Why ultralight backpacks? Devotees of ultralight backpacking understand you reduce your packweight most by concentrating on the "big three;" backpack, shelter, and sleeping bag. Forget those 6-pound backpacks, 9-pound tents and 5-pound sleeping bags. Reduce that 20 pounds to less than 5, keep the other gear to 5 or 6 pounds, and you can chuck the hot and heavy hiking boots, put on the running shoes, and start enjoying those trails.

Four Ounce Ultralight Backpacks

No, thats not a typo. One of the ultralight backpacking suppliers recently came out with a light pack with a capacity of 1800 cubic inches, plus more in an expandable rear pocket. Designed to carry just fifteen pounds, It may be more fragile than the average pack, but it weighs just 3.7 ounces! With a pack that light youre well on your way to keeping your total packweight to fifteen pounds.

I bought a six ounce pack at Walmart. Maybe you didnt know they sold ultralight backpacks, and niether did they. Im sure it was intended as a daypack. However, it has 1200 cubic inches and weighs only 6 ounces, so Ill use it for summer overnighters. At $4, it was light on the budget too.

It easy to imagine that a decent-sized backpack can be made at home that weighs less than 8 ounces. If its a simple one, without excess pockets, made from light nylon material, how much could it weigh? Making your own could be the way to get the lightest backpack.

Alternatives To Ultralight Backpacks

Ive used my 8-ounce duffle bag for backpacking. With no pockets, its tough to organize things, but it has lots of room, and it is very tough. In practice, the full-length zipper makes it so brain friendly to see everything that organization isnt very important.

I also have tied the duffle bag to an an old aluminum pack-frame, to create a full-suspension backpack. It has a hip belt, relaxed padded straps, and weighs exactly two pounds. It worked fine on a trip above timberline in the mountains of Montana. If there are any lighter exterior-frame ultralight backpacks out there, I havent seen them.

You may also go on overnight trips with just a bivy sack, a bottle of water and a few granola bars in the pockets of your jacket. Ive done this in the summer. Of course, I suppose without ultralight backpacks, this can not even be called backpacking.