Do These 10 Things To Reduce Your Pack Weight by Pounds

Yes, this is going to be yet another article giving you ultralight advice on how to shave down the weight of your pack on long-distance backpacking trips. Have these been done before? Absolutely. But when you carry all your gear for thousands of miles, handfuls of ounces really do add up when it comes to the stress on your joints, back, and attitude. Plus, you clicked the link, so you really only have yourself to blame for the repetition. 

Ultralight Backpacking Tips for Lowering Your Pack Weight

Most of these articles tend to focus on the big-ticket items, like your tent, pack, and sleep system. Those are likely the biggest opportunities for shaving significant weight from your pack, but what do you do once you’ve dialed in the Big Three? In this article, we’ll explore some of the lesser-known ultralight tips that focus on smaller and often overlooked changes that add up in your pack.

I’ve hiked trails before with an ultralight setup and have finally found my ideal middle ground. I leave behind the things I’ve learned I can live without but carry some objectively pointless stuff (like my stuffed Marmot, Bean Dip). However, this article is all about shaving every possible ounce!

1. Leave That Pillow at Home

I say this as someone who wants to help you cut your pack weight, but also as someone who has never understood the draw of a backpacking pillow. Blowing up my sleeping pad is my absolute least favorite camp chore, and the last thing I’d want to do is inflate another thing afterwards.

The fabric feels uncomfortable against my skin and causes my face to sweat. The air pressure tends to seal off my ear, making it difficult to fall asleep. The lack of compressibility in the air leaves the pillow feeling rigid and uncomfortable throughout the night. Truly, I have nothing good to say about backpacking pillows. 

This is what it looks like to wake up after a nap in the Great Divide Basin on a backpacking pillow. Do I look well rested?!

That being said, I also cannot sleep without a pillow. Call me high-maintenance. Instead of a terrible backpacking pillow, I shove my rain gear in something I have handy (a small stuff sack, a buff, or the leg of my sweatpants, depending on how cold the night is) and use that instead.

The rain gear compresses like a real pillow and feels so much more comfortable, with the added benefit of not having to carry a separate item. 

Weight Savings: 2 oz

2. Bare Feet = The Most Ultralight Camp Shoes

Crocs are comfortable. Tevas are durable. Chacos are functional. They also weigh just around a full pound per pair. Consider how much time you’re actually spending in those shoes compared to how heavy and cumbersome they feel strapped to the back of your pack.

There are some great ultralight options out there, but it’s hard to go wrong with a pair of gas station flip-flops. Cheap, lightweight, and packable, flip-flops are a great option if you cannot fathom walking around town in your trail runners or spending some time barefoot at camp. That said, the lightest option of all is to send the camp shoes home and deal with the 15 minutes each day you could technically not be wearing your hiking shoes.

My camp shoes could never find a comfortable home in my pack. I would just shove them in the bungee cord on the back pocket.

I never thought this could be me until I finally sent home my sandals halfway through the CDT and proceeded to never regret that choice for a single second. A lot of ultralight backpacking boils down to tolerating discomfort and leaving things behind. I’d argue camp shoes are a pretty great place to do that.

Weight Savings: 15 oz

3. Ditch the Dry Bag and Pack Cover

If you’re thru-hiking right, you’ll never have to hike through rain!

(I’m kidding.)

Keeping your gear dry is non-negotiable. There’s nothing worse than setting up camp after a long, rainy day only to find your sleeping bag soggy and your clothes soaked through. But here’s the thing: dry bags and pack covers are overkill.

Pack covers are heavy, finicky, and honestly not that great at keeping water out, especially in sustained downpours. Enter the humble trash compactor bag. This unsung hero of ultralight backpacking weighs next to nothing, costs a fraction of the price of a fancy dry bag, is surprisingly durable, and is basically a waterproof fortress for your pack’s contents. Line your pack with one, toss your gear inside, and fasten the top tightly to seal it off. Voilà—your entire pack is now water-resistant.

A pack cover isn’t going to do much for you in hours of sustained rain.

If you’re less concerned with durability, many companies offer a Nyloflume pack liner for even further weight savings. However, if I’m leaving behind my pack cover and dry bags, I prefer the security of knowing that inside liner is watertight and not prone to puncture. For my extra-fragile gear that I don’t want getting wet (my camera supplies come to mind), I opt for a Ziploc bag instead of a dry bag. Again, it’s really not needed if you’re using a trash compactor bag correctly, but I like the peace of mind, price tag, and weight of a Ziploc over an actual dry bag.

Weight Savings: 3 oz

4. Become Ultralight with Less Organization

While we’re on the subject of bags, just get rid of your stuff sacks along with your dry bags. It took a long time for me to finally try shoving my quilt into the bottom of my bag without putting it in a stuff sack first, but I’m OK admitting when I’m wrong — it’s a game changer. 

This also makes it easier to put things where I want them to be. Instead of having to keep all my layers in my “clothes bag”, I pack them in order of how likely I am to want them during the day.

As long as I have a trash compactor bag to ensure total dryness, I like shoving my quilt, clothes, and miscellaneous items into my bag freeform and letting it fill all the nooks and crevices within the pack itself. This saves on space a bit more than weight— stuff sacks are pretty ultralight items— but it shaves an ounce or two. And, really, that’s what this article is all about.

Weight Savings: 2 oz

5. It’s Not a Fashion Show

Despite what Instagram may try to tell you, we all look terrible on the trail. It’s OK. Once you haven’t showered for seven straight days, there’s not much your outfit can do to save you from the stink and oiliness of thru hiking. You’ll look and smell gross. Just accept it.

Take a hard look at the clothes you’re bringing with you. Do you really need more than two pairs of socks? Underwear? One hiking outfit? The answer might be yes, but I’d challenge you to take a short trip with fewer clothes than you think you’ll want and see how you feel at the end of it. There’s a fine line between packing your fears and being prepared for your environment. If you’re trying to be ultralight, I encourage you to approach this critically as opposed to following the normal packing lists found online.

If it’s not a fashion show, why does my Sambob hoodie make me look so cool? I’m full of contradictions.

Personally, I carry sweatpants, which is objectively overkill and not in line with the ultralight mindset. It makes me happy enough, though, to not care. Find your sweet spot, but know that you can get some serious weight savings by leaving clothes behind if you’re willing.

For the sake of the tally, I’ll assume you cut out a pair of socks, base layers, and rain pants after reading this article. Call me a mind reader.

Weight Savings: 14 oz

6. Stay Stinky

In the same vein, I encourage you to just give up on personal hygiene. Deodorant will not help mask your stink, it’ll just make you smell like a vaguely vanilla-scented pile of human garbage. Why bring a brush when you could just use your fingers and occasionally bum one off a fellow hiker? Wet wipes aren’t the substitute for a shower you think they will be. (And, on the wet wipes note, try drying them out before leaving town and re-wetting them with your water bottle as needed! Learning this trick totally changed my on-trail bathroom game).

Let’s face it — a 30-mile day in the rain and heat is going to leave you stinky no matter what you have in your pack.

Additionally, use travel-sized versions of all your toiletries, such as toothpaste and sunscreen. Even on a trail as remote as the CDT, refills could be readily found in most towns.

Weight Savings: 8 oz

7. Your Phone Is the Only Luxury Item You Need

Thru-hiking can be very boring. I do understand that everyone will have their own individual ways of entertaining themselves, and whatever gets them through the day is a win! However, a little judgmental part of me doesn’t understand why people bring Kindles and physical books along when you could just use your phone.

If you get a library card — which I’d argue everyone should do regardless of their hiking plans — and the free Libby app, you’ll have unlimited access to audiobooks and ebooks for the entirety of your hike. Many apps allow you and friends to play offline pass-and-play card games without having to carry a physical deck. Phones these days take beautiful photos and serve as a wonderful alternative to a camera.

The phone stays close on hand and lets me listen to audiobooks and music while I hike, read during breaks, and play Euchre with friends in the evening.

Mind you, I shouldn’t judge. I bring an entire heavy camera setup and a deck of cards. Do as I say, not as I do.

For the sake of the tally, I’m assuming you decide to just leave behind a Kindle.

Weight Savings: 5.5 oz

8. Axe the Knife

Be so honest: when was the last time you used any function on your Swiss Army Knife besides the blade itself? From cutting Leukotape to opening food packages, my knife gets a serious workout on any thru-hike. However, you could save some ounces by ditching the rest of the functionalities and bringing along an ultralight razor blade.

During one memorable dinner, I had to use my ice axe to open my dinner after accidentally leaving my knife behind in the previous town.

Litesmith sells a wonderful, ultralight razor blade with a cover for safety. Backnife sells a similar product, as does Derma-Safe through Garage Grown Gear. The options are endless. Pick whatever works best for you, but consider leaving behind your full Swiss Army Knife. 

I’ll eat my words if you’ve ever actually needed to use the toothpick while on trail.

Weight Savings: 1 oz

9. Unplug To Save Weight

An Anker 20,000 mAh portable charger weighs more than 12 oz. That’s over three king-sized Snickers or five Spam Singles you could be carrying instead! Cutting your charge capacity down to the 10,000 mAh shaves off almost half of that weight.

I get it — our phones are practically an extension of our bodies at this point. But let’s face it, you’re out here to escape the digital grind, not carry a battery arsenal. While a 20,000 mAh portable charger can keep your phone juiced up for days, do you really need it? Most trails pass through towns often enough to recharge, and cutting down to a 10,000 mAh battery is usually more than enough for navigation, photos, music, and the occasional game of offline solitaire.

Even my second longest stretch between resupplies — 8 days in the Bob Marshall Wilderness —didn’t deplete my power bank all the way.

Solar chargers might sound appealing, but unless you’re hiking in constant sunshine, they tend to be more hassle than they’re worth. Stick with the lighter power bank and enjoy the freedom of a pack that’s just a little less weighed down.

Just don’t forget to fully charge your power bank, satellite phone, headlamp, phone, and whatever else you’re carrying in town!

Weight Savings: 6 oz

Total Weight Savings So Far: 46.5 oz

That’s nearly three pounds, people, and that’s all accomplished without even touching the Big Three. Your tent, pack, and sleeping bag may have an outsized impact on your base weight, but they don’t tell the whole story. Shaving a few ounces here and there elsewhere in your pack can add up fast.

But wait, there’s more! Harder to quantify in ounces but equally impactful in lessening your overall load is your consumables. Which brings us to our final point …

10. Don’t Overlook the Biggest Ultralight Impact: Food and Water

You could have the most ultralight gear on the market, but if your food and water strategy is inefficient, you’re still going to be hauling unnecessary weight. The reality is that food and water are likely to make up the bulk of your pack weight at any given time. If you’re not smart about it, all the grams you saved by cutting your toothbrush in half go right out the window.

Food

Let’s start with food. It’s tempting to overpack when resupplying in town, especially when you’re tired and hungry and every shelf at the gas station looks like it’s stocked with pure magic. Resist the urge. Plan meals ahead of time, and only take what you’ll actually eat between resupply points. Carrying three days of extra snacks “just in case” adds pounds to your pack that you’ll hate yourself for by mile 10.

If you find yourself consistently overpacking food, challenge yourself to leave town with just a bit less and see if it forces you to ration smarter or eat the extra calories you already packed (within reason, obviously).

I love finding ways to shave an ounce off my pack weight and then packing out huckleberry ciders from towns. It’s fun to erase all your hard work!

Also, consider calorie density. Foods like peanut butter, olive oil, and nuts pack more calories per ounce than things like jerky or bell peppers. Focusing on high-calorie, lightweight items can significantly reduce your food weight without leaving you hungry. Don’t be afraid to embrace a little repetition — variety is nice, but it’s not worth carrying heavier meals for the sake of novelty.

Water

Now, water. You’ve got to carry enough to stay hydrated, but lugging around three liters at a time is a recipe for back pain. Know your trail and its water sources. If you’re hiking in an area with frequent, reliable streams or springs, there’s no reason to carry more than a liter at a time. Even better is if you can chug a liter at the water source and make it to the next water source before you’re wanting more. Apps like FarOut are lifesavers for gauging upcoming water availability.

If you’re in a drier area, be strategic about when and where you top off. It’s a fine balance between carrying enough to stay safe and not overloading yourself unnecessarily. Trust me, those extra liters add up fast.

In the drier sections of Idaho, Crumbs and I would filter a liter, chug a liter, filter another liter, and carry that one to drink until the next water source.

At the end of the day, the smartest ultralight backpackers aren’t the ones with the fanciest gear — they’re the ones who know how to manage their food and water efficiently. It’s not as flashy as a Dyneema tent or a sub-two-pound sleeping bag, but it’s the key to keeping your pack weight manageable and your spirits high.

Weight Savings: It depends, but potentially pounds

Welcome to Ultralight: Your Total Weight Savings

The trick is learning to distinguish between genuine preparation and carrying extra weight “just in case.” A little discomfort is part of the journey, and with time, you’ll figure out what you truly need versus what just takes up space in your pack. Start small — experiment on shorter trips, taking notes on what you use and what stays buried at the bottom of your bag.

Carry what you need and leave behind what you can in order to be as happy as possible.

Ultralight backpacking is as much about mindset as it is about gear. It’s about trusting yourself, your planning, and your ability to adapt on the trail. You might miss something you left behind at first, but you’ll thank yourself when your pack feels lighter, your steps feel easier, and you’ve got more energy to focus on the trail ahead. The goal isn’t necessarily to suffer — it’s to enjoy the journey more by having less weighing you down.

Featured image: Photo via Katie Jackson. Graphic design by Zack Goldmann.