Guide 3 min
How much should your backpack weigh? The target per trip
3 kg for a day, 8 for a wild camp, 11 for a trek: the target weight per trip, not a percentage of your body. Split base weight from carried weight.
You keep being told your backpack should weigh "10% of your body weight", sometimes 20%. That rule is about your body, not your trip. Two people of the same weight, one out for the day, the other three nights self-supported, don't carry the same thing: the load comes from what you take, not from what you weigh.
The right benchmark is a target weight per trip type: 3 kg for a day hike, 8 kg for a wild camp, 11 kg for a trek. That's what WildKit aims for, and here's how to read it.
What's the difference between base weight and carried weight?
Base weight is your gear, carried weight is that plus the consumables. Two figures, not to be confused:
- base weight is the gear: backpack, tent, sleeping bag, sleeping mat, and the clothing that travels in the bag. It doesn't change from one day to the next.
- carried weight is the base weight plus consumables, which add up every day.
Consumables come with numbers:
| Consumable | How much |
|---|---|
| Food | 0.7 kg per person per day (+10% in winter) |
| Water carried | 1.5 kg, 2 kg once it's 22 °C |
| Gas | 40 g per person per day |
The target weight (3, 8, 11 kg) is a base weight. Food and water go on top: it's normal for a trek pack to weigh 14 kg on the first day and get lighter as you walk.
The plausible ranges
Outside these bounds, something's off, and WildKit tells you:
| Trip type | Target base weight | Plausible range |
|---|---|---|
| Day hike | 3 kg | 0.4 to 8 kg |
| Wild camp | 8 kg | 3 to 14 kg |
| Trek | 11 kg | 3.5 to 16 kg |
Below the low bound, you're probably missing an essential item. Above the high bound, you're carrying something surplus, or gear that's too heavy for the trip.
The trap that wipes off nearly 2 kg
The most common mistake: counting the down jacket, the fleece and the rain jacket as "worn", so at zero. While you're walking, they're in the bag. That's the whole point of the bag. Taking them out of the total makes around 1.7 kg vanish, which your back feels perfectly well.
What doesn't count, on the other hand: the first of each layer you actually wear while walking, the breathable top, the trousers, the first pair of socks. And footwear never fills the bag, it's on your feet, but it does weigh.
What should you cut first to lose weight?
Start with the sleeping bag, the tent and the sleeping mat. A kilo saved on the sleeping bag, the tent or the sleeping mat is worth more than a kilo saved anywhere else: they're the three heaviest items, and volume follows weight (see What backpack volume). Start there before counting the grams on a cookpot.
Related guides
- What backpack volume for a day hike, a wild camp, a trek?
- Lightweight tent: what should it weigh in an 8 kg pack?
What to remember
- Aim for 3 kg for a day, 8 for a wild camp, 11 for a trek. Forget the body-weight percentage.
- Split base weight from carried weight: food and water add up on top.
- Your down jacket counts towards the weight. What you wear while walking doesn't.
The item-by-item calculation, with the verdict "within range" or "too heavy" and the first item to lighten, runs on your real trip. Describe it, and watch your estimated weight appear right next to the target.
Written by Thanaël Fontaine. Published .