The Kit

Food

Banana 181g

Fresh fruit on day one is a small act of rebellion. Just don't pack it at the bottom.

Appears in Dandelion Wine, We Have Always Lived in the Castle, On the Calculation of Volume (Book I), Pedro Páramo, Tenth of December

Top Ramen 84g

Eighty-four grams of salt, starch, and nostalgia. Not gourmet. Doesn't need to be.

Appears in Heart of a Dog, Bonjour Tristesse, The Lost Daughter, Hunger, A Short Stay in Hell, Annihilation, Tenth of December, Stoner

Tuna Packet 75g

For many of us, a packable and versatile source of protein. For others, literally the worst thing someone could try and make you eat. Just don't spill the liquid on your CCF sleeping pad in bear country. Trust us.

Appears in Bonsai, The Immense Journey, The Crying of Lot 49, The Lover, The Lost Daughter, The Word for World Is Forest

Clif Bar 68g

Yes there are other bars, but the OG trail bar still rides in packs thousands of miles into a long trail, so there's something in there worth carrying.

Appears in The Pearl, The Dry Heart

Flour Tortilla 51g

Bread that won't squish, won't crumble, and holds whatever you've got left: peanut butter, tuna, Frito dust. It's a plate you get to eat.

Appears in The Immense Journey, Bonjour Tristesse, Siddhartha, The Summer Book

Tools & Hard Gear

Camp Sandals 170g

After twenty miles in trail runners, you won't care, and neither will anyone else at camp.

Appears in A Month in the Country, Jesus' Son, The Friend, The Memory Police, Stoner

Sawyer Squeeze 85g

There are other ways of making funky pond water drinkable but the Sawyer is so dependable and idiot-proof that it's GOATed as far as we're concerned.

Appears in Eastbound, The Living Mountain, Siddhartha, The Word for World Is Forest, A Mountain to the North, a Lake to the South, Paths to the West, a River to the East, A Short Stay in Hell

Bandana 28g

Sweat rag, pot holder, sun shade, prefilter, and a flag for hitching into town. The most useful 28 grams you'll carry.

Appears in Heart of a Dog, A Leopard-Skin Hat, The Living Mountain

Mini Bic Lighter 12g

Fancier fire starters exist. Almost nobody uses them. The Mini Bic lights your stove every time and costs less than a candy bar.

Appears in All Systems Red, Pedro Páramo, Tenth of December

Lexan Spoon 11g

The only utensil you need, as long as the handle's long enough to reach the bottom of a freezer bag without dunking your knuckles in chili mac.

Appears in Franny and Zooey, On the Calculation of Volume (Book I)

Compass 9g

Your phone does this now, right up until it doesn't. Nine grams of insurance with no battery and no signal to lose. Knowing how to use it sold separately.

Appears in We Have Always Lived in the Castle

Titanium Stake 8g

Eight grams, and you will lose one every trip. Somehow it's always the one you drove into a patch of dirt that turned out to be granite.

Not on the shelf yet

Clothing

Balaclava 85g

You'll look like a cartoon burglar. You'll also sleep through the 3 a.m. cold snap your quilt wasn't quite rated for.

Appears in A Leopard-Skin Hat, A Mountain to the North, a Lake to the South, Paths to the West, a River to the East, The Snow Leopard

Hiking Socks 70g

Ask long-distance hikers what they'd never skimp on and a lot of them will say socks. A clean, dry pair on day five is the closest thing the backcountry has to a hotel room.

Appears in The Lover, A Field Companion for Wandering

Hygiene

Hand Sanitizer 35g

Everybody blames the water, but dirty hands take down plenty of hikers too. Not glamorous. Use it anyway. Every time.

Appears in Bonsai, All Systems Red

Sunscreen 30g

Above treeline there's no shade, and the sun doesn't care how tough you are. Squeezed into a travel tube, it's the easiest weight you'll ever justify.

Appears in Eastbound, The Friend, The Memory Police

Toothbrush 15g

Some ultralighters saw the handle off. We think that's a bit much. Full-size brush, full-size dignity.

Appears in Arboreality

Lip Balm 4g

The lightest thing in the kit and sometimes the one you'll reach for most. Leave it home and the wind will let you know by day two.

Appears in Jesus' Son

Electronics

Battery Pack 180g

The heaviest thing in the kit and the one almost nobody leaves behind anymore. It keeps the maps running and the phone alive for that one bar of signal on the ridge.

Appears in Piranesi, Arboreality, The Snow Leopard

Phone 175g

Map, camera, guidebook, and your link home. Put it in airplane mode and it'll last longer than you'd think. The book in your pack is for when you'd rather not look at it.

Appears in Breakfast at Tiffany's, Franny and Zooey, The Summer Book

Headlamp 90g

For camp chores after dark and for finding a cathole spot at 2 a.m. without stepping on anyone. Red-light mode is basic courtesy.

Appears in The Fire Next Time, All Systems Red, A Field Companion for Wandering, Annihilation, The Memory Police

Sleep

Inflatable Pillow 56g

A fleece jammed in a stuff sack works fine. Fine. It's fine. Okay, fifty-six grams buys you something that feels like an actual pillow, and on night three that's pure luxury.

Appears in The Crying of Lot 49, Stoner

A note on the weights: these are real, trail-packed versions of ordinary gear — travel-size toiletries, a normal pair of socks, the banana you'd actually pack — not an ultralight record attempt. Honest and familiar beats lowest-possible. More on how we weigh →

Product names and packaging are trademarks of their owners. Baseweight Books isn't affiliated with or endorsed by any of them.