What is the ideal weight for a thru hike pack?

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.



People Also Ask

Even on multiday adventures, you'll still want your pack close to 20 percent of your body weight, so you'll need to be extra thoughtful about the gear and clothing you're carrying to compensate for all that extra gear.

MORE DETAILS

40-50 Liters (The Ultralight Thru-Hiker) Expect to fit everything you could fit in a smaller pack, plus: A food bag that can hold up to 5-6 days worth of food. A pot for cooking. A camp stove and fuel.

MORE DETAILS

21–35 liters: This is the sweet spot for most hiking and travel daypacks. There's enough capacity to hold food, clothing and some extras, like a camera and a book. 36–50 liters: These larger packs are ideal for trips that require additional clothing and gear, such as climbing, mountaineering or non-summer hiking.

MORE DETAILS

Size Matters (but Bigger Isn't Better) Like a few other things in life, size matters when it comes to choosing a backpack — but not in the way you might think. Based on many years of dragging excessively large backpacks around the world, I have to say bigger is not better. You do not need an 80 or 90 litre pack.

MORE DETAILS

Savings can be achieved both by reducing the size of your pack and also by choosing a pack with lightweight construction (lighter materials, fewer pockets and zippers, etc.). If you're carrying less than 15-20 pounds, consider a frameless backpack, and you'll be able to drop your backpack weight to under two pounds.

MORE DETAILS

For more years than my back or knees care to remember, I lugged around a big tent, a huge backpack and a bulky sleeping bag. Altogether the three items weighed in at over seven kilograms (15.4 lbs – see chart below).

MORE DETAILS

Trips of 5 days or more usually call for packs of 70 liters or more. These are also usually the preferred choice for winter treks lasting more than 1 night.

MORE DETAILS