I find it super fun to nerd out on & improve the gear I take on my backpacking trips 🤓
And I try to keep the weight as low as possible, without doing silly things like cutting my toothbrush in half or spending €50 extra to save 5 grams on an item.
Let’s dive in!
Sleeping
This is what I’m using to stay safe from the elements & have a good night of rest 😴
| Item | Description | Weight |
|---|---|---|
| Tent | Durston X-Mid 1 Solid | 875g |
| Stakes | 4x MSR Groundhog, 4x MSR Groundhog mini | 92g |
| Sleeping pad | Therm-a-Rest NeoAir Xlite NXT MAX long | 599g |
| Sleeping bag | Cumulus Quilt 250 | 490g |
| Earplugs | Hansaplast Noise Stop | 2g |
| Pillow | Trekology Aloft 2.0 | 110g |
| 2168g |
Clothing
For my base layers I went with merino wool because it doesn’t smell much and dries very quickly 🐏
Most items are pretty affordable because I tend to wreck hiking clothes pretty quickly on my outdoor adventures, no point in spending €300 on a fancy Arc’teryx rain jacket.
| Item | Description | Weight |
|---|---|---|
| Shirt 2x | Forclaz Merino Travel 100 | 334g |
| Hiking pants | Quechua Hiking Trousers MH500 | 292g |
| Shorts/Swim trunks | Burton Swimming Trunks | 188g |
| Underwear | Smartwool Boxer | 84g |
| Thin socks | Darn Tough | 31g |
| Warm socks | Darn Tough | 48g |
| Scarf/hat/eye mask | BUFF | 47g |
| Rain jacket | Decathlon Raincut | 264g |
| Down jacket | Decathlon Down Jacket MT100 | 331g |
| Cap | Fjällräven | 86g |
| 1705g |
Footwear
I’m very happy I choose trail runners over hiking boots 🥾
They’re sooo comfortable, and I feel like a ninja in these things with the amount of grip they provide.
Plus, they dry out superduper quick too after they got wet!
The only downside is that they only last a few hundred kilometres before the sole runs out.
I’m not carrying camp shoes anymore because these are still comfortable after a long day of hiking.
| Item | Description | Weight |
|---|---|---|
| Trail Runners | Altra Lone Peak 8 Wide | 609g |
| 609g |
Electronics
Here’s what I take to navigate on trail, make photos, and make light in the dark 💡
I also take a Kobo eReader depending on how early it’s dark, and how long the trip is. For shorter trips where battery is not such an issue I use the ereader app on my iPhone to read.
| Item | Description | Weight |
|---|---|---|
| Powerbank | Nitecore powerbank 10.000 Gen2 | 150g |
| Smartphone | iPhone 13 mini + case | 173g |
| eReader | Kobo | 180g |
| Headphones | Wired Sony headphones (with lightning adapter) | 15g |
| Cable usb-c | To charge powerbank & phone | 20g |
| Cable lightning | To charge phone | 19g |
| Adapter micro-usb | To charge eReader | 2g |
| Power adapter | Anker 511 Nano Pro 20W | 45g |
| Head light | Nitecore NU20 Classic (modded headband) | 30g |
| 634g |
Toiletries
Simple stuff to keep me from getting too nasty 🛀
| Item | Description | Weight |
|---|---|---|
| Towel | Naturehike Ultralight Towel | 34g |
| Sun screen | SPF50 | 75g |
| Dish soap/shampoo/body wash | Sea To Summit Wilderness Wash | 50g |
| Insect spray | With DEET | 25g |
| Deo | Wolkenseifen Deocreme Masculine | 9g |
| Toothbrush | Full-size toothbrush | 8g |
| Toiletry bag | Freezer bag | 4g |
| Toothpaste pills | Denttabs | 3g |
| Bidet | CucoClean Ultralight Portable bidet | 11g |
| Floss | Regular floss (also handy for repairs) | 10g |
| 229g |
Eating & Drinking
What I take to stay hydrated on trail.
| Item | Description | Weight |
|---|---|---|
| Water bottle | Regular plastic bottle 1L | 32g |
| Flexible water bottle (dirty water) | CNOC Vecto X 2L | 93g |
| Water filter | Sawyer Squeeze | 113g |
| 238g |
Cooking
For trips under a week I use the alcohol based setup below to cook my favorite meals, I also wrote a full post about my outdoor cooking setup 👨🍳
| Item | Description | Weight |
|---|---|---|
| Pot | Toaks Titanium 750ml & stuff sack | 118g |
| Stove | X-Boil Safety Spirit Burner UL 55mm | 11g |
| Windshield | X-Boil Windshield | 27g |
| Sponge | Ordinary sponge cut down 1/3 | 3g |
| Lighter | Lighter with long flame guard | 21g |
| Fuel bottle | Nalgene wide neck bottle round 125ml | 26g |
| Fuel | Denatured alcohol 125ml | 125g |
| Spoon | Sea to Summit | 10g |
| 341g |
Miscellaneous
Some other things that didn’t fall into the categories above.
| Item | Description | Weight |
|---|---|---|
| Backpack | Durston Kakwa 40 | 775g |
| Pack liner | Trash bag | 10g |
| Wallet | Custom | 18g |
| Pocket knife | Victorinox Rambler | 31g |
| First aid kit | Bandages, Ibuprofen, gear repair stuff, etc. | 144g |
| Trekking poles | Black Diamond Cork Trekking | 518g |
| 1496g |
Final thoughts
The overall weight of my backpack without consumables and worn clothing is 5.9kg, which I find easy to carry – even on longer days.
All together, I’m very happy and comfortable with this setup, and it will probably last me for many years 🙌
Any advice or questions? Would love to hear from you in the comments below 🤗
