What’s In My Pack? 5 Day Lightweight Gear List!

Our Border Route Trail trip report just published, so let’s talk about GEAR!

This post features my detailed 5 day packing list, including weights in oz and some of the conditions I considered on this trip. Be sure to also check out the accompanying gear video I shot on our last night of the trek, where I unpack everything that I carried!

Unlike my ‘comfort lite’ Isle Royale and Pictured Rocks trips, my pack for the Border Route was trimmed down to 5-6 lbs less for the same length of trip.

No twinkle lights or chair came along on the BRT. I was expecting this hike to be tougher and longer, with less time at camp – the only luxury items I bought were my cork massage ball and a watercolor kit, and even that got pared way down.

Why Weigh Your Gear?

I went through this exercise before my 2018 Superior Hiking Trail Thru hike. My previous trips had me carrying between 35-45 lbs and I knew that was not going to work for me on a 310 mile walk up and down big hill of rocks, roots and mud.

I made my own ultralight backpack to save a bunch of weight, sold some old gear to buy lighter gear, worked really hard on reducing my pack weight, shared some gear with my sister and got everything down to 24 lbs with 4 days of food and 1L of water.

Comfort Lite

During the following years after that trip, I loosely paid attention to weight, but added some comfort items back in and did not share gear with my trip mates. My pack generally hovered around 30 lbs +/- and I proudly declared myself “Comfort Lite”

I did not make up this term but strongly identify with it. I have included things like twinkle lights, extra cozy cold weather gear, hand warmers, a chair, watercolor kit, hammock, heavy and delicious food, and a big fat cushy sleeping pad…and it never really bothered me to carry any of that stuff. You can check out my comfort lite packing list and watch my video from our last night at camp on Isle Royale here.

Lightweight

This year, after a summer of less hiking and a couple of bikepacking trips under my belt, I wanted to trim down my pack weight. I enjoyed the simplicity of the gear on my bike trips and also didn’t want to haul more than I had to on our challenging Border Route Trail Thru Hike. The concept of hiking 65 miles through the wilderness was a bit sobering to think about. And knowing that I had not been backpacking in 3 months, and certainly not training with a pack on my back motivated me to trim things up. My goal was to get down to a 25 lb pack weight with food and water, and a 15 lb base weight, which smack dab in the middle of what most define as *ultralight and lightweight.

Made it! 5 days of food AND STILL brought my little art kit along.

I enjoyed making another fun gear dump video on the last night of camp on the BRT, and hope you will enjoy it too!

Alright! Here’s the list of everything I packed with the weights included.

Let’s go!

Considerations:

• August temperatures were low 50’s to mid 70’s with a low chance of rain, meaning that I didn’t need as much cold weather gear.
• Cold soaked calorie dense meals instead of cooking to save on weight and simplify
• I typically weigh 1L of water since I fluctuate from carrying 0-2L over the day.
• Strikethrough items are gear that I love and use, but did not bring on this trip, due to warmer weather, simplification or just wanting to lighten the load. Left them on in case it is helpful to see what I left behind or you want to see what I use in colder weather.
• Please feel free to ask me about any gear in the comments, my notes column did not paste well into this format and made a big ol mess.

5 Day Lightweight Backpacking Gear List

Clothing Worn	Item	Ounces
Top	Hooded sun shirt	7.20
Bra	All in Motion wicking Bra- Target	2.00
Light layer	Mountain Hardware KOR Pre shell hoodie	4.30
Underwear/Shorts	Pair of Thieves long boxer briefs-Target	2.40
Pants	ExOfficio BugsAway Convertible Pant	9.80
Sock 1	injinji short crew toe socks	1.50
Compression Sleeves	Zensah	2.00
Shoes	Altra Timp 4s- brand new: did not hold up	21.90
Gaiters	Altra Gaiters	1.00
Sun Gloves	Outdoor Research ActiveIce	0.60
Hat	Trucker Hat	2.5
Sunglasses	Knockaround
Safety Whistle	neck whistle (similar)	0.30
Trekking poles	Leki Corklite	14.90
TOTAL		70.40
Other Clothing	Item	Ounces
Skirt	Purple Rain Hiking Skirt
Rain jacket	REI Rain Jacket	9.70
Rain Pants	Rain Skirt	2.90
Rain Gloves	latex gloves	0.40
Light Gloves	Black Diamond midweight screen tap	1.50
Underwear/Shorts	Pair of Thieves long boxer briefs	2.40
Insulating layer	Melanzana Fleece
Insulating layer	EE Torrid Jacket (puffy)	7.90
Insulating Layer	EE Snow Skirt/Doubles as small blanket
Baselayer/Sleep top	Smartwool merino short sleeve	4.30
Baselayer/Sleep bottom	Kari Traa Merino Wool	5.90
Sock 2	Wright Socks Cool Mesh II	1.00
Sock 3	Cabelas Bug Socks- wore at camp	2.40
Booties	EE Insulated Booties
Socks/sleep	Chenille Fleece
Camp Shoes	Joy Bee shoes (Crocs)	10.00
Warm Hat	EE hooligan
Bandana/Buff	Bandana	1.10
TOTAL		49.50
Storage	Item	Ounces
Backpack	Granite Gear Crown 38L	30.50
Pack liner	Compactor Bag x 2	4.30
Water Bottle Holders	X2 DIY sewn strap holders	3.00
Stuff sack-clothes	EE lightweight stuff sack	0.70
Food-security	Ursack Bear Resistant Bag	8.40
Food Odor	Opsack Loksack scent proof liner	1.60
TOTAL		48.50
Sleeping & Shelter	Item	Ounces
Shelter	Nemo Hornet 2	30.00
Pad	Nemo Switchback	15.10
Sit Pad	Cut Z Lite – to add under hips	2.80
Pillow	Nemo Fillo (comfy!)	3.50
Sleeping quilt	EE Revelation 10 degree Red	21.85
TOTAL		73.25
Hydration & Cooking	Item	Ounces
Water storage	CNOC Vecto 2L	2.80
Water Bag	Sawyer mesh storage bag	0.50
Purification	Sawyer Squeeze w/ coupler	3.30
Water	Nylon/pantyhose pre filter	0.20
Cup/pot	Snowpeak cup
Stove	Snow Peak Giga
Cozy	Freezer Bag Cozy
Utensil	Blue spoon	0.40
Ignition	mini bic lighter	0.40
TOTAL		7.60
Misc/Electronics	Item	Ounces
Photo	iPhone w/ case	8.40
Battery Pack	Anker w/ cord + wall charger	10.10
Battery Pack	Goal Zero Flip (smaller)
Camera	GoPro w/bracket + bag
Garmin	InReach – used everyday	4.00
Lights	Twinkle lights, refresh batteries
Extra batteries	AAA’s (3) (flash light)
Glasses	Cheap reading glasses	2.10
Trash Bag	(2) bread bags
Scale	Luggage Scale
Kindle	Paperwhite
Art Bag	Granite Gear Hip Wing
Watercolor kit	Watercolor Kit+ Pencil, pen, eraser, brush	6.3
Journal	Small watercolor paper 8 sheets	1.10
Stool	REI flex lite air chair
TOTAL		32.00
Personal/Hygeine	Item	Ounces
Toothbrush	Tiny Toothbrush + cover	0.30
Wipe	Kula Cloth – antimicrobial pee cloth	0.40
Bidet	Culo Clean	0.70
Fem Hy	Menstrual Cup or Diva Cup	0.70
Fem Hy	Tampons x 5, panty liner x3, pad x1	0.80
Massage Ball	Cork Ball	1.70
Bath	paper towels 5 squares-instead f wipes	0.50
Towel	Use safety Bandana
Trowel	Deuce of Spades-fancy poop shovel	0.60
Earplugs	x 2	0.10
Headnet	coghlans-better airflow than sea to summit	1.00
Pepper Spray	Personal Size	1.10
TOTAL		7.90
10 Essentials/Repair	Item	Ounces
First Aid Kit	Solo kit 4 days	6.70
Personal Blister Kit	Foot care	1.60
Essential stuffsack	Birchwood Bass	0.30
Signalling	Mirror	1.10
Safety/Signalling/Multi	Safety Bandana	1.20
Safety Whistle	Tri power whistle	0.70
Emergency water	(4) Micropur Tabs- back up	0.10
Emergency warmth	Mylar Survival blanket	1.80
Multi tool	Swiss army tiny knife – scissors	0.70
Flash light	UCO Headlamp	3.10
Compass	Basic Compass	1.30
Maps	BRT Maps	1.30
Guide	Phone photos of guidebook pages
Thermometer	Key chain
Fire starting kit	Matches, Lint + vaseline 6x, candle	1.20
Repair Kit	Repair Tape x3, zip tie, pins, sew	0.40
Warmer	Hand and Body Warmer
Emergency Shelter	Disposable Rain poncho	1.50
Pen	Mini Sharpie	0.20
Flashlight	Back up penlight
Knife	Mora Swedish Fire knife	3.80
Rope	25 ft Amsteel	1.40
Duct tape	10ft wrapped around trekking pole
TOTAL		28.40
Miscelaneous	Item	Ounces
Wallet	W Cash and carabiner	0.80
Business cards	WP Stickers x 12	0.40
TOTAL		1.20
Consumables	Item	Ounces
Water	1L CNOC Collapsible Vesica Water Bottle	36.00
Water	1L CNOC Collapsible Vesica Water Bottle	2.11
Food	5.5 days @ 2,500-2,600 cal	105.30
Electrolytes	Nuun Hydration Tablets	1.30
Fuel bottle	Snowpeak Fuel -sm can
Itch	Anti itch cream	0.40
Bug	Sawyer 20% picardin lotion	1.50
Sun	Sunscreen	0.70
Foot	HikeGoo Blister Prevention Cream	1.10
Chemical Purification	Aqua Mira Drops- needed on Isle Royale
Toothpaste	Unpaste Toothpaste Tabs x 8	0.30
TP	Travel Kleenex-back up	0.50
Soap	Dr Bronners in a visine dropper	0.50
Hand sanitizer	Honest Co. 2oz Spray Denatured Alcohol	2.00
TOTAL	OZ	151.71
TOTAL	LBS	9.48
Base Weight	Item	Ounces
BASE WEIGHT*	OZ	248.35
	Lbs	15.52
CONSUMABLES	OZ	151.71
	LBS	9.48
CARRIED WEIGHT		400.06
minus worn gear	LBS	25.00*

New Gear Notes:

Sleeping Pad

I switched to the Nemo Switchback folding closed-cell foam pad for this trip to save weight and simplify my rest and sleeping routine.

Pros:

• so simple, just unfold and refold, no inflating and deflating
• multipurpose: sleep, ground cover for gear, worked great on rest breaks too
• warmer than I expected
• very durable, no worries about puncture
• waterproof/stays dry or you can just shake off the water

Cons:

• not as cushioned/comfy as an inflatable pad
• tough for side sleepers (I brought a small piece of a Zlite pad for under my hips and it helped a lot without adding much weight)
• R2 temperature rating. Sleeping in summer/50 degrees worked fine
• Tied to the top of my pack, it got hung up in the brush a lot – like wings. Need to figure out how to strap it to the bottom or side next time if hiking through brush.

Footwear

I’m on my 4th different pair of trail runners this summer…Wore a brand new pair with less than 20 miles on them for the Border Route and I blew em up. They keep falling apart in less than 50-100 miles. Stopped by my local gear shop to get fitted and re assess everything yesterday. A new and hopefully more durable brand of shoes is on the way – will let you know how it all goes, fingers crossed.

Final Thoughts

Truth: I kind of loathe weighing and analyzing everything in my pack…it starts out sort of fun and challenging, eventually escalates into “analysis paralysis” and then I just have to quit at some point. I have friends that LOVE the personal challenge of honing their pack weights to perfection. There are entire websites and gear companies dedicated to this philosophy. Just wanted to share my experience in case you find yourself wondering why anyone would make their head hurt over this stuff.

*I am also not the authority on Ultralight backpacking by any means and people can get very particular about the definitions and rules…so, please take that into consideration as well.

Aaaand…I also make a point of NOT telling people what to bring or how much their pack should weigh. Where is the joy in that? Carry a watermelon to camp if you want to! We all get to bring what we want and learn along the way.

That being said, I think there are real physical, mental and even spiritual benefits to carrying and living with less. So it can be an extremely valuable exercise to list out, weigh and adjust your gear when you start out backpacking and tune things up periodically as your gear, experience level and other needs change.

As much as I grump about “over analyzing everything” at home… I really appreciate the lighter load on my back and feet, and the mental lightness that comes from simplifying life and gear on the trail.

Hope you had a wonderful season full of adventure and you found this post helpful. Got any good packing tips or favorite gear picks to share? Questions on any of the gear in this post? Shoot me a note in the comments or join the Wandering Pine FB or IG to continue the conversation!

Fun fact: this is my 200th post on Wandering Pine. Thanks so much for for being part of this adventure and for all of your support along the way. I love getting to share these art and adventure stories with you and I hope you enjoy them too!

Happy Trails!

~WP

Resources:

Border Route Trip video: Wandering Pine Youtube

Border Route Gear/Packing Video: What’s in my Pack? 15 Lb Baseweight Backpacking Gear List

Another beautiful BWCAW backpacking trail – The Sioux Hustler Trail

Border Route Association – needs volunteers!

This blog is supported by amazing readers, like you. Thank you!

Wait, how does that work?

When you buy the gear you need though the custom affiliate links on this blog, the companies listed here contribute a small portion back to this site at no additional cost to you. Your support helps cover operating costs and lets me know that you find value in the content shared here, and that is SO APPRECIATED!  Thank you!