Lightweight vs Traditional Hiking Backpacks: A Comparison Guide | Field Mag

Oct 23, 2024

Multi-day backpacking trips require the right kind of pack -- here's how to choose the right style for your needs

Author

Joe Jackson

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Ultralight backpacking is more of a lifestyle choice than a simple set of gear purchases. Even if you buy the fanciest of fancy dyneema/titanium/gossamer woven ultralight backpack in the world—the most meaningful way to lower your pack weight is from making gear sacrifices. For ultralight hikers, these sacrifices look like leaving a stove behind and letting cold ramen marinate in your pack for hours before eating it (called cold soaking) or choosing a tarp/hiking pole system over a full on tent. The benefits from those sacrifices coupled with ultra lightweight backpacking gear are plentiful, though.

In this article, I am going to break down the main differences between an ultralight backpack and heavier traditional backpacks, help you decide if you need one, and deliver buying suggestions. I am going to base this advice on the more than two decades I have been backpacking and 25 years I have spent as a guide, outdoor industry retail employee, and professional gear tester.

I mean, the obvious answer to this question is simple: the weight of these multi day backpacks is different—butt the differences lie within how ultralight packs shave off the ounces (or pounds) in their construction. Ultralight packs use much lighter materials which have a tendency to be a little less durable than their heavier counterparts. Lightweight and ultralight packs usually have way fewer features (all those external pockets, every compression strap, and zipper adds grams!) and usually have one main compartment to place all of your gear in. Heavier duty packs are usually built from more robust materials and can handle heavy loads more comfortably with padded shoulder straps and hip belts. They also tend to have more general comfort features (or doohickies as I like to call them) like a frame that allows your hips to rotate with each step or an uber intricate mesh back that mitigates back sweat.

In order to save weight on materials, an ultralight pack is usually composed of one big compartment—as opposed to multiple interior pockets or compartments that can often be found in a heavier backpacking backpack. This one large opening needs to be packed and organized more thoughtfully than a pack with purpose built compartments—like a sleeping bag compartment—in order for you to be able to find your ultralight gear as efficiently as possible. For comfortable weight distribution, place your heaviest pieces of gear low and close to your body. For efficiency, put the things you need to reach throughout the day—food, water purifier, and sunscreen—at the top of your pack and things like a sleeping bag and a lightweight fanny pack for a day hike that you won’t need until you are done walking at the bottom or places that are harder to reach.

A solid base weight excluding food and water is 10 to 15 pounds for ultralight backpacking. As I have said multiple times in this article, hitting that low of a weight means sacrificing lots of comforts like fancy meals and maybe even a stove but if you are disciplined about packing only the basics of what you need—lightweight shelter, lightweight sleeping pad and minimalist mat, your backpack, clothes, and vessels for drinking and eating—you can get there.

The best way to test the durability of any backpack is hundreds of days in the field. Day after day of repetitive use is where you will notice all of the wear points in a lightweight multi day pack and also be able to test the abrasion resistance of the materials. Since you may not have that much time to test the best backpack yourselves, it is worthwhile to research ultralight hikers who are backpacking experts—many exist who have hiked the Pacific Crest Trail, Appalachian Trail, and/or the Central Divide Trail—and read what reviews they have specifically focused on durability in an ultralight backpack.

The best backpacking backpack is the one you are going to actually enjoy using. As such: the most important factor to consider when buying a lightweight multi day backpack is how much comfort you are willing to sacrifice for weight. Long before you start going down the rabbit hole of the ounces shaved from one ultralight pack material to another, ask yourself if you are willing to deal with mosquitos buzzing your ears all night to shave pounds off your packing kit by eschewing a tent for a tarp.

Read more about how to properly pack your backpack here.

Published 10-22-2024