Wouldn’t you love to shave 10, 15 or even 20 pounds off your pack before your next adventure? Who wouldn’t? This list of tips and tricks on how to lighten your pack weight may be a game-changer for you—-keep reading.

How to lighten your pack weight.

It’s vital that you are prepared for whatever comes your way while you’re out in the wilderness, but that doesn’t mean you should bring 3 of everything you “think” you might need. You should always take notes on what you did and did not use after each trip to try and pare down your pack to the basic necessities. You should be modifying your checklist each trip to see where you can save weight.

Lightening your pack weight is a numbers game

One way you can literally shave pounds off your pack weight is by planning and preparing very carefully. To prevent excess weight, you need to prepare for the exact number of days you plan on being out.

The worst way to pack for a backpacking trip is just throwing an excessive amount of food, fuel and clothing in a pack and taking off. The pro-tip here is counting how many days and nights you will be out and packing accordingly. Here’s what I mean:

Count how many mornings you will be out and bring that amount of coffee and breakfast choices with one a backup in case you are extra hungry or lose a meal to a friend or animal. Do the same for your lunches, dinners and snacks.
Apply the same method when packing your toiletries: pack the exact amount of contact lenses you may need, or baby wipes. Don’t bring the giant tube of toothpaste from your bathroom cabinet, consider exactly how much you will need for the number of days out and pack accordingly.
The same goes for medications. Don’t bring the extra-large bottle of Advil even though you think you’ll probably need it; pack the maximum amount you would need for the amount of days out and that’s it.

How to lighten your pack weight by repackaging

Repackaging is a great way to save yourself some weight. especially if you are going to be out for multiple days. When you are counting out supplies for the number of days you’ll be out, consider whether or not you can repackage that item to save some weight.

The fold-over super-light sandwich baggies from back in the day can become your best friend when figuring out how to lighten your pack weight. You can get these ultralight bags on Amazon pretty cheap. Use these little bags to repackage food from their plastic or boxed packaging and use the wire twisties to secure them.

Bring a couple of prepackaged freeze-dried meals and reuse the pouch for meals you have transferred into the lightweight baggies.
Put dry meals into lightweight baggies. Things like mashed potatoes or stuffing or powdered hummus can be taken out of their heavy packaging and transferred into lightweight alternatives.
Transfer wipes from plastic packaging into lightweight baggies.

How to lighten your pack weight by sharing gear.

It’s always a good idea to have your 10 essentials with on every single backpacking trip you go on. That being said, there may be an option to share gear amongst your group. For instance, if there are six of you in a group, it may not be necessary for everyone to bring their own stove. As long as there is enough fuel for the amount of days out, it’s almost overkill to bring six stoves.

Bring two or three stoves depending on the group size; so long as everyone has a backup source in their emergency kit. (Fire-starter/matches)
Water filters can be shared also. Bring at least 2 and make sure each group member has a backup plan in their emergency kit like iodine tablets.
Not everyone needs to bring their lightweight titanium cook pot, you only need it to match the number of stoves being used.
If you’re going on a shorter trip in bear country, why not share a bear canister. One person wouldn’t carry all the food by themselves, each individual carries their own, but it gets stored together.

Multi-use items that can shave off some weight.

If you pack wisely, you can use a single piece of gear for multiple purposes. There are a ton of fun ways to use your gear for more than one thing, I bet you already have a few ideas of your own.

Your titanium cookpot could also be used as a mug and/or bowl.
Your bandana can be your napkin, dish cloth, washcloth and head covering so long as you can wash it between uses.
Use your trekking poles as tent poles. Some ultralight tent systems give you this option.
Use a sleeping pad that converts to a camp chair…. if you must bring a chair.
If really must bring a chair, consider one that converts to a yoga mat if that’s your thing.
Use an emergency poncho as your ground cloth or tarp.
Turn your stuff sack into a pillow by stuffing it with your softest clothing.
In a pinch you can use your socks as a pair of gloves.

Buying lightweight/ultralight gear.

This is probably where you are going to save the most weight. The bummer is, ultralight backpacking gear can be pretty spendy, so my recommendation is to upgrade one piece of gear at a time starting with the heaviest.

A titanium cook set is the lightest as well as for your cup and spork.
Silk and fleece weigh in less than their wool and capilene counterparts
Ditch the tent for an ultralight shelter or hammock.
Bring a small backpacking stove–not your Jetboil. This will actually save you some money.
Make sure your pack itself isn’t too weighty.

Free photo from pexels. How to lighten your pack load

Other tips and tricks on how to lighten your pack weight.

Pack for the weather: Don’t pack that heavy 0 degree sleeping back for a summer trip, pack something lighter. The same goes for your clothing, bring lightweight layers for summer trips and save the wool for winter.
Stop to filter water as often as you can rather than carrying a full day’s supply–if possible.
Consider the weight when purchasing your hiking boots/shoes. This does make a difference, especially after 15+ miles.
Bring freeze dried or dehydrated dinners that you just need to add water to–no cans of anything!!
Bring a plastic water bottle like a Nalgene, not your Hydroflask, they simply weigh too much. You could also use an empty Gatorade bottle; those are pretty light.
Eat your heaviest food first.

Hike light, hike happy.

It really does make a difference when your back is lighter. You can go faster and further with less fatigue. The important thing is to always have everything you need including your emergency kit, so those areas you don’t want to skimp on. But when it comes to everything else on your checklist, there’s usually some room to lose a few pounds.

Hopefully you have some ideas not on how to lighten your pack weight, you’ll be surprised at what you can shave off. See you on the trail.