versus peak-athlete numbers.
- Quick decision rules
- Total load ≤12% = excellent for fast travel and reduced fatigue.
- 12–18% = practical sweet spot for multi-day trips with good comfort.
- >18% = expect slower pace, more fatigue, higher injury risk; trim items or redistribute load.
Use numeric planning rather than vague guesses: calculate body-weight percentages, convert liters of water to pounds or kilograms, and run a dry-fit with expected food/water to confirm the final total before departure.
Load placement and suspension tweaks to reduce shoulder and lower-back pain
Place 60–70% of total load mass within 5–10 cm of the shoulder blades and position the heaviest items centered next to the spine at mid-torso (roughly T7–T12). This keeps the centre of mass close to your skeleton and reduces forward torque on the lumbar region.
Set the hipbelt directly on the iliac crests; tighten until 70–85% of perceived load transfers to hips and only 15–30% remains on shoulders. Quick test: tighten hipbelt, then slide hands under shoulder straps–if hands can only just fit, hips are taking most of the load.
Adjust shoulder harness height so the top of the load sits 5–10 cm below the C7 vertebra. Use load lifters at a 30°–45° angle from the shoulder straps toward the rucksack top; increase tension until the upper load is snug against your upper back but causes no chest compression.
Sternum strap placement: 4–6 cm below the collarbones. Tighten only enough to stop shoulder-strap roll; maintain a 1–2 finger gap under each strap to avoid restricting breathing and to keep weight off the clavicles.
Keep heavy objects within 1–3 cm of the spine by using internal and external compression straps. Side-to-side balance tolerance: ±100 g for long carries. Reduce internal item movement with small stuff sacks or foam blocks around core items; dynamic shifting increases shoulder and lumbar strain.
Terrain adjustments: uphill – raise heavy items 2–4 cm (toward shoulders) to improve climbing balance; downhill – lower heavy items 2–4 cm to increase stability and reduce forward pitching. For technical ridges, move critical mass slightly lower and tighten all stabilizers.
Torso measurement for harness fit: measure C7 to iliac crest. Typical harness ranges – Small: 40–43 cm, Medium: 44–48 cm, Large: 49–55 cm. If harness length mismatch produces neck or lower-back pain, change harness or adjust load height rather than over-tightening straps.
Pain-troubleshooting checklist (do these after 200–500 m of walking): 1) Confirm hipbelt on iliac crests and tightened; 2) Loosen shoulder straps until hips carry 70–85%; 3) Reposition sternum strap if chest feels compressed; 4) Reduce top load if neck pain persists; 5) Use compression straps to eliminate internal shifting.
For snack choices that support muscle recovery without excess fat, refer to which nuts have the most protein and least fat and stow food near the hipbelt to avoid frequent bending and destabilizing the carrier.
