Women's Ultralight 3-Season Backpacking Gear List
- Category Price Weight
-
Pack
$252.40
1.72 lb
-
Shelter
$249.00
2.25 lb
-
Sleep
$579.00
2.18 lb
-
Food
$24.00
3.09 lb
-
Cook
$72.00
0.99 lb
-
Water
$45.00
2.47 lb
-
Worn Items
$1257.00
5.74 lb
-
Toiletries & First Aid
$0.00
0.22 lb
-
Toilet Kit
$24.00
0.34 lb
-
Misc
$24.00
0.16 lb
-
Electronics
$67.00
1 lb
-
Camera
$0.00
0 lb
-
Things I bring sometimes
$0.00
0 lb
I'm a petite woman, and I think in the discussion of ultralight backpacking gear, women are a bit underrepresented. So here is my gear list for backcountry trips in 3-season subalpine/alpine conditions in the American West, usually California. I hope this helps with the nitty gritty of packing, as this is literally everything I bring (I use this as a packing list).
I also have a more detailed gear guide here and a camera gear guide here.
My base weight is ~11.5 lbs solo. For most trips, I share a tent and stove with a friend, which gives me a base weight of ~9.5 lbs. My pack usually weighs 16-25 lbs at the trailhead depending on how many days of food I'm carrying and whether or not I need a bear can.
Feel free to reach out to me on my ig or website if you have questions about this list!
ig: @lilymtang
blog: www.lilymtang.com
Note: I mark my luxury items as qty 0 in this list since it isn't relevant to everyone eg. my camera gear. Some of the product links are affiliate links, which means I get commission if you make a purchase through them. If you do, thanks for supporting my blog!
-
-
Pack
Price Weight qty -
Durston Kakwa 40
A lightweight and minimalist but still framed pack
$250.00
26.5
oz1- oz
- lb
- g
- kg
-
Nylofume pack liner
Also doubles as my sleeping pad pump sack
$2.40
1
oz1- oz
- lb
- g
- kg
-
-
-
Shelter
Price Weight qty -
Durston X-Mid 1
Tent + footprint + tent stuff sack
$234.00
32.5
oz1- oz
- lb
- g
- kg
-
Durston stakes
8 stakes (4 x 8", 4 x 6") + stake sack
$15.00
3.45
oz1- oz
- lb
- g
- kg
-
-
-
Sleep
Price Weight qty -
REI Women's Magma 30
$379.00
22.5
oz1- oz
- lb
- g
- kg
-
Women's Thermarest Xlite
$200.00
12.4
oz1- oz
- lb
- g
- kg
-
-
-
Food
Price Weight qty -
Osprey Ultralight Dry Sack 12L
Waterproof bag to hold my food OR...
$24.00
1.5
oz1- oz
- lb
- g
- kg
-
BV450 Jaunt Bear Canister bear can when required. I've done up to 5 days of food for 1 or 3 days of food for 2 with this size. $84.00 36
oz0- oz
- lb
- g
- kg
-
Food
1.5 lb per day
$0.00
1.5
lb2
- oz
- lb
- g
- kg
-
-
-
Cook
Price Weight qty -
Soto Amicus stove
$50.00
2.8
oz1- oz
- lb
- g
- kg
-
Soto Amicus 1000 ml pot
$0.00
4.8
oz1- oz
- lb
- g
- kg
-
Sea to Summit Spoon
$13.00
0.4
oz1- oz
- lb
- g
- kg
-
MSR IsoPro Fuel Canister the 3.9oz/110g is enough for all my trips (< 5 days) $7.00 7.4
oz1- oz
- lb
- g
- kg
-
Mini bic lighter
$2.00
0.4
oz1- oz
- lb
- g
- kg
-
-
-
Water
Price Weight qty -
Smartwater bottle 1L
$0.00
1.5
oz1- oz
- lb
- g
- kg
-
Katadyn BeFree Collapsible Water Filter Bottle - 33.8 fl. oz. I use this as a second 1L bottle if I need to carry up to 2L $45.00 2.8
oz1- oz
- lb
- g
- kg
-
1L of water
I usually only carry 1L of water at a time
$0.00
2.2
lb1
- oz
- lb
- g
- kg
-
-
-
Worn Items
Price Weight qty -
Arctery'x Beta LT
shell
$450.00
12.3
oz1- oz
- lb
- g
- kg
-
Patagonia Micro D Quarter-Zip Fleece Pullover
fleece
$69.00
6.4
oz1- oz
- lb
- g
- kg
-
Montbell Superior Down Parka
puffy
$260.00
7.8
oz1- oz
- lb
- g
- kg
-
Patagonia Capilene Cool Daily Hoodie
sun hoodie
$65.00
5.2
oz1- oz
- lb
- g
- kg
-
Arctery'x Sabria pants
pants
$0.00
5.8
oz1- oz
- lb
- g
- kg
-
Sports bra Lululemon Wunder Train Strappy Bra $58.00 2.7
oz1- oz
- lb
- g
- kg
-
Salomon Pioneer Aero
$109.00
23.2
oz1- oz
- lb
- g
- kg
-
REI On The Trail Cap $33.00 1.55
oz1- oz
- lb
- g
- kg
-
Ombraz armless sunglasses
$160.00
0.9
oz1- oz
- lb
- g
- kg
-
Cascade Mountain Tech Trekking Poles
$53.00
15.6
oz1- oz
- lb
- g
- kg
-
Spare underwear
Seamless, quick-drying nylon is the best
$0.00
0.9
oz1- oz
- lb
- g
- kg
-
Sleep/spare socks Darn tough $0.00 2.2
oz1- oz
- lb
- g
- kg
-
Sleep pants Leggings $0.00 5.3
oz1- oz
- lb
- g
- kg
-
Merino beanie
$0.00
2
oz1- oz
- lb
- g
- kg
-
-
-
Toiletries & First Aid
Price Weight qty -
Quart Ziploc bag
$0.00
0.2
oz1
- oz
- lb
- g
- kg
-
Toothbrush
A travel-size one fits better in the Ziploc
$0.00
0.15
oz1- oz
- lb
- g
- kg
-
Toothpaste
I use a hinge lid container from Litesmith
$0.00
0.25
oz1- oz
- lb
- g
- kg
-
Floss picks
$0.00
0.02
oz2- oz
- lb
- g
- kg
-
Sunscreen $0.00 0.55
oz1- oz
- lb
- g
- kg
-
Lip balm Sun Bum SPF 30 $0.00 0.3
oz1- oz
- lb
- g
- kg
-
Panty liners
keeps the underwear cleaner
$0.00
0.05
oz2- oz
- lb
- g
- kg
-
Earplugs
$0.00
0.2
oz1- oz
- lb
- g
- kg
-
Bandaids
$0.00
1.15
oz1- oz
- lb
- g
- kg
-
Various pills
Ibuprofen
$0.00
0.6
oz1- oz
- lb
- g
- kg
-
-
-
Toilet Kit
Price Weight qty -
Gallon ziploc bag
Holds everything together so I don't have to think about what to grab when I need to go
$0.00
0.35
oz1
- oz
- lb
- g
- kg
-
Wipes
TP or wet wipes (air-dried)
$0.00
1.15
oz1- oz
- lb
- g
- kg
-
TheTentLab The Deuce #3 UL Backcountry Trowel
A must if pit toilets are not available
$24.00
0.95
oz1- oz
- lb
- g
- kg
-
Summit suds
I repack it into a smaller squeeze bottle
$0.00
0.2
oz1- oz
- lb
- g
- kg
-
Bidet
I just use a 250mL squirt bottle
$0.00
1
oz1- oz
- lb
- g
- kg
-
pStyle + bag
so I don't have to squat when I pee 🥸
$0.00
1
oz1- oz
- lb
- g
- kg
-
Menstrual cup + bag
just in case
$0.00
0.85
oz1- oz
- lb
- g
- kg
-
-
-
Misc
Price Weight qty -
Bug head net $14.00 0.6
oz1- oz
- lb
- g
- kg
-
Microfiber towel
15 x 24". Useful for drying hands and wiping condensation off the tent.
$10.00
2
oz1- oz
- lb
- g
- kg
-
-
-
Electronics
Price Weight qty -
Headlamp
Nitecore NU25 400 UL with DIY shock cord band
$37.00
1.1
oz1- oz
- lb
- g
- kg
-
iPhone 16
$0.00
7
oz1- oz
- lb
- g
- kg
-
Anker 10,000mAh Portable Charger
power bank + the included cable + adapters (Garmin, Lightning)
$30.00
7.85
oz1- oz
- lb
- g
- kg
-
Airpods
Luxury item :)
$0.00
2
oz0
- oz
- lb
- g
- kg
-
-
-
Camera
Price Weight qty -
Body
Fujifilm XT30 (incl battery and accessories)
$0.00
398
g0- oz
- lb
- g
- kg
-
Mid-range zoom
Sigma 18-50mm f.28 (incl cap)
$0.00
293
g0- oz
- lb
- g
- kg
-
Telephoto zoom
Fujifilm 50-230mm f4.5-6.7 (incl cap)
$0.00
384
g0- oz
- lb
- g
- kg
-
Peak design clip + plate
$0.00
89
g0- oz
- lb
- g
- kg
-
Spare battery
$0.00
47
g0- oz
- lb
- g
- kg
-
Fanny pack
Chicken tramper 1L fanny pack to carry the telephoto zoom
$0.00
2.3
oz0- oz
- lb
- g
- kg
-
-
-
Things I bring sometimes
Price Weight qty -
Crocs
I'll bring Crocs if I expect tough stream crossings or chill trips with a lot of downtime.
$0.00
12
oz0- oz
- lb
- g
- kg
-
Sea to Summit Thermolite Reactor Compact Plus Sleeping bag liner. I only bring this for extra warmth when snow camping. $75.00 8.95
oz0- oz
- lb
- g
- kg
-
Therm A Rest Z Lite Sol Foam sleeping pad (minus 3 sections because I'm short) $58.00 10.65
oz0- oz
- lb
- g
- kg
-
Poncho
If there's no rain in the forecast and it's a warm or short trip, I will bring a poncho instead.
$8.00
6.3
oz0- oz
- lb
- g
- kg
-
Big Agnes Copper Spur HV UL 2 UL 2
$0.00
48
oz0- oz
- lb
- g
- kg
-