Tough equation: weight vs. comfort
- any hike is more enjoyable when carrying less (especially when adding factors such as high altitude or technical alpine trails), but
- carrying more can make it more comfortable especially when spending a few nights in the outdoors…
A commonly accepted guideline is to limit the weight of your backpack to 20% of your body weight, and to not exceed 30% of it. Depending on where you stand on the weight spectrum, that can be extremely limiting for treks! The maths can be refined in order to find the optimum balance…
Of course, there is more to this first approximation. Otherwise, you should feast unreasonably on French cheese, wine, and food before flying to Corsica to start Europe’s toughest hike, the GR 20, in the hope of gaining some extra kilograms to be able to carry a heavier backpack!
What you can carry does not depend only on your weight, but also on your fitness level, training, body mass index, etc. and is very personal. Only experience can help you define the maximum weight of your backpack that varies with your condition.
For instance, when I started our 2-week GR 20 in full autonomy, I was carrying more than 30% of my own bodyweight: a19-kilogram (42lb) backpack for my 54 kilograms (119lb), hence 35% of my weight. The first few days were very, very tough, and required a few repacking sessions to redistribute the weight better. For the best comfort:
- Heavy and dense gear close to the back
- Light gear at the bottom of the backpack
- Easy to access gear at the top of the backpack
As soon as we started carrying less water thanks to our Katadyn water filters that allowed us to reload at every stream, and digging in our food supplies, I started feeling better. Almost instantly! On day 3, after a morning break and drinking some water, I put my backpack back on and instead of feeling crushed by its weight like an overloaded donkey, I was back to being a rather agile mountain goat!
In my personal case, when I started carrying less than 15 kilograms (33lb, 28% of my body weight) in my backpack, I started enjoying the trek.
By the end of the GR 20, it was almost only my base weight left in my backpack (the base weight is the total weight of the entire gear, excluding consumables (food, water, fuel)), and I was carrying about 19% of my body weight (slightly more than 10 kilograms (22lb)) and this felt like being able to trail run it!
Defining your backpack’s max weight
For other geeks out there, a much finer mathematical model than carrying about 20% of your bodyweight was developed taking into account the fact that when the size of the hiker is scaled up, strength increases slower than bodyweight (as part of that strength is used to carry that added bodyweight):
Example:
- My friend weighs 60kg (132lb) and is comfortable carrying a 20-kg (44lb) backpack at rest. The middle curve shows she/he should not hike with more than 19kg (42lb).
- She/he is going on a long distance hike with her/his strong friend who weighs 100kg (220lb) and can carry 25kg (55lb) comfortably at rest. This friend should limit her/his backpack to 21kg (46lb, as read on the top curve).
Other tips:
Weight does matter and selecting your gear properly is critical to successfully and enjoyably complete a multi-day hike. Beyond comfort, it is also a safety concern as with more weight tiredness and injuries are bound to happen. Here are a few tips based on our extensive hiking experience on five continents, also featuring brands we have been using reliably and happily for many years (no affiliate links & nor commissions, just honest referrals):
- It may be easy to reduce your backpack weight by carrying a water filter that allows you to reload your water supply along the hike. Check out our article about water filtration to know which filter to select.
- For treks, electronics have become essential for e-maps, tracking, and for safety. Carrying a foldable solar panel is a way to reduce the weight of extra chargers or power banks while remaining more autonomous and climate-conscious.
- Freeze-dried food, such as Real Turmat or Tactical Foodpack for the recipes we like the best with rather healthy ingredients, provide an excellent weight to calory ratio.
- Hiking poles are essential to help balancing: with a heavy backpack, if well used, they can help limit the weight on ankles and prevent an injury for instance. Especially in steep and uneven terrains, hiking poles are a must-have.
- Last but not least, the backpack itself! We favor mountain-type backpacks that are rather narrow and vertical often with various fastening systems for accessories such as solar panels, water bottles… The Everest series by Freetime Outdoor that has been banning PFC’s since 2020 is our go to for its well-conceived and durable backpacks that are a great value for money.
If the mathematical model above gives a good guideline, it is worth going on a few outings prior to your big adventure to check in real conditions the maximum you allow yourself to carry on a multiday hike.
To try out your gear & packing skills on these multiday hiking adventures!
Best regards from far, 
Firstly I’m very impressed with the weights that you were both carrying. I’m sure I couldn’t have carried that much and I’m a lot heavier than you two. On our 4 day walks I manage to get the weight down to 7kg, which is nothing by comparison, but then we stay in B&Bs or Inns where we have all modern luxuries and have no need (or desire in my case) to carry a tent and all that goes with it. But, secondly, I thought you were supposed to put the light stuff at the top, not at the bottom of the sack? Either way I tend to put the stuff I might need quickly at the top, whatever the weight. 🙂
Thanks for stopping by and your comment! A packpack down to 7 kg’s sounds like a dream to hike with 😉 But it is true that not carrying a tent, all that goes with it and all the food makes a huge difference. We put the heavy stuff close to the back, to have a better balance. The light things often end up around and in a small bottom pocket and top pocket. And indeed, we also pack the things one might need quickly all the way at the top where it is accessible fast. It remains a challenge for our large and heavy canon camera though… What are your favourite hikes?
A heavy camera too – you are gluttons for punishment! 🙂 My friends and I have been doing recognised National trails in the UK for years – often in relay… That is, with 2 people setting off and the other 2 driving a car to a point on the route, maybe 10 miles ahead, then setting off. When the first 2 get to the car they drive to meet the others at another appointed place. This is repeated, with each pair doing another ‘leg’ until we get to the B&B or wherever we’re staying. It means you can travel really light (like just waterproofs and a water bottle) and have all your gear in the car. In this way we’ve done the Coast to Coast, the Pembrokeshire Coastal Path and Offa’s Dyke (all of which are around 180 miles in total – so 90 miles each) in 4 days – but we were younger then! 😉 In latter years we have carried our gear doing 13 to 18 miles per day – again usually over 4 days. As for the best (in the UK), it has to be the Coast to Coast from St Bees to Robin Hood’s Bay. Though I hope you checked out my guest post about the Tour de Muverans, which I’d highly recommend: https://marmotpost.wordpress.com/2017/09/11/tour-des-muverans-valais-switzerland/
My mate Pete, said it was as good as walking in the Himalaya. 🙂
Smart way to go keep hiking light and cover quite a distance! Impressive achievement you sound like a good team. I have never hiked in the UK but am curious to find out a bit more about it. Especially the Lake District looks very tempting! Pretty awesome you did the coast to coast. Lovely guest post, stunning pictures. Never heard about that hike before but given the distance and elevation I would be keen on trying to hike it in 3 to 4 days, seems fantastic!
Sorry, I forgot to ask: After doing the GR20 (as you say, the toughest hike in Europe) what plans have you got for your next challenge?
Good question! To summit the Kilimanjaro would be great. What about you, are you planning another long distance hike? About challenging hikes; you might want to check out this one: https://bestregardsfromfar.com/2015/08/14/hiking-japanese-alps/) maybe it will inspire you 😉
Looks like I can’t reply to your replies, so… The Tour de Muverans is definitely possible in 3 days. (The lady guardienne from the La Tourche hut got up at 3:30am one morning and did the whole thing before midnight, so it depends on what sort of challenge you need). The English Lake District is indeed a great place to visit (we’ll be there in a few weeks so watch out for some pics in November). There’s a few recognised trails around there, but the weather can change very quickly and summits are often shrouded in cloud. (It also rains a lot!) As for my next walk, we’ve already planned to do 4 days of the Inn Way to Northumberland next June, carrying our packs from pub to pub. 🙂 🍺🍺🍺
Wow the whole Tour de Muverans in one shout sounds like a crazy challenge. A bit too crazy for me 😉 the Inn way sounds appealing. The thought of savouring a cold beer at the end of a trail is still one of those things that keep me going on the tough parts! Have a great time!!