Outdoor Climbing Ultralight Backpack

This is the third episode of our Lightweight Backpacking Basics video series - Ultralight Backpacking. This series of tweets will help you learn how to carry lighter and will cover a large range of ultralight backpacking gear options. We also have a very complete gear guide on our public page to help you find the preferred lightweight tools on the market.

For those of you who want to learn by reading, we've included notes on each episode below as well as room for updates and comments afterwards. I hope you enjoy our content and look forward to hearing your feedback!

If you're interested in our favorite ultralight backpacking options, check out the backpacking section of our gear guide later.

Ultralight Backpacks

The idea of an ultralight backpack is similar to a traditional type of backpack. Both have a large main pocket for your bulky gear, smaller pockets for those things you want to keep easily accessible, a waist belt and shoulder straps for weight, and a backpack for support and comfort.

The main difference between ultralight backpacks is the lightweight materials they are put together with, and the lower the load they use, the less volume they carry and the greater the overall simplicity of the backpack itself.

Now, some of these qualities may sound negative, but it really just depends on your priorities. For example, if you're not carrying a ton of bulky camping gear, you're not going to need a backpack that holds 70 liters, is made of burlap, and has a thick backpack for support. By focusing on lightweight, you'll be able to choose a lower limit pack and feel more comfortable on the trail, but you'll still get all the structural features and durability you need.

Traditional backpacks generally weigh about 4 to 7 pounds, but ultralight backpacks are generally in the 2-pound range and can be a pound or less lighter in some cases. If you'd like to see some examples, check out our Ultralight Backpack Gear Advice section later in the year to see some of our favorite models in the next section.

Ultralight backpacks are a great place to save weight and they offer one of the greater opportunities to reduce the weight on your back, but you shouldn't expect to stuff them full of heavy gear. That's really not what they were designed for in the first place. Don't get me wrong, I've carried 40-50 pounds on my back with ultralight backpacks with no problems, but they're generally designed to hold about 30-35 pounds.