- Time of past OR future Camino
- 2017, 2018, 2019, 2025
The Forum has not adopted an official Weight Terminology Definition Index as it applies to backpack weight. I can understand why. It is not vital, but labels like 'ultralight' or 'lightweight' are sometimes used in postings.
Perhaps it could be useful for some if there was a definition given for some weight-related terminology; to know what someone means when calling something 'light' or 'ultralight'. Such a standard currently exists elsewhere, but outside of the United States and North America backpacking and climbing community I have no idea if the same thing exists in Europe or the rest of the globe.
The need for an agreed-to set of objective definitions was said to have started for the purpose of settling the early onset of Alpha Male, Richard-measuring blather. Yup. nothing more needful than that. Not only would heated debate ensue about which backpack FELT lighter (no scales), but would then get sidetracked by the frenzied, "Nuh-uh! Ultralight means 12 pounds. Where did you come up with the silly notion that ultralight is 11 pounds?"
Standardizing weight categories became vital.. . well, useful. . .ok, perhaps just inevitable. As it turned out, however, it became a useful tool for other backpack, pre-trip functions.
Relative to any one, single item of gear or clothing, like trekking poles or ponchos or titanium sporks, there is no standard by which to define something as light or ultralight or heavy.. None. Nada.
To be certain, there are differences in weight if you look and compare the weight specifications of one titanium spork against another. So all that can be reasonably said about individual items, like trekking poles, backpacks, or hydration bladders, is that one item is either lighter or heavier than the other. Or what their stated weight is. Telling me that a rain jacket is ultra-light leaves me thinking, "Based on what?"
Note: Manufacturers will use terms like "ultra light" as marketing fodder. They want you to look at their stuff first. There is no "Official Agency of Ultra-lightness" that sanctions or defines these product label declarations. A manufacturer can legally call their 5o Kg sleeping bag 'ultralight', and do so with a straight face if they want to.
Given the amount and type of backpacking I do, I will look for the lightest piece of gear or clothing among those with the same functionality and usability and general quality. Usability is in the eye of the beholder. Some folks want zippers, others don't. Pockets, padding, rain resistance. . . the list of what is usable to a person is infinite. Well, it seems that way sometimes.
How are the 'weight' terms used? They are used to describe the combined weight of stuff in a backpack. Place everything inside your backpack and weigh the whole kabab. Once you have that figure written down, you can check and see how that weight is defined. If you want. Some folks only use the Argggh and Ouch Scale of Pain Index as a gauge for what works.
With the Argggh and Ouch Scale of Pain Index, you cram everything that you need and think you need and want to need into a backpack. Then, using your "Backpack Hydraulic Space Making Ram", compress everything down into a tight brick to make more space. Then add kitchen sinks, rice cookers, bowie knives, electric hair clippers, ukuleles, portable hair salons, a set of crescent wrenches.. . whatever you think you might start longing for. . Just In Case.
Then, put on the backpack. (cue up the motel room, off-to-the PCT scene from 'Wild'). If you are stuck to the floor, slither out of the backpack and toss out a few things. Then wash, rinse, repeat until you are able to at least stand. If you are still in pain, toss a bit more out. Keep at it until you say to yourself, "The feeling is coming back to my shoulders and hips, and my fingers don't look so blue. I think this will work".
Before I list the definitions about weight, it will help to learn a few other terms first.
.
Base Weight. This is the total weight of your entire gear load, including the backpack. It does not include consumables like food, water, and stove fuel. Consumables are not included because the amount varies based on how much you need to take, as well as being used up or eaten up.
Total Weight: This is your Base Weight + Consumables.
Full Skin Out (FSO) Weight: This is Base Weight + Consumables + Clothes you wear, dust that is sticking to you, dandruff flakes that didn't get washed out, last night's dinner, candy wrappers in your pocket, bedbugs in your hat, long hair past your collar. . .
I find FSO to be, well, tediously OCD. FSO does not translate into a meaningful thing because clothes do not mechanically impact the body core, balance, or the carry issues like a backpack's weight. Besides, clothing is constantly removed, added on, getting soaked with sweat or rain, gathering food stains, etc.
Of all the definitions above, Base Weight is the most valuable in helping you to figure out HOW to determine the gear and clothing choices available to lighten your load.
Finally, the weight is over. Here it is:
Stupid-Light (my adopted and derisive term): A base weight number that is lighter than Super-Ultralight.
This is a weight point that would require huge compromises to safety in exchange for lower weight. Backpackers that do this type of weight-culling can end up hurt or dead. And they have. In my mind, they are obliviots and don't get the fact that 'Luck' is not a real piece of gear.
Super-Ultralight (or Hyper-Light): A base weight under 5 pounds/.2.27 Kg.
I've seen it done, and I have put together a 'backpack' as a challenge, but have not used it. While there is little, to no margin for Oops type stuff to occur, it isn't quite as problematic as Stupid-Light.. At this weight, you are giving up comfort levels, while relying on knowledge and experience to compensate for a lack of stuff.
Ultra-Light: a base weight less than 10 pounds/4.5 Kg
There will be a some losses of comfort, and EVERYTING is a multitasker, like a titanium mug is your cooking pot, your measuring cup, your drinking cup, your scooping container to gather water that is in an awkward location, your backup water sterilizer if your filter dies. Using a plastic and lightweight tarp for a tent ( 1/2 ounce), a thinner, closed-cell, hip-length pad for a mattress. A sleeping quilt that is rated for a bit higher temperature than you might run into, so your clothing IS part of your sleep system. and on and on.
Lightweight: a base weight under 20 pounds/ 9 Kg.
Regular Weight: a base weight starting at 30 pounds / 13.6 Kg.
Today, heavy camera and video gear, along with gimbles and sticks and tripods and power banks and drones, etc. carried by semi-pro, content providers is one of the big reasons for tipping the scale toward this weight category. Then there are gear and clothing choices for Winter, high altitudes, hot and arid environments, etc. which will also become factors.
Semi-Related Thoughts:
Keep in mind that the above definitions are for wilderness backpackers on multi-day to multi-month hiking trips. The types and quantities of gear and clothing need to cover far more variables for the wilderness backpacker than for a Camino hiker in terms of temperature ranges, isolation, and total self-reliance.
Five decades ago as an almost 14 year-old on my first solo, multi-day backpacking trip, the base weight while using my dad's old 1960's era Army rucksack, tipped the scales at 54 pounds/24.5 Kg. Hipbelt? What is a hipbelt? By comparison today, for that same length for a multiday backpacking trip, my base weight will be about 13 pounds. Amazingly, this is just how far the technologies in materials and manufacturing have evolved.
For a Camino, the base weight of my backpack is around 8 to 10 pounds, depending on the season. Not having to include a tent or stove or air mattress or the other pieces of gear one needs in the wilderness makes it easy for experienced backpackers to hit this weight level.
Budget considerations for those choosing to purchase new stuff:
For many, all they want is for a piece of gear or clothing to make it just as far as Santiago de Compostela. If that is the case, then long term durability to last over many years and many thousand of kilometers is not needed. Quality only needs to complete the pilgrimage and to function properly along the way. This translates into a significant savings for gear and clothing costs. Plus, it is very possible to find clothing and gear light enough that it will make you happy.
But Wait, There's More. . .
At some point in the first 24 hours of walking, no matter which Weight Definition your backpack matches, you may decide that the pack is still too heavy and start pulling out stuff and leaving it behind like some kind of Camino version of Hansel and Gretel's bread crumb trail.
It is not inevitable that frantic gear dumping will occur. All I can say is that the ratio of gear dumping is likely proportional to where your backpack resides on the Weight Definition Scale.
At the Stupid-Light level, if you run into an unexpected sub-zero ice storm on the Col de Lepoeder your worries about backpack weight no longer exist. Just sayin'.
At the other end of the spectrum with The Argggh and Ouch Scale of Pain Index, the decision to dump stuff at the alburgue donation spot may be so bountiful that the hospitaleros decide to open a thrift shop.
"Ounces equal Pounds, and Pounds Equal Pain." Translate it into metric if you must, but it just didn't sound as kewl.
Perhaps it could be useful for some if there was a definition given for some weight-related terminology; to know what someone means when calling something 'light' or 'ultralight'. Such a standard currently exists elsewhere, but outside of the United States and North America backpacking and climbing community I have no idea if the same thing exists in Europe or the rest of the globe.
The need for an agreed-to set of objective definitions was said to have started for the purpose of settling the early onset of Alpha Male, Richard-measuring blather. Yup. nothing more needful than that. Not only would heated debate ensue about which backpack FELT lighter (no scales), but would then get sidetracked by the frenzied, "Nuh-uh! Ultralight means 12 pounds. Where did you come up with the silly notion that ultralight is 11 pounds?"
Standardizing weight categories became vital.. . well, useful. . .ok, perhaps just inevitable. As it turned out, however, it became a useful tool for other backpack, pre-trip functions.
Relative to any one, single item of gear or clothing, like trekking poles or ponchos or titanium sporks, there is no standard by which to define something as light or ultralight or heavy.. None. Nada.
To be certain, there are differences in weight if you look and compare the weight specifications of one titanium spork against another. So all that can be reasonably said about individual items, like trekking poles, backpacks, or hydration bladders, is that one item is either lighter or heavier than the other. Or what their stated weight is. Telling me that a rain jacket is ultra-light leaves me thinking, "Based on what?"
Note: Manufacturers will use terms like "ultra light" as marketing fodder. They want you to look at their stuff first. There is no "Official Agency of Ultra-lightness" that sanctions or defines these product label declarations. A manufacturer can legally call their 5o Kg sleeping bag 'ultralight', and do so with a straight face if they want to.
Given the amount and type of backpacking I do, I will look for the lightest piece of gear or clothing among those with the same functionality and usability and general quality. Usability is in the eye of the beholder. Some folks want zippers, others don't. Pockets, padding, rain resistance. . . the list of what is usable to a person is infinite. Well, it seems that way sometimes.
How are the 'weight' terms used? They are used to describe the combined weight of stuff in a backpack. Place everything inside your backpack and weigh the whole kabab. Once you have that figure written down, you can check and see how that weight is defined. If you want. Some folks only use the Argggh and Ouch Scale of Pain Index as a gauge for what works.
With the Argggh and Ouch Scale of Pain Index, you cram everything that you need and think you need and want to need into a backpack. Then, using your "Backpack Hydraulic Space Making Ram", compress everything down into a tight brick to make more space. Then add kitchen sinks, rice cookers, bowie knives, electric hair clippers, ukuleles, portable hair salons, a set of crescent wrenches.. . whatever you think you might start longing for. . Just In Case.
Then, put on the backpack. (cue up the motel room, off-to-the PCT scene from 'Wild'). If you are stuck to the floor, slither out of the backpack and toss out a few things. Then wash, rinse, repeat until you are able to at least stand. If you are still in pain, toss a bit more out. Keep at it until you say to yourself, "The feeling is coming back to my shoulders and hips, and my fingers don't look so blue. I think this will work".
Before I list the definitions about weight, it will help to learn a few other terms first.
.
Base Weight. This is the total weight of your entire gear load, including the backpack. It does not include consumables like food, water, and stove fuel. Consumables are not included because the amount varies based on how much you need to take, as well as being used up or eaten up.
Total Weight: This is your Base Weight + Consumables.
Full Skin Out (FSO) Weight: This is Base Weight + Consumables + Clothes you wear, dust that is sticking to you, dandruff flakes that didn't get washed out, last night's dinner, candy wrappers in your pocket, bedbugs in your hat, long hair past your collar. . .
I find FSO to be, well, tediously OCD. FSO does not translate into a meaningful thing because clothes do not mechanically impact the body core, balance, or the carry issues like a backpack's weight. Besides, clothing is constantly removed, added on, getting soaked with sweat or rain, gathering food stains, etc.
Of all the definitions above, Base Weight is the most valuable in helping you to figure out HOW to determine the gear and clothing choices available to lighten your load.
Finally, the weight is over. Here it is:
Stupid-Light (my adopted and derisive term): A base weight number that is lighter than Super-Ultralight.
This is a weight point that would require huge compromises to safety in exchange for lower weight. Backpackers that do this type of weight-culling can end up hurt or dead. And they have. In my mind, they are obliviots and don't get the fact that 'Luck' is not a real piece of gear.
Super-Ultralight (or Hyper-Light): A base weight under 5 pounds/.2.27 Kg.
I've seen it done, and I have put together a 'backpack' as a challenge, but have not used it. While there is little, to no margin for Oops type stuff to occur, it isn't quite as problematic as Stupid-Light.. At this weight, you are giving up comfort levels, while relying on knowledge and experience to compensate for a lack of stuff.
Ultra-Light: a base weight less than 10 pounds/4.5 Kg
There will be a some losses of comfort, and EVERYTING is a multitasker, like a titanium mug is your cooking pot, your measuring cup, your drinking cup, your scooping container to gather water that is in an awkward location, your backup water sterilizer if your filter dies. Using a plastic and lightweight tarp for a tent ( 1/2 ounce), a thinner, closed-cell, hip-length pad for a mattress. A sleeping quilt that is rated for a bit higher temperature than you might run into, so your clothing IS part of your sleep system. and on and on.
Lightweight: a base weight under 20 pounds/ 9 Kg.
Regular Weight: a base weight starting at 30 pounds / 13.6 Kg.
Today, heavy camera and video gear, along with gimbles and sticks and tripods and power banks and drones, etc. carried by semi-pro, content providers is one of the big reasons for tipping the scale toward this weight category. Then there are gear and clothing choices for Winter, high altitudes, hot and arid environments, etc. which will also become factors.
Semi-Related Thoughts:
Keep in mind that the above definitions are for wilderness backpackers on multi-day to multi-month hiking trips. The types and quantities of gear and clothing need to cover far more variables for the wilderness backpacker than for a Camino hiker in terms of temperature ranges, isolation, and total self-reliance.
Five decades ago as an almost 14 year-old on my first solo, multi-day backpacking trip, the base weight while using my dad's old 1960's era Army rucksack, tipped the scales at 54 pounds/24.5 Kg. Hipbelt? What is a hipbelt? By comparison today, for that same length for a multiday backpacking trip, my base weight will be about 13 pounds. Amazingly, this is just how far the technologies in materials and manufacturing have evolved.
For a Camino, the base weight of my backpack is around 8 to 10 pounds, depending on the season. Not having to include a tent or stove or air mattress or the other pieces of gear one needs in the wilderness makes it easy for experienced backpackers to hit this weight level.
Budget considerations for those choosing to purchase new stuff:
For many, all they want is for a piece of gear or clothing to make it just as far as Santiago de Compostela. If that is the case, then long term durability to last over many years and many thousand of kilometers is not needed. Quality only needs to complete the pilgrimage and to function properly along the way. This translates into a significant savings for gear and clothing costs. Plus, it is very possible to find clothing and gear light enough that it will make you happy.
But Wait, There's More. . .
At some point in the first 24 hours of walking, no matter which Weight Definition your backpack matches, you may decide that the pack is still too heavy and start pulling out stuff and leaving it behind like some kind of Camino version of Hansel and Gretel's bread crumb trail.
It is not inevitable that frantic gear dumping will occur. All I can say is that the ratio of gear dumping is likely proportional to where your backpack resides on the Weight Definition Scale.
At the Stupid-Light level, if you run into an unexpected sub-zero ice storm on the Col de Lepoeder your worries about backpack weight no longer exist. Just sayin'.
At the other end of the spectrum with The Argggh and Ouch Scale of Pain Index, the decision to dump stuff at the alburgue donation spot may be so bountiful that the hospitaleros decide to open a thrift shop.
"Ounces equal Pounds, and Pounds Equal Pain." Translate it into metric if you must, but it just didn't sound as kewl.
To me it counts) 129 lbs give or take a couple of slices of pan Gallego. 67 years old. Scoliosis, need a left shoulder replacement and osteoarthritis so I have to think hard when I clip or tie anything to get it done. 
