Last reviewed and updated: October 2026.
A wild-camping backpack has a nasty habit of feeling perfectly reasonable on the kitchen floor and considerably less reasonable halfway up a hill.
The useful question is not “what percentage of my body weight should I carry?” so much as what does this particular trip actually require? Weather, route length, food, water, shelter and the kit you already own matter far more than chasing one magic number.
The short answer
There is no single ideal pack weight for every wild camper. As a practical reference point, the British Mountaineering Council has suggested that a lightweight three-day wild-camping setup can be built around a roughly 10kg full pack and a 45-litre rucksack. That is a target example, not a rule.
A colder trip, more food, extra water or older, bulkier equipment can push the total higher. The sensible aim is to remove weight that does not earn its place while keeping the shelter, warmth, food, water, navigation and emergency kit the trip genuinely needs.
Start with the big four, not the toothbrush
People sometimes get very enthusiastic about shaving tiny amounts of weight from tiny objects. There is nothing wrong with that once everything else is sorted, but cutting a toothbrush in half while carrying a very heavy tent is rather missing the point.
| Category | What to look at first |
|---|---|
| Shelter | Tent, poles, pegs and any footprint |
| Sleep system | Sleeping bag or quilt plus sleeping mat |
| Food and water | Usually the most variable part of the load |
| Clothing | Waterproofs, insulation and duplicate “just in case” layers |
Weigh those categories before worrying about the smaller things. A simple kit list with individual weights makes it obvious where meaningful savings are possible.
Water can change the calculation completely
One litre of water weighs one kilogram. Two litres is therefore two kilograms before the bottle itself, and on a dry route that can be necessary weight rather than optional weight.
If you plan to refill from natural water, do that deliberately rather than assuming every stream will be usable. Rambl’s guide to drinking stream water in the UK explains why clear water is not automatically safe, and our water-filter guide covers treatment options.
What does “base weight” mean?
Backpackers often talk about base weight. That normally means the weight of your carried gear before consumables such as food, water and fuel are added.
It is useful because it separates the kit you can gradually improve from the consumables that change with each trip. If your base weight is high, look first at the tent, sleeping bag, mat and spare clothing. If the base weight is reasonable but the full pack is still brutal, food and water are often the explanation.
A simple pack-weight audit
- Put everything you genuinely intend to carry in one place.
- Weigh each item or group and write it down.
- Mark each item as essential, useful or “probably just making me feel better”.
- Check whether two items do the same job.
- Look at the heaviest categories first.
- Add food, water and fuel last so you can see how much they change the total.
This is much more useful than trying to force your setup into somebody else’s ultralight number. A safe, comfortable 12kg pack is better than a 9kg pack that is missing the layer you need when the temperature drops.
Where weight savings usually make sense
- Tent: a lighter shelter can save a large amount at once, but only if it still suits the weather and pitch conditions you expect.
- Sleeping bag: warmth-to-weight matters, but temperature suitability comes first.
- Spare clothing: duplicated layers are a common source of unnecessary weight.
- Food: bulky, water-heavy food adds up quickly. Plan meals rather than packing a small village shop.
- Pack itself: buying a very heavy rucksack to carry lightweight kit rather defeats the exercise.
If the backpack itself is the problem, see our wild-camping backpack guide.
Do not chase low weight at the expense of safety
British hill weather can become unpleasant quickly. Waterproofs, insulation, navigation, food, water and basic emergency kit are not “luxuries” simply because they add grams.
The aim is not to produce the lightest spreadsheet. It is to carry the lightest sensible setup for the conditions you are actually going into.
A useful beginner target
If you are new to wild camping, I would treat a roughly 10kg full-pack example as something to learn from rather than something to obsess over. Weigh your own kit, identify the obvious heavy items and improve it gradually.
You will learn more from one carefully planned overnight trip than from spending three evenings comparing somebody else’s base weight to the nearest 50 grams.
Sources checked
- British Mountaineering Council: how to wild camp
- British Mountaineering Council: multi-day hill walking and backpacking
Pack weight is personal and route-dependent. This guide is practical planning advice, not a substitute for checking weather, route conditions and the equipment your trip requires.
