What Is Base Weight In Backpacking?

As a backpacker, you carry everything you need for the trip inside your backpack. Every ounce counts because it takes more effort to carry it with you throughout the trip. The term “Base Weight” is very common with planning a backpacking trip, and is very important in reducing your pack weight.

Base weight refers to the weight of the backpacker’s equipment and supplies, excluding consumables like food and water, which vary by trip. This includes essential items like clothing, shelter, accessories, and more. Minimizing base weight can reduce the overall weight of a backpack, potentially improving trip comfort.

In this post, we’ll consider back weight in-depth, consider factors that can affect it, how to properly measure it, and how to reduce it.

What is included in the base weight?

Base weight is the weight of all the backpacker’s equipment, without any consumables like food, water, and fuel. The main reason to take this measurement is as an estimation of how heavy your backpack is while accounting for the fact that the weight of your consumables changes during the trip, and between different trips.

It’s a really important measurement many hikers and backpackers take, to estimate how heavy their gear generally is. Backpackers generally try to decrease the weight of their backpacks and considering your base weight and what items contribute most to it is the best way to do that. Ultralight backpackers often try to optimize every gear item they have and find the lightest alternative they can.

When trying to reduce the weight of your backpack, it’s really important to know just how heavy you want your backpack to be. I previously create a complete article about how heavy your hiking backpack should be, where I detail everything you need to know.

The common rule of thumb is that the total weight of your backpack should not be more than 20% of your body weight and up to 30 lbs. Considering your base weight, most backpackers aim for a base weight of below 10-15 pounds.

Common items that are included in the base weight:

Common items that aren’t included in the base weight:

• Food (snacks, supplies)
• Water
• Fuel (for your stove)

How to measure base weight

There are two common ways to measure your backpack’s base weight.

The thorough way to measure your backpack’s base weight:

1. Gather your non-consumable gear items
2. Weigh each item individually
3. Add up the weight of all items

The main benefit of this method is that you can know which items contribute the majority of the weight to the backpack’s base weight. You can later focus on lowering the weight of these items, by finding lighter alternatives or by giving them up entirely.

The easier way to measure your backpack’s base weight:

1. Gather your non-consumable gear items
2. Pack them into the backpack
3. Weigh the backpack

With this method, you should still get the same base weight measurement. The main downside of this method is that you don’t know how much weight each item contributes to the base weight. The main benefit is that it’s much faster and easier than weighing all your items individually.

How to reduce your base weight

If you’ve measured your base weight and found it’s heavier than you’d like, here are a few tips you can follow to reduce it:

• Switch heavy gear with lightweight alternatives. For almost all backpacking equipment, there’s a heavy and lightweight option you can take. For example, if your tent is very heavy, you can choose to buy a lightweight or an ultralight tent and replace it. Focus on the heaviest items in your backpack, which are typically the tent, sleeping bag, sleeping pad, and the backpack itself. This will be easiest if you measured the weight of your items.
• Prioritize and minimize the number of items you bring. Avoid bringing things you don’t really need, and bring exactly what you’re going to use (maybe with a little extra, but nothing more). Try to act like a minimalist, and really consider whether you need the item you’re going to bring, or you can find a way to do without it. Small items can add up to a lot of weight.
• Consider sharing gear with a partner. If you’re hiking with a companion, many of the items you bring can be shared, so the weight can be divided between you. Common items that are shared in a backpacking trip are the tent, cooking system, first aid kit, and water treatment system. By sharing these items, you can really reduce your base weight, because many of these items can be heavy.

The benefits of reducing base weight

While base weight is something many backpackers consider, it takes a lot of time and effort to effectively reduce. You might wonder what are the actual benefits of reducing your base weight.

• Less strain on your body. The weight of your backpack is something most backpackers aren’t used to. The weight puts a lot of stress on your body, especially on your joints and muscles. You can feel this stress when going downhill, where more weight is put on your joints. It’s a really uncomfortable feeling, especially if you’re not used to it. Reducing your base weight ultimately means you’ll carry a lighter backpack, so they’ll be less stress being put on your muscles and joints, leading to a more enjoyable trip.
• Ability to travel longer distances. With a lighter gear kit, you’ll feel able to walk much faster than you would with the heavier pack. Reducing your backpacking base weight can increase your speed, meaning you’ll be able to complete longer trails in a day.
• Increased mobility. A heavy pack makes you feel clumsy and awkward while walking on the trail. The added weight makes you feel less mobile, so it’s harder to move around based on the trail conditions. Reducing your base weight will make you feel much more mobile, so you’ll be able to move quickly and enjoy walking more.
• Reduced risks of injury. Having a really heavy backpack can make it more likely that you suffer from an enjoy during the trip, like spraining an ankle or losing balance and falling. The added strain on your body can cause injuries as well, and reducing your base weight can make it less likely that you suffer from one. You can feel much more secure walking with a lighter pack.

As someone who worked to significantly reduce my base weight, I can say that it makes backpacking much more enjoyable. It makes the trip much more enjoyable, yet still challenging and rewarding. I really encourage you to try and reduce your base weight before your next trip, to make it much more fun.

Common misconceptions about base weight

• Myth: Ultralight gear is not worth the investment.
  Fact: Ultralight gear can be expensive, but if you’re into hiking, it can be well worth the price. You don’t have to replace all your gear items – just focus on the heaviest items you have. Some people say that ultralight gear is fragile, but it’s not always the case. There are durable options to choose from. Of course, if you don’t want to spend a lot of money on backpacking, or if you’re just getting into the hobby, you can reduce your base weight in other ways.
• Myth: Reducing base weight means sacrificing comfort.
  Fact: You can get lightweight equipment that is still functional and comfortable. Many of the lightweight alternatives to heavy items are just as functional as their heavy counterparts. Additionally, giving up items you’re not using doesn’t mean sacrificing comfort, because you’re carrying them for no reason. A lighter pack is much more comfortable than a heavy one, packed with things you don’t need.
• Myth: Reducing your base weight is not for beginner backpackers.
  Fact: You can put some effort into reducing the weight of your pack at any point you decide. While it’s more common with hiking enthusiasts, anyone who enjoys backpacking can set the goal of reducing their base weight and have a better time on the trip as a result.
• Myth: Reducing your base weight isn’t worth the effort.
  Fact: You’d be surprised how significantly the weight of your backpack affects your backpacking experience. A lighter load puts less strain on your body and makes you faster and more mobile. You’ll have more energy during the trip, and have a better time overall.

Conclusions

In this post, we’ve considered what base weight is in backpacking, how to measure it, and how to reduce it. The topic of base weight is really popular with backpackers because reducing base weight can make the trip much more comfortable and enjoyable.

While backpacking, you’ll be surprised how much you can do with less, and how rarely you actually use some items you decided to bring with you.

Still, it’s important to find a balance between having everything you need and weight. Weigh in the pros and cons of not having the item. This way, you’ll have a fun and successful trip.