Is 4 lbs too heavy for a backpacking tent?

If you're just getting into backpacking, one rule of thumb is to keep the weight of your first backpacking tent under 2.5 to 3 pounds per person. It can be lower than that, but that's a good upper limit to shoot for and one that's still relatively easy to carry in a backpack.



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Lightweight Backpacker (Greater than 10 but less than 20 pound base weight) The majority of long-distance backpackers fall in the category of the lightweight backpacker. Their base weight exceeds 10 pounds, but is under 20 pounds. Most lightweight backpacks today are specifically created for the lightweight backpacker.

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A loaded backpacking pack should not weigh more than about 20 percent of your body weight. (If you weigh 150 pounds, your pack should not exceed 30 pounds for backpacking.) A loaded day hiking pack should not weigh more than about 10 percent of your body weight.

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Base weight includes everything not food, water, fuel, and the clothes that you wear all day long (ex tshirt and shorts). Base weight includes the weight of water and fuel storage containers as well.

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No matter how well-designed the backpack, less weight is always better. Use the bathroom scale to check that a pack isn't over 10% to 20% of your body weight (for example, if you weigh 120 pounds you shouldn't carry a backpack that weighs more than 12 to 24 pounds).

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