For backpacking, camping or even hiking there is a wide range of gear available, with a wide range of weights. Many people wonder about where regular gear ends and lightweight backpacking gear begins. There isn’t really any set point where the transition is made.

It actually helps to look at a whole backpack, instead of individual pieces of gear. When you consider an entire backpack of gear, there is a useful metric to go by, which is base weight. Your base weight is the weight of everything you will take with you, minus anything that you will be wearing, as well as any food or water.

A base weight below 10 pounds is considered to be lightweight, or ultralight. A base weight below 5 pounds is considered to be super ultralight, or super lightweight. While 10 pounds is relatively easy to get to, 5 pounds is quite a bit harder, and involves some sacrifices.