So wandert es sich, wenn die Ausrüstung stimmt. Und „stimmen“ heißt nicht, auf alles zu verzichten – sondern bei jedem Gegenstand eine bewusste Entscheidung zu treffen.
This packing list is not an abstract wish list. It is the compilation that we, as backpack manufacturers, recommend after years of testing, developing, and hiking ourselves for 3-season trekking in Central Europe. With actual gram counts, manufacturer comments and the trade-offs that no affiliate blog will tell you.
What is basis weight – and why is it the only number that counts?
Yours Basis weight (English: base weight) is the weight of your packed rucksack without consumables. This means without water, food, and fuel. This figure is the honest benchmark for comparing different setups, as consumables can vary significantly depending on the tour.
The common classification
| Category | Basis weight |
|---|---|
| Traditionally | over 10 kg |
| Lightweight | 5–10 kg |
| Ultralight | under 5 kg |
| Super-Ultralight (SUL) | under 3 kg |
Under 5 kg – that's the threshold at which trekking fundamentally changes. Not because the number is magical, but because from here you no longer need a heavy carrier frame, shorter stages suddenly become optional, and your knees don't beg for mercy after day five.
Die „Big Four“ – wo 80 % des Gewichts stecken
Four pieces of gear make up the majority of the base weight for most hikers:
- Rucksack (traditional: 1,500–2,500 g → UL: 400–700 g)
- Shelter/Tent (traditional: 2,000–3,000 g → UL: 500–1,200 g)
- Sleeping bag/quilt (traditional: 1,200–2,000 g → UL: 400–800 g)
- Insulated mat (traditionally: 700–1,000 g → UL: 300–500 g)
Those who optimise with the Big Four often achieve savings of 3–4 kg – without even discarding a single pair of socks. This is precisely why the backpack is at the top of the list: it's the lever with the greatest effect.
The complete ultralight packing list: Under 5 kg base weight
The following table shows a proven 3-season setup for trekking in Central Europe (Alps, low mountain ranges, Scandinavia in summer). All weights are actual weighed values, not from manufacturer specs.
| Item | Weight | Manufacturer's comment |
|---|---|---|
| WeitLäufer Agilist (2026, size M) | 570g | All seams are taped → no rain cover required. The Ultra 200X remains watertight even without a pack cover. This saves you 80–120 g on a rain cover. |
| Item | Weight | Manufacturer's comment |
|---|---|---|
| Nordisk Lofoten 2 ULW or Durston X-Mid 1 Solid | ~750g | Single-wall tent or tarp + inner tent, both work. The key is the ratio of weather protection to weight. For Central Europe, we recommend a closed shelter with a floor, because the weather conditions are too changeable for a pure tarp setup. |
| Pegs (6× Titan Shepherd's Hook) | 36 g |
| Item | Weight | Manufacturer's comment |
|---|---|---|
| Down quilt, 0–5 °C comfort Cumulus Quilt 300 | ~495 g | Quilt instead of a mummy sleeping bag: saves 150–250 g with the same thermal performance. Your back lies on the mat, and the down there provides no insulation anyway. A quilt consistently omits this. |
| Therm-a-Rest NeoAir XLite NXT Regular Sleeping Mat. | ~367g | R-value ≥ 4 for 3-season use. The mat is the foundation of your sleep system. Skimping here will cost you sleep, and lack of sleep will cost you mileage and enjoyment of your trip. |
| Item | Weight | Manufacturer's comment |
|---|---|---|
| Spirit stove (e.g. Trail Designs Caldera Cone) or gas stove (BRS-3000T) | ~25–75g | Spiritus is lighter in the system (no heavy valve), but slower. Gas is more convenient. Both work – the choice depends on how much you cook. |
| Titanium Pot 650 ml (e.g. TOAKS or Evernew) | ~72g | |
| Titan spoon (long) | ~16 g | |
| Lighter (BIC Mini) | ~12g |
Clothing (worn on body = not in base weight)
What you wear when hiking doesn't count towards your base weight. What's in your rucksack does.
| Item | Weight | Manufacturer's comment |
|---|---|---|
| Waterproof jacket e.g. Outdoor Research Helium M | approx 180 g | The lightest layer that MUST be in the rucksack. Gore-Tex is overkill and too heavy for this, a 2.5L laminate is perfectly adequate for light trekking. |
| Insulation jacket (synthetic or down) Cumulus Inverse M | ~230g | For evenings at camp and cold passes. Synthetic fibre is more robust in damp conditions, down has a better warmth-to-weight ratio. |
| Exchange shirt (Merino wool, long-sleeved) | 150g | Sleeping and backup. Merino doesn't even smell after three days, synthetics smell much sooner. |
| Waterproof trousers, windproof trousers or rain skirt | ~50 – 80 g | Wind trousers (e.g. made of ripstop nylon, ~50 g) are sufficient in 90 % of cases. Full-length rain trousers are only needed for autumn/winter tours. |
| Spare socks (Merino) | ~50 g | |
| Buff/tube | 35 g | |
| Light fleece hat | Around 30 g | |
| Gloves (thin, fleece) | Around 30 g |
| Item | Weight | Manufacturer's comment |
|---|---|---|
| Toothbrush (shortened) + mini-tube of toothpaste | approx. 15 g | |
| Sunscreen (30 ml travel size) | 35 g | |
| First aid kit (minimized: tape, painkillers, blister plasters, antihistamine) | Approximately 80g | Don’t leave anything out, but sort through it thoroughly. Most first-aid kits weigh 60 % in their original packaging. Repacking them into Ziplock bags saves 30–50 g straight away. |
| Insect repellent (small rollerball) | Around 30 g | Seasonal. Scandinavia in July: mandatory. Black Forest in September: optional. |
| Toilet paper (half roll, cardboard out) + Ziplock | ~25 g | |
| Hand sanitiser (20 ml) | ~22 g |
| Item | Weight | Manufacturer's comment |
|---|---|---|
| Smartphone (as a camera, navigation, diary) | Approx. 175g | Replaces camera, GPS device, maps, and headlamp backup. Your most powerful multi-tool. |
| Power bank 10,000 mAh | approx 180 g | Sufficient for 3-4 days with economical use. USB-C with at least 20W charging power shortens charging times at huts. |
| Charging cable (USB-C, short) | approx. 15 g | |
| Headlamp (e.g. Nitecore NU25 UL) | ~28g |
| Item | Weight | Manufacturer's comment |
|---|---|---|
| Trekking poles (carbon, foldable) Black Diamond Distance Z 120cm | ~280 g/pair | Trekking poles aren’t an UL luxury, but rather a way to protect your knees. On multi-day tours with a rucksack, they reduce the strain on your joints by up to 25 %. Many UL tents also use them as poles: a dual benefit. |
| Seat pad (e.g. EVA foam, cut to size) | Around 30 g | Can simultaneously serve as a back stiffener in a rucksack. Multifunctionality. |
| Water purification (e.g. Katadyn BeFree 0.6L) | ~59 g | Not necessary everywhere in Central Europe, but essential as soon as you drink from streams. |
| Smart Water PET Bottle (1L) | ~28g | PET bottles instead of Nalgene: compatible with Sawyer thread, lighter, freely replaceable. |
| Map Material / Printout (Backup) | approx. 15 g | |
| Cord (Dyneema, 2 mm, 5 m) | ~8 g |
| Category | Weight |
|---|---|
| Rucksack | 570g |
| Shelter | ~786 g |
| Sleeping system | ~862 g |
| Cooking | Approx. 175g |
| Clothes (in the backpack) | ~785 g |
| Hygiene & Erste Hilfe | ~207 g |
| Electronics | ~398g |
| Miscellaneous | ~420g |
| TOTAL BASE WEIGHT | ~4.203 g |
→ Under 4.3 kg. With some wiggle room downwards, should you be travelling lighter with shelter or sleeping system. And with wiggle room upwards for personal extras: a hammock for the break spot, a book, a small beer for the summit.
What your rucksack choice means for your base weight
This section is the reason we can write this packing list, even though we don't sell tents, sleeping bags or stoves.
Calculate with:
| Scenario | Rucksack weight | Rest-Setup (identical) | Basis weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Classic trekking backpack | 2.10 kg | 3.633 g | 5.733 g |
| Lightweight hiking backpack | 1.2kg | 3.633 g | 4.833 g |
| WeitLäufer Agilist | 570g | 3.633 g | 4.203 g |
When developing the Agilist, that was precisely the design premise: if the rucksack itself weighs next to nothing, the rest of the kit can remain practical. You don’t have to be a die-hard SUL enthusiast who cuts their toothbrush in half. You can afford a decent sleeping mat, take a full-sized tent with you and still keep the weight under 5 kg.
Category Deep Dives: Where Manufacturer Knowledge Pays Off
Rucksack: Why frameless works from 5 kg base weight
A frameless rucksack It sounds like a compromise, but it's the more logical construction with a base weight under 5 kg. Your total weight (base weight + water + food) is then typically between 7–9 kg. In this load range, you don't need an aluminium frame that redirects the weight to your hips. The load simply isn't heavy enough to warrant a frame.
What does provide support instead: a properly packed sleeping mat to stiffen the back, and a well-designed padding system. The Agilist features extended internal padding that reaches right up to the load lifters, distributing the load evenly across the shoulders and hips even without a frame.
Shelter: Closed system beats tarp in Central Europe
Tarps are lighter. However, for 3-season trekking in Central Europe, we still recommend an enclosed shelter with a floor. The reason being, Central European weather is unpredictable. A thunderstorm in the Alps, persistent rain in the Black Forest, a mosquito infestation in Scandinavia – all of these turn a tarp into a stress factor rather than a weight advantage.
Our favourite: Pyramid tarps. They have the best storm stability, are very easy to set up with a trekking pole (and possibly a second one including an adapter), and are closed on all four sides. Some models can also be equipped with an inner tent.
The sweet spot for single-wall tents or tarp-tent hybrids is in the 500–900g range. Those who use trekking poles can save further weight on poles with trekking pole tents.
Bedding system: Quilt + good mat beats expensive sleeping bag + cheap mat
The most common beginner ultralight investing mistake: €400 for a lightweight down sleeping bag, but €40 for a thin foam mat.
The mat insulates from below (R-value), the quilt or sleeping bag from above (comfort temperature). Both must be coordinated.
A quilt (an open sleeping bag without a back and hood) saves 150–250 g compared to a mummy sleeping bag with the same filling and thermal performance. The weight advantage comes from the fact that the down under your back is compressed by body weight and doesn't insulate there. The quilt consistently eliminates this dead weight.
Cooking: The honest question: do you even need a stove?
On tours with good infrastructure (Black Forest West Trail, hut hikes in the Alps): probably not. No stove = 175g saved + no fuel logistics. Cold soaking (rehydrating food in cold water) works surprisingly well for many trekking meals.
On tours without places to stop for refreshments (Scandinavia, remote Alpine valleys): yes, a stove is worthwhile. Warm food then isn't a luxury, but a morale booster. In that case, a gas stove like the BRS-3000T at 25g is the lightest system. Alcohol becomes interesting if you're out for more than five days and the fuel weight catches up on the advantage of gas.
Losing weight without deprivation: 8 strategies that really work
Die meisten „Spar-Tipps“ im Internet lauten: „Nimm weniger mit.“ Das ist ungefähr so hilfreich wie „Gib weniger Geld aus“ als Finanztipp. Hier sind Strategien, die tatsächlich Gewicht sparen, ohne deine Tour-Erfahrung zu verschlechtern.
Weigh everything. Really everything.
Eine Küchenwaage (gibt es ab 8 €) ist das wichtigste UL-Tool. Erst wenn du weißt, dass dein „leichtes“ Handtuch 180 g wiegt und ein Mikrofaser-Tuch 40 g, kannst du informiert entscheiden. Viele Wanderer tragen 1–2 kg Phantom-Gewicht mit sich herum, das sie noch nie gewogen haben.
Eliminate packaging.
Unpacking saves surprisingly much: toothpaste into a mini-tube, sunscreen into a 30ml bottle, first-aid kit out of its plastic box into a ziplock bag, cardboard from the toilet paper roll removed. In total, often 200–400g.
Search for multi-functionality.
Your smartphone replaces a camera, GPS, map and backup headlamp. Trekking poles carry your tent. The sleeping mat stiffens your rucksack. A Buff can be a scarf, hat, sweatband and pillow. Every item that performs two functions saves a whole item.
Die: Have I ever needed?-Method.
After every tour: lay out everything you haven't even used. Leave it at home next time. After three tours, your packing list will have optimised itself.
Layer clothes instead of piling them up.
Three thin layers (base layer + insulation layer + wind/rain protection) replace two thick ones. And they are more flexible because you can regulate them more granularly in changing temperatures.
Invest in the Big Four, save on the rest.
The ROI per Euro is highest for backpacks, shelters, sleeping systems, and mats. If your budget is limited: A UL backpack for €299 will save you more weight than five titanium gadgets combined.
Consciously take luxury items.
Das klingt paradox in einer Spar-Liste. Aber: Ein 30-g-Sitpad, das dir erlaubt, gemütlich Pause zu machen, ist besser investiertes Gewicht als ein 200-g-„Just in case“-Fleece, den du nie anziehst. UL heißt nicht Verzicht. Es heißt, bewusst zu wählen, worauf du dein Gewichtsbudget verteilst.
MYOG (Make Your Own Gear) as an entry point.
Hand-sewn stuff sacks, wind pants, or ditty bags are lighter than store-bought ones because you choose the exact size and material you need. No over-engineering, no marketing features. Getting started with MYOG costs little and saves weight on every small piece of equipment in the long run.
Basisgewicht berechnen: So geht’s Schritt für Schritt
Knowing your base weight is the first step. Tracking your base weight is the step that will keep you under 5 kg long-term.
Method 1: Lighterpack.com (free, browser-based)
Here's how to do it: Create an account (or use it without one), create an entry for each item with its name, category, and weight in grams, mark worn clothing and consumables separately. Lighterpack automatically calculates your base weight and shows you which category makes up the largest portion.
Method 2: Simple Table (Excel / Google Sheets)
If you prefer it offline or more personal: A simple table with the columns Item, Category, Weight (g) and a sum function is perfectly sufficient.
The honest scale
Unabhängig von der Tracking-Methode: Wiege deinen gepackten Rucksack vor jeder Tour komplett. Ohne Wasser, ohne Essen. Die Küchenwaage ist akkurat für Einzelteile, aber eine Personenwaage oder Kofferwaage gibt dir die Gesamtkontrolle. Viele Wanderer unterschätzen ihr Basisgewicht um 500–1.000 g, weil sie beim Packen „Kleinigkeiten“ nicht tracken.
Frequently Asked Questions about the Ultralight Packing List
No, if the setup is right. It becomes uncomfortable if you cut corners in the wrong place. A good sleeping mat (R-value ≥ 4, sufficient width) and a warm quilt are non-negotiable. You save on weight that doesn't provide comfort: heavy packaging, double clothing, oversized stoves.
A complete setup weighing under 5 kg is realistic from around €1,200–€1,800. The largest single item is typically the shelter (€300–€500), followed by the sleep system (€250–€400) and the backpack (€250–€350). UL gear is an investment, but with good care, the components will last for many years and thousands of kilometres.
A frameless rucksack works fine with a base weight of 7–8 kg. With higher weights, transferring the load to.
Basisgewicht = alles im Rucksack ohne Verbrauchsgüter. Gesamtgewicht (auch „Skin-out Weight“) = alles, was du trägst, inklusive Kleidung am Körper, Wasser, Essen. Für den Vergleich zwischen Setups ist das Basisgewicht der ehrlichere Wert, weil Verbrauchsgüter tourenabhängig stark variieren.
Yes, with the right choice of material, even better than heavy stuff. Ultra 200X (das Material des Agilist) ist ein extrem hochwertiges und wasserdichtes Laminat, das auf Salzwasser-Beständigkeit und UV-Stabilität ausgelegt ist. Mit getapten Nähten ist es wasserdichter als die meisten Trekkingrucksäcke, die nur „wasserabweisend“ sind. Ähnlich bei Zelten: einwandige UL-Zelte aus DCF oder Silnylon halten Sturm und Regen stand und sie tun es einfach bei halbem Gewicht.
This list is designed for 3-season trekking (spring to autumn) in Central Europe. Winter trekking requires adjustments: a warmer sleeping system (comfort temperature ≤ -10 °C), a more robust shelter, more insulating clothing, and depending on the terrain, snowshoes or crampons. The base weight then typically increases to 6–8 kg. A dedicated winter guide is on our list.
Calculate in kilometres, not grams. 500g less on your back means significantly less joint stress on a 200km tour. Studies by the US Army show that every kilogram of luggage increases fatigue exponentially, not linearly. So the last 500g before the 5kg threshold are disproportionately noticeable.
Next step: assemble your setup
You now have a complete reference packing list with realistic weights and the strategies to get under 5 kg. The next step is to go through your own setup on Lighterpack or in a spreadsheet and find out where you stand.
If you're still looking for the right solution for the rucksack: The Agilist is our suggestion for everyone who wants to start under 5 kg base weight, without compromising on weather protection and carrying comfort. 570 g, taped seams, Ultra 200X.
And if you want to delve deeper: Our Ultralight Trekking Guide explains the basics, the Material comparison assists you with material selection, and the Westweg Guide shows you what a UL tour looks like in practice – right on our doorstep in the Black Forest.
