Backpacking pack weight: base weight, consumables and what is worn
This backpacking pack weight calculator turns a gear list into the three numbers hikers actually talk about. Base weight is everything in your pack that stays the same for the whole trip. Consumables are the food, water and fuel that you use up. Worn weight is what is on your body: boots, clothes, trekking poles. Base plus consumables is your pack weight; add worn weight and you get the skin-out weight.
Enter your body weight and the page shows the pack as a percentage of it, next to the common guidance of about 20% for a backpacking trip and about 10% for a day hike. It is a planning aid for comparing one gear list with another, not a verdict on whether you can carry it.
How to use the Backpacking Pack Weight Calculator
- Enter your body weight in kilograms or pounds, and choose the unit you will use for items.
- Edit the example gear list: name, type (base gear, consumable or worn), weight each and quantity.
- Use Add an item for anything missing, and the cross to remove a row. Water and food are consumables; give a quantity such as litres or days.
- Pick whether to compare with a backpacking trip or a day hike.
- Read the pack weight, base weight, skin-out weight and the gap to the guidance, then copy the summary.
Backpacking Pack Weight Calculator features
Base, consumable, worn
Each item has a type, so the three totals and the skin-out weight are always separate.
Any unit
Enter item weights in grams, kilograms, ounces or pounds; results show kg and lb together.
Quantity column
Two days of food at 650 g, or 1.5 litres of water at 1,000 g per litre, in one row each.
Body-weight guidance
Pack weight as a percentage of your body weight, against about 20% (backpacking) or 10% (day pack).
Private
Nothing is uploaded or saved; the list is gone when you close the tab.
Where the 20% and 10% guidance comes from
The percentage rules are a rule of thumb used by outdoor retailers and guiding organisations. REI Co-op’s expert advice article, “How Much Should Your Pack Weigh?” (read 24 October 2026), suggests that a loaded backpacking pack should weigh no more than about 20% of your body weight and a loaded day pack no more than about 10%, and calls them a starting point: for example, a 150 lb hiker would aim for about 30 lb. It also notes that smaller hikers may end up above 20% because there is a floor to how light a pack can get. I could not find an equivalent figure on a national park service or university outdoor-programme page, so treat the percentages as one retailer’s guidance, not a medical standard.
The guidance is applied here to pack weight (base plus consumables), the load on your back. Worn weight is shown separately. For a pack that begins heavy with food and water, remember that consumables drop during the trip, so compare the start-of-trip figure with the guidance and the base weight with other people’s gear lists.
| Body weight | 20% pack | 10% day pack |
|---|---|---|
| 50 kg | 10 kg | 5 kg |
| 70 kg | 14 kg | 7 kg |
| 90 kg | 18 kg | 9 kg |
| 150 lb | 30 lb | 15 lb |
Cutting weight sensibly
The heaviest items are usually the pack, the shelter, the sleeping bag and the food, so those are the first places to look. A lighter pack is not worth a cold night or missing safety gear: keep the essentials for your terrain and season. Weigh each item on a kitchen scale rather than trusting the label, and keep the list from one trip to the next. The hiking water calculator helps decide how much water to carry, and the hiking time calculator shows how a heavy pack slows you down.
Backpacking Pack Weight Calculator FAQ
What is base weight?
The weight of everything in your pack except consumables (food, water, fuel) and what you wear. It is the figure hikers use to compare gear lists.
How much should a backpack weigh?
A common guideline is up to about 20% of your body weight for a backpacking trip and about 10% for a day hike. It is a starting point, not a limit.
Is worn weight part of the pack weight?
No. Worn weight (boots, clothes, poles) is listed separately; pack weight plus worn weight is the skin-out weight.
Should I count water in the weight?
Yes as a consumable. Water is heavy, 1 kg per litre, so a full load at the start is much heavier than the same pack at the end.
Is 20% a safe limit?
It is a general guideline, not a medical limit. Fitness, fit of the pack, terrain and back health change what is comfortable. Not medical advice.
Are my gear lists saved?
No. Everything stays in your browser tab and is gone when you close it. Copy the summary if you want to keep it.