5 Ultralight Backpacking Gadgets we Actually Take on Every Trip
When it comes to backpacking gadgets, we mostly abide by the motto “less is more.” After all, ultralight backpacking is generally about minimalism, not loading your pack with bits and bobs that are potentially useful but not, strictly speaking, necessary.
However! After testing lots of UL tools, there are a few small pieces of gear that we do absolutely love and bring along on most, if not all, wilderness excursions. These are the ones we’ve found are worth packing because they make camp life easier and are plenty functional.
Alpenglow Gear Alpenblow Lux Pad Pump
My least favorite part of backpacking is inflating a sleeping pad every night. I genuinely hate it (but also haven’t trained myself to sleep on just a foam pad). So when the first version of this ultralight pump dropped, I was all over it. It weighs so little you don’t even notice it’s in your bag and plugs into a power bank to inflate. Life. Changing. The new Lux version dropped this season and though it’s a few grams heavier, it inflates faster, deflates, and has a reading lamp, too! I never backpack without it.
One Bottle Hydration Hose
I’m not a fan of hydration reservoirs (read about why here). But bottles can be inefficient to get to depending on your pack and flexibility. So even though it weighs slightly more than a bottle alone, I often screw a One Bottle Hydration Hose onto my beloved CNOC Vesica collapsible bottle. This makes staying hydrated easy with none of the drawbacks of bladders (like tricky refillings, difficult repacking and limited functionality).
Pact Outdoors Bathroom Wipes
OK, these aren’t so much a “gadget” as a consumable, but they’re quirky and underutilized, so we’re including them. We no longer pack toilet paper on the trail; we bring a few of these Pact Outdoors compressed wipes instead (plus mycelium tablets for faster decomp). They expand to 9″x9″ wet wipes with a few drops of water and work way better than toilet paper. Plus, they weigh practically nothing. Save 15% when you use our link!
Nitecore NB Air 5000
Typical power banks are heavy. This one from Nitecore is light. In fact, it’s one of the lightest on the market. I bring the 5000 when I’m hiking solo because I can get almost 2 full phone charges, and the 10000 when Josh and I are backpacking together so we can charge phones, action cams, pad pump, you name it.
Aardwolf Mini Ditty Stuff Sacks: Worth the Weight
I thought these tiny stuff sacks would be more gimmicky than useful, but they’ve turned out to be a piece of gear I always reach for not just when backpacking, but traveling, too. They’re perfect for covering spoons to keep them clean, toothbrush heads, containing toothpaste tabs or painkillers, and so much more. Plus, they’re far more durable than tiny zip-top bags, so they’ll likely be a part of my kit for a long time to come.
Bottom Line
Not all backpacking gadgets are created equal. Some are more “waste of space” than “worth the weight.” And even more are just manufactured pre-landfill fodder. But these are the items we genuinely find useful and don’t hesitate to pack on every backpacking trip. So gear up thoughtfully and responsibly, then wander on!
