What this calculator does#
It adds up your kit by category, separates base weight from consumables, and compares each category against a budget for the trip style you choose. The output tells you not just how heavy the pack is but where the weight is relative to where it should be, which is the difference between a diet and a decision.
How the maths works#
Base weight is the sum of the eight category fields: pack, shelter, sleeping bag, pad, kitchen and water treatment, spare clothing, electronics, and everything else. It excludes anything you consume.
Consumables are food (days times grams per day), water (1 kg per litre) and fuel.
Skin-out pack weight is base weight plus consumables. It excludes what you wear, which is a convention rather than a law, and one worth remembering when comparing figures with other people.
Budgets are the total for the trip style (7 kg for a three-season weekend, 5.5 kg for a long trail, 8.5 kg shoulder season, 12 kg winter), split by these fractions: pack 17 percent, shelter 20, bag 16, pad 9, kitchen 8, clothing 16, electronics 6, other 8. Those splits come from the pattern that holds across kit generations, where the pack, shelter and sleep system together account for roughly 60 percent of base weight.
Load ratio is skin-out weight divided by body weight.
Reading the result#
The table is sorted by how far each category sits above its budget, which is your spending order. In practice, three patterns turn up again and again:
- Shelter heaviest. Common with an entry-level tent. The largest available saving, and also the one that changes how bad weather feels, so read how to choose a tent before spending.
- Clothing heaviest. The classic. Count the items you did not wear on your last three trips and the answer is usually a kilogram.
- Nothing dominant. The weight is spread across many small items, where each cut costs more money per gram than the last. At this point the honest advice is to stop.
Frequently asked questions#
What is a good base weight?#
For a three-season weekend, under about 8 kg is comfortable for most people and under 5 kg is genuinely light. For winter, 11 to 13 kg is normal and cutting below it usually means removing safety margin rather than luxury.
Does worn clothing count in base weight?#
No. Base weight is what is in and on the pack. Worn items are excluded by convention, which is also why comparing base weights between people is only meaningful if you both state what you are wearing.
How much does food weigh per day?#
Between 600 and 900 g per person per day depending on calorie density and effort. Around 700 g is a good planning figure for a moderate three-season trip. The camp food calculator works it out from calories rather than from a rule of thumb.
Is 20 percent of body weight a real limit?#
It is a well supported guideline rather than a hard limit. Below about 20 percent most people walk normally; between 20 and 25 percent pace drops and fatigue rises; above 25 percent gait changes and injury risk climbs steeply. Trained load carriers manage more, at a cost.
Should I buy a lighter pack first?#
Almost never. A light frameless pack transfers little load to the hips and only works once the load is already light. Cut the shelter and sleep system first, then buy the pack that suits what is left.
Standards, sources and further reading
- Load carriage research consistently places the comfortable ceiling for untrained hikers near 20 percent of body weight, with performance and injury costs rising above 25 percent.
- Category budgets are our own, derived from the weight distribution published on base weight, explained properly.
How this page is made. Every number here is either a published standard, a physical constant, or arithmetic we show in full so you can check it. Read our evaluation method and editorial standards, or tell us we got something wrong.
Last reviewed and updated 9 September 2026.