Best lightweight hiking gear list 2020
Quick recommendations:
Below is my all time favourite hiking gear. A lot of these items are on my hiking wish list and if I wasn’t on a budget to purchase hiking gear, I would buy all of them.
Regardless of the price, I have compiled this list of best overall lightweight hiking gear for a 3 season hike. If you would like to check out the current price of an item, I have linked them to the manufacturer website, amazon, or ebay.
Full disclosure: some of the links on this page are affiliate links, which means I earn a small commission on qualified purchases through these links. This is at no cost to you. It helps me keep this website up and running.
This article is not sponsored by any of the hiking gear companies and I did not compromise on the quality of the gear mentioned.
These are truly my all time favourites and I hope it will help you on your journey to select high quality hiking gear! Happy shopping!
1 person hiking tent:
- Dan Dunston X-Mid 1P – 790g
- Tarptent Notch Li – 609g
- Gossamer Gear The One – 595g
- TerraNova Laser Competition – 940g
- Six Moon Designs Lunar Solo – 740g
- Nemo Hornet 2P – 1.08kg
- Zpacks Duplex – 539g
- Big Agnes Tiger Wall – 1.13kg
- 3F UL Lanshan 1 – 690g
- Sierra Designs – 790g
2 person hiking tent:
- Tarptent StratoSpire Li – 824g
- Zpacks Triplex – 622g
- Mountain Laurel Designs Supermid – DCF 540g or SilNylon – 740g
best sleeping bag or quilt
My research only includes down sleeping bags, because I am personally not planning on buying a synthetic bag any time soon. Down provides lighter hiking gear and packs away a lot smaller. For more information about this, check out my article on how to choose a sleeping bag.
Depending on the comfort rating, the weight will differ. All mentioned sleeping bags are rated top of the range for ultralight hiking.
Some very reputable brands that are known for their high quality sleeping bags and quilts:
best sleeping pad
For over 9 years I have been very happy with my Therm-a-Rest NeoAir Xlite. The only sleeping pad I would replace it with is a new Therm-a-Rest sleeping pad because now there is a lighter version available than 10 years ago.
Below are my favourite sleeping pads. If you want an allround 3 season sleeping pad, consider the X-Lite. For a summer sleeping pad, consider purchasing the Uberlite or for winter hiking, the X-Therm is really good.
Bottom line is, the higher the R-rating, the more insulation the sleeping pad offers. If you want to know more about what to look out for in a sleeping pad, check out this article here, where I will guide you through the different specs and R-values.
- 3 Season sleeping pad: Therm-a-Rest NeoAir Xlite Women’s – 340g
- 3 Season sleeping pad: Therm-a-Rest NeoAir Xlite Unisex – 340g
- Good for winter: Therm-a-Rest NeoAir Xtherm – 425g
- Summer only: Therm-a-Rest NeoAir Uberlite – 249g
best hiking backpack
Again, depending on your preferred features, there are different hiking backpacks to choose from. Some of the features to choose from are: waterproofing, frameless, hip belt with pockets, adjustable straps etc.
After you have chosen your favourite backpack, you will need one that fits your body. I recommend to have it fitted by a specialist at your local outdoor shop.
Also, consider the length of your hiking trips to determine the size of your backpack. I usually go for a 50L pack. That fits everything I need on a multi-day hike plus a little bit of extra space.
Choose what fits for you.
Below are some of the most favourite options amongst hikers.
- Osprey Exos
- Hyperlite 3400 Southwest
- Zpacks Arc Blast
- Gossamer Gear Mariposa
- Mountain Laurel Designs Exodus
For a full list and overview of top recommended hiking packs, click here.
best cooking gear for camping
If I had to buy everything for my camp kitchen all over again, I would buy these items:
- Best Stove: BRS-3000T – 25g
- Cooking pot: TOAKS 750ml titanium pot – 103g
- Camping bowl/cup: Foldable silicone cup – 270ml
- Lightest durable spork: Toaks titanium spork – 11g
- For windy conditions: Jetboil Minimo 1L cooking system – 415g
Electronics
Best electronics per category:
- Best power bank: Anker 20000mAh – 345g
- Best 2.7K drone: DJI Mavick Mini – 249g
- Best 4K drone: DJI Mavick 2 Pro – 907g
- Best camera for hiking: Canon G7 X Mark III – 304g
- Best gimbal for hiking: DJI Osmo – 404g
If you want more information about what electronics will give you the best value on your hike, click here.
Misc
Best Headlamps
- Nitecore NU25 400 lumen – 45g
- Petzl Bini 200 lumen – 35g
Best Water Filter systems for Hiking
Best in each type of water filtering system:
- Sawyer squeeze – 90.7g
- Sawyer mini – 56g
- Platypus gravity works – 268g
- Aquatabs – 0.15g/tablet
hiking socks
Hiking socks provide extra protection for hot spots on your feet during hiking. They usually have extra padding where your feet need it and often provide a breathable material. Below are some reputable hiking sock brands. Some brands offer different grades of padding, so you can choose what is right for your hike.
Depending on the height and length of the socks, the weight will differ. If you are using trail runners such as myself, I would recommend using ankle socks. I would also recommend wearing a sock liner to keep your feet fresh and to absorb most of the moisture. This will also help with blister prevention.
Alright, so this is my absolute hiking wish list and top-notch hiking gear recommendations for you guys.
I have done a ton of research on hiking gear and I hope to help you select the best quality gear out there. If you buy good hiking gear the first time, it will save you money in the long run. Of course, most of us are on a budget, so try to upgrade a few things at a time.
If you want to know what gear I currently take on my hikes, check out my hiking gear list for New Zealand and Europe.
Happy Hiking!