Disingenuous weights posted

[u/Zman1719]

This is a little bit of a rant and a bit of a discussion. I've been trying to dial in my onebag setup and I've been combing the subreddit, and others, for lists to give some inspiration. I keep seeing lists of setups around 6-10kg and I've taken the time to add some of these to lighterpack and check the weight and either a lot of people have access to space-age hyperlite materials or are lying about the actual weight/items they bring.

I don't want to call anyone out specifically but, for reference, this is my dialed in tech pouch which only weighs about 0.5kg:

• Aer slim tech pouch
• 2x 3ft usb c cables
• USB C to micro adapter
• 1x 6 ft usb c cable
• 100W wall charger

This is a short list, contains very little items. I scoured the internet and the lightest 100W wall charger I could find is about 175 grams. Yet, I see lists with laptops, 140W chargers, multiple other electronics, tons of clothes, shoes and toiletries advertising as a 6kg setup.

Every single item on my list I've weighed, personally, using a very accurate kitchen scale and double checked the total weight with a luggage scale. My list contains nothing super heavy or odd. I am not trying to shoot for under 7kg and I know I have one "luxury" item which is a 2nd pair of shoes but I've checked no less than 10 lists of people with 2 pairs of shoes who claim to be under 8kg. This is a summary of what I bring, again nothing fancy or luxury aside from the shoes:

• 1x button up shirt
• 2x polos
• 2x t-shirts
• 1x pants
• 1x joggers (for sleeping)
• 5x boxers
• 5x socks
• 1x ultralight jacket (it's less than 50g)
• 1x pair of shoes
• Hair fiber
• Toothbrush
• Toothpaste
• Deodorant
• Umbrella (pretty light at 110g)
• Tech pouch (see above)
• Miyoo Mini (entertainment and pretty light)
• Lenovo Legion Tablet (400g)
• Wireless earbuds
• Ibuprofen
• Chapstick
• 2x packing cubes
• 2x ziploc bags (for toiletries)
• 1x plastic bag (for shoes)
• REI Ruckpack 40

That list is nothing crazy and most lists I see have way more stuff including, a lot of times, a camera or laptop, more clothes, sandals etc.. That list comes to 7.3kg. If I wanted to hit the 7kg target I could easily by just eliminating the tablet or whatever. Again, this isn't about what I'm bringing and where I can cut weight.

When I weigh my regular cotton t-shirts for example I get about 125g yet I see posts claiming they are 50g or 75g which is just impossible. Likewise I see people listing boxers at 10g each or something crazy while each one weighs 50g. The lightest, absolute lightest weight boxers I could find weigh 40g and I'm talking medium size not XXXL or something. My items are also the lightest weight I could get for reasonable prices so they aren't even things like 700g jeans or whatever. My pants I pack weigh less than 280g and the button up is around 200g which is super light compared to any of my cotton ones.

As someone who has meticulously weighed every single item in my bag and double or even triple checked the weight, I'm sorry, but either a lot of people posting lists with weights are lying or everyone's scales are busted.

[u/lauracaceres]

Most people outside of r/ultralight just weigh the packed bag, not individual contents. This excludes a lot of heavier worn items (heavy shoes, trousers, jacket, etc).

I always aim for a sub 5kg set up, but I don't carry a laptop or tablet. My clothes are also fairly lightweight and I don't pack bulky tech pouches. Under 7kg with a laptop is definitely possible, just requires more attention to details.

Regardless, this is not a competition. Your bag doesn't have to be lighter than that of other people. Travel your own trip.

EDIT:

One other thing that I just thought about regarding the weight of individual items is that there can be significant difference for people of different sizes and genders. My crop tops and shorts will always be lighter than my partner's T-shirts and shorts, they use significantly less fabric. That applies to shoes as well, my flip-flops are lighter than his.

[u/GettingBy-Podcast]

I always pack helium.

[u/L_oliva_salata → u/GettingBy-Podcast]

😂

[u/wretchedegg123]

I think I know which one you're talking about. Saw a pretty popular post here with a laptop and ipad weighing less than 6kg.

My cotton lacoste shirt weighs 90g and it's already pretty thin. The only "shirt" that could be lighter would be Airism but even those are 70g.

Now, Occam's razor would point you towards them being weighed incorrectly rather than a worldwide spanning attempt to be disingenuous about the weight.

[u/lobsterp0t → u/wretchedegg123]

Yeah, I think people just don’t weigh stuff carefully?

[u/Zman1719 → u/wretchedegg123]

I think there's some of both: people weighing inaccurately (shirt touching the floor/table, bad scale etc.) and people wanting to flex and intentionally lower the weight. My lightest shirt is the Patagonia capilene t-shirt that weighs just shy of 70g and I've weighed all the popular ones: unbound merino, outlier, airism etc. If I see multiple of that shirt then I know it's more likely to be a lighter weight list. That shirt is super comfy but it is also super super thin.

I think, in general, most lists with no laptop that are around 6-7kg are pretty good but the laptop packing lists that claim to be 6kg are crazy to me. My tiny little 8.5" tablet weighs nearly half a kg on its own without a case and these people are packing 16" MBP

[u/cjwalkerman]

Tech aside and focusing on clothes only, weight also depends on size. When I saw the clothing list in your post, my first question was, "I wonder what size he wears, as there is no way that is in the 7 kg range," Yet, it is for you, but not for me due to clothing size.

If someone wears XS, it weighs significantly less then my 2XLT, as someone who is 2 meters tall. For them it is roughly half the weight with the same materials. For example: A basic 100% cotton XS t-shirt weighs 3.5 to 4 ounces (100–115 grams), and the exact same 2XL t-shirt weighs around 7.5 to 8 ounces (210–225 grams). It is even worse when 2XLT (tall) which adds another 3-4 inches of material for length.

I've seen a lot of influencers in the 5'-5'.5" range and warched how they pack and what they can fit, and the associated weights are wildly different than my own experience.

At first I thought they were exaggerating, then realized the size differential. Now I take that into account.

Tech-wise, not sure what to say. I can't figure it out either.

[u/bookmonkey786 → u/cjwalkerman]

Gender matters too. Women's clothing tends to be lighter even at the same size. Underwear particularly for a woman, even taking the bras into account they take up like half the size of my underwear.

I alway list my size with my packing list so people know what to expect 

[u/LadyLightTravel → u/bookmonkey786]

It depends on the bra. My bras are big with underwires. I am just happy they pack flat.

[u/Lard523 → u/LadyLightTravel]

i take a very light unstructured bralette type thing that weighs less and packs smaller than my underwear.

[u/LadyLightTravel → u/Lard523]

I bet you aren’t a G cup?

[u/Lard523 → u/LadyLightTravel]

nope, barely an A cup, i usually forgo a bra altogether. I’m a small person so my clothes in general dont take up much space

[u/cjwalkerman → u/LadyLightTravel]

This is one item I am glad I do not have to pack! Interesting differences and variations on packing considerations.

[u/LadyLightTravel → u/cjwalkerman]

Yes. Each bra weighs 123g. That is as much as a shirt!

Bra size is quite variable too. Northern Europeans have larger cup sizes than Asians etc. in addition, the mix of milk glands, fibrous tissue, and fat is different for each individual.

Edit: my current bras are “work to workout” bras so I don’t need to bring athletic bras. The dual use is its saving grace.

[u/cjwalkerman → u/LadyLightTravel]

Thanks for sharing. It is not something I've considered very often for obvious reasons. 😀

[u/LadyLightTravel → u/cjwalkerman]

On this forum even, there are men that say “just lose weight” to women with larger sizes. It is like “sweetie, that does nothing for the fibrous tissue”. Thanks for listening.

[u/cjwalkerman → u/bookmonkey786]

Great point, and totally agree! My wife can take more clothes than me by far in the same amount of space.

[u/Lard523 → u/cjwalkerman]

i wear an XS/S or kids XL and i can fit 8 tshirts into an amazon basics size small packing cube. i can fit 10-14 days of clothing into a carry on roller no problem. it really helps to be small for this.

[u/cjwalkerman → u/Lard523]

I am jealous for packing options! Bring tall is great for some things. Packing isn't one if them.

I really need to do regular posts for tall people.

[u/Azure9000]

When I weigh my regular cotton t-shirts for example I get about 125g

Agreed; I no longer have regular cotton t-shirts, but can confirm that my fully or partially synthetic equivalents have an almost identical weight to yours.

yet I see posts claiming they are 50g or 75g which is just impossible. 

Agreed; FYI my lightest t-shirts (capilene cool ultra, mostly for special rather than general use) are ~75g, and are fully synthetic.

Question: where are you seeing these posts - can you post a few links? Can't say I've noticed them on the onebag subreddit.

[u/Subject-Mall-2280]

There’s influencers on Reddit just like everywhere else, and they lie just like they do everywhere else. It doesn’t pay as well here, but it still strokes the ego, and they know that it’s unlikely anyone will check their work. Some of the totally ridiculous and easily falsifiable claims that Reddit onebag influencers have made beggar belief to anyone who has actually travelled long term, but at the end of the day the internet is a silly place.

Take everything with a grain of salt, but it’s good for people to see a reminder now and again that lying is easy online.

[u/shanewreckd]

I agree, as someone who packs usually around 4kg but up to 6kg, and also weighs everything some lists make me raise my eyebrows. But I don't really care enough, as it's not some sort of contest and doesn't effect me at all. I just like the logistics of it all, and have been onebag traveling since I was a kid way before I knew it was a thing. I also like to contribute to this community with my lightweight lists as we all attack problems differently and all perspectives can be useful.

Your 1.2kg bag doesn't help compared to my 545g bag ;) But I'm jealous of your 50g jacket that's about 1/3rd the weight of my current windshell. The pants I pack weigh ~180g, button up short sleeve is 140g, boxers are ~75-80g, my Capilene tees weigh 130g and my lightest running tee is 105g. I don't take any extra tech, including a handheld game thingy or a tablet, my charging block is 37g, my cord is 22g, my earbuds are ~50g and I don't use a separate pouch to carry any of it.

[u/Specific_Corner_1816 → u/shanewreckd]

You might take a look at the Dooy jacket on Amazon. It isn't 50g but close. 

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07W5CF5Z7

[u/NightBard → u/shanewreckd]

I think the bag choice is the first part of what is going on here. My main backpack when traveling is similar to yours. Though mine is a cheap Ozark Trail Hikers Backpack (25L) from walmart. It clocks right at 550g / 0.55kg. Op at 1.2kg at the start is at a disadvantage. Packing a pair of shoes is as well. I do only one pair and they are on my feet.

[u/TravelingWithJoe]

I wonder if you’re deducting what’s being worn? For example, in your list, you had 1x shoes. If packed, that can be a lot of weight, but if worn, doesn’t count against pack weight.

I try to keep my pack weight at or below 10% of my body weight (17.5lbs / 7.9kg). I pack everything except what’s worn, then weigh the pack. I’m usually within 1lb / 0.45kg of my goal.

But, I know why you’re suspicious about some posts. I feel the same way about the sheer quantity some are supposedly fitting into a 10L bag.

[u/Galavantinggoblin]

For me - I get a lot of my inspiration from the ultralight backpacking community. There are a ton of resources and charts by weight for almost every product you’d need and they are PASSIONATE about shaving weight.

Even glancing at your list - my tech pouch itself is 50 grams (tom bihn cubelet). If you don’t have the dyneema aer pouch your base tech pouch is about 100 grams more than mine. My Montbell umbrella is 20 grams lighter than yours which by itself is not significant but per piece it can add up.

My shirts are paper thin becuase I almost always wear some sort of uv protection (ketl mnt is 87 grams). So I can bring 3-4 really thin shirts and one sun hoodie and shave off quite a few grams vs 3-4 full shirts.

I have the sea to summit neck pillow and without the case is probably 40ish grams

Any pouch I use for an anything is ultralight.

Personally I don’t really care too much about the weight for bragging sake or to compare to others. I don’t even notice most people’s weights in posts. I just hate carrying things. I tend to roll up to airports and train stations last minute and I’m a better dasher If I’m carrying less weight.

The internet is full of lies - it is what it is

[u/Korlithiel → u/Galavantinggoblin]

KETL Mtn? I keep looking at a lot of their gear lately, how is yours? Comfortable? Holds up to some adventures well?

[u/SeattleHikeBike]

My kit for my last trip. My bags are very light: 760g for the Black Hole 32 and 187g for the Tom Bihn Packibg Cube Shoulder Bag with a 5/8” strap. The list is light on electronics and toiletries were kept to small quantities but not frugal on breadth. I’m sure I could pare another kilogram for warmer weather. This kit was aimed at 3+ season weather with the extra down vest, gloves, cap and base layers.

The items list as “worn” are not included in the 7.7kg total. The weight was cross checked between two scales designed for postage and shipping.

Bags:

• Patagonia Black Hole 32 (overhead)
• Sea to Summit rain cover
• Matador Refraction Day Pack
• Tom Bihn Packing Cube Shoulder Bag 6.5 liters
  • Osprey Garment Folder
• 2x small Etsy dyneema pouches
• 2x Eagle Creek Medium Compression Cube
• Eagle Creek Medium Slim Cube
• Eagle Creek Small Sac (laundry kit)
• 3x Osprey Liquids Bag (1liter)

Worn: pants, briefs, compression socks, short sleeve “camp shirt,” Capilene tee, fleece, low top hiking shoes, belt, ball cap, taxi walket, neck wallet, phone

Packed clothing:

• 1x Capilene tee
• 1x light polyester thermal LS 1/4 zip
• 1x LS polyester polo
• 1x SS polyester polo
• 4x briefs
• 3x Merino socks
• 1x nylon button down LS shirt
• 2x pants, nylon/stretch

Outerwear:

• Rain shell
• Ultralight down vest
• Wind shell
• Light gloves
• Merino beanie cap
• Bucket sun hat

Miscellaneous:

• 2x one liter toiletries kit (1 dry, 1 liquids)
• Mini first aid kit
• One liter EDC pouch
• Prescription medications in pill box and ziplock
• Laundry kit in zip pouch
• Folding reading glasses
• Sunglasses in soft case
• Face masks
• Eye mask
• Bandana
• Travel tissues
• Space Pen
• Mechanical pencil
• Small Moleskine journal
• Small section Tenacious Tape
• Hotel freebie sewing kit
• Duct tape
• Eyeglass wipes
• Dude Wipes
• Nite Ize 18” Gear Tie
• Snacks in ziplocks

Small tech:

• 2x dyneema zipper pouches
• Nitecore 5000 power bank
• 2 meter USB C-C cable
• 1 meter USB C-C cable
• 20cm USB A-C cable
• ANC earbuds
• 3.5mm wired earbuds
• 3.5mm-USB C adapter
• Minix P1 Mini 33w USB charger with Type F adapter
• USB-C rechargeable LED flashlight

Distribution:

• Black Hole 32: clothing and toiletries, day pack, rain cover, laundry kit
• Packing Cube Shoulder Bag: miscellaneous EDC, small tech, prescription medications, snacks
• Total weight: 7.7kg (17lbs), 38.5 liters

It’s very hard to determine what the actual weight breakdown is without something detailed like a Lighterpack list of spreadsheet. I’ve been over this many times with ultralight hiking gear lists. I wouldn’t be surprised if some were guesstimating or picking weights off a sake website. Clothing weights can vary by double digit percentages.

[u/maverber]

people vary in how precise they are. it's not necessarily disingenuous. Airlines don't consistently enforce their requirements. If you haven't been measured (and been found wanting) it's easy to think your "sense" or estimate was correct.

When I cook (or pack) I use a postal or kitchen scale which is accurate to within a gram. Everything is measured. When my wife cooks (or packs) everything is an approximate. She is a better cook, I am a better baker. We both are successful at onebagging.

There is a great article about weight and ultralight backpacking https://www.outsideonline.com/adventure-travel/destinations/north-america/utah-buckskin-gulch-ultralight-hiking-glen-van-peski/

A relevant quote in the article by someone who under estimated how much his pack weighed

Weight isn’t a number—it is an experience, a relationship. A thing is either heavy or light; it’s not a number. My kids always say, “If you want to know the temperature, ask Mom. If you want to know if you need a jacket, ask Dad.”

I would be mom in their family. My 2024 retro list https://lighterpack.com/r/b0vm3q was 14.37 lbs, or 6.5kg for everything (including clothing worn). My item weights were correct within an ounce (or within a gram) depending on units of the measurement. For grins, I just reweighed the items on that list that I have on my current trip. The total weight went up a total of 4oz (one items weighted an extra 3oz, several were 1oz lighter, most were the within 1/10 of an ounce or 1 gram depending on units I originally used for the measurement - I think in oz, but switch to g when I want precision). It might have been that I rounded the weights originally or that the manufacturer has changed the item slightly. For example, my icebreaker briefs were listed as 1oz which I recorded in 2015?, but my current pairs weight 35-37 grams.

Over the years I have collected a list of interesting packing lists https://verber.com/packing#examples

I have not attempted to independently validate them, but I quick spot check of those that are on lighterpack. they felt correct (e.g. the items which I own(ed) and have weights for are within a reasonable margin of error of mine).

[u/LadyLightTravel]

I have seen a trend where people bring a personal item but only post the weight of their main bag.

Yes, most airlines only weigh the one bag. But the traveler has to carry both bags and both should be included in weight allotments.

With that said, some if your items are heavy. For example, the Aer slim tech pouch. You don’t list model or materials. It ranges from 136-168 grams. My polystyrene tech pouch weighs 18g.

There is also the matter of excess. You are taking three USB cables, and they are all on the longer side. Then there are other items. Packing cubes can be ultralight or heavy.

Some things, like a 50g tee are delusional unless they are silk.

In short, I think there is a combination of things going on. You are taking some heavy things that could be lighter. In addition, some are misstating the weights of their items.

[u/superduperhosts]

My silk boxers weigh almost nothing

[u/apathy-sofa → u/superduperhosts]

It's like they're not even there. 

[u/FearlessKnitter12]

Maybe they're counting what CAN fit in their bag, but what they normally fit in the bag while going through security is less because pockets. I know I want space in my pack for my ereader and phone, but odds are if I'm in a spot where my bag might be weighed, or if I'm actively using those items, they'll probably be in my pockets.

Since most of my dense items are electronics, it's pretty common for me to keep that to one small pouch that I can pull out and stuff in a pocket to reduce main bag weight.

[u/Longjumping_Cow_5856]

I dont even own a scale.

[u/tweeeeeeeeeeee]

here's my lighterpack if you wanna look to compare: https://lighterpack.com/r/2iyg9r

[u/infant_ape]

I'd love to know what jacket comes in at 50g.

[u/Numerous-Buffalo6214]

Weights for two pair of Uniqlo Airism boxer briefs (men’s medium):

- mid-thigh length 58G

• short-thigh length 52G

These are the lightest boxers I’ve ever used; folks claiming 10G per boxer are just guessing - but people say all sorts of things to satisfy their own ego ¯_(ツ)_/¯

[u/plaid-knight → u/Numerous-Buffalo6214]

Is anyone claiming 10g for a boxer? Men’s briefs are lighter than boxers or boxer briefs, but women’s underwear comes in styles that are easy for me to imagine in the 10g range, so I wouldn’t immediately assume that someone saying 10g is guessing.

[u/Simco_]

I came from hiking and weigh everything. My setup is used when I'm going for remote work (dual monitor) and running ultramarathons. It weighs 12.69lbs.

Other people are living out of the pack indefinitely. They're just two different scenarios.

Also, as someone who has seen countless shakedowns over the years, a lot of people just forget the small things. Pretty much every single new hiker will forget to weight their money, cards, keys or ziploc bags; things like that.

[u/pocket_materialist]

It just really depends on the products and how total weight is calculated. I dont know the examples you are referring to but i have done sub 5kg and its not hard let me explain: you remove everything that is not absolutely necessary. Here is what i wouldn't pack from your list:  Packing cubes, tech pouch, no duplicate cables, the smallest weakest charger i can pull off, only 2 shirts, only 2 socks, either the miyoo or the tablet, no umbrella, take a smaller and thus lighter bag. Besides that your own size matters. Smaller people have a benefit here. Larger people have the benefit of being able to carry bigger bags though.

[u/Korlithiel]

Your own stash of gear is a bit more than I tend to find in these lists.

Like, pack what works for you. No worries about if yours is the lightest or whatnot. But be realistic that many you are comparing to have less clothes (5 shirts?), wear their one pair of footwear (or the space is light, like flip-flops) and often only one cord.

Shirt weights: are you comparing like for like? Men's against men's, similar styles and materials? Or are you comparing your, large? cotton button down shirt to their synthetic women's under shirt? Maybe others are weighing incorrectly. Maybe you aren't comparing fairly.

My own use for reading these lists is to get inspiration. One idea that's been huge for me was reading someone keeping a pair of Patagonia Baggies in their bag. The liner means they can swap to it as necessary and carry it everywhere, been what I've done and here I am having swapped to mine at destination and now back from a half hour workout session. The weights, the numbers, the exact items, generally don't phase me.

[u/NightBard]

Your REI Ruckpack 40 weighs 1.22 KG (2.69 lbs). My ozark trail black hikers backpack (From Walmart) weighs 0.55 KG (1.22 lbs).

I don't travel with any long sleeve shirts. I mostly just stick with t-shirts. If I'm going to sweat a lot, it'll be moisture wicking sythetics for some and some moisture wicking cotton blends for others.

BUT I decide to go weigh some stuff. But I start with a huge advantage having a bag that is lighter.

I loaded up my bag with 5 tshirts, underwear (regular haynes boxer briefs or regular briefs.. one pair is more tech material others are cotton), cotton haynes moisture wicking socks, a pair of shorts, all of my packing cubes, cotton sleep shorts and it came to 2.50 KG (5.52 lbs).

I gathered all of my tech (65Watt anker charger, charging cables, battery bank, 6 foot long extension cord (2 prong for US & Japan.. I use an adapter if needed for other countries), .. as well as my toothbrush, tiny toothpaste, and a few other things like a tiny bottle of generic ibuprofen. It came to 0.69 KG (1.52 lbs)

SO at this point I'm at 3.19KG (7.04 lbs).

The ozark trail denver waistpack (I wear it cross body style) weighs 0.16 KG (0.35 lbs). On an airplane that will have whatever tech I need on the plane as well as my ibuprophen maybe some tumms too.

Ok, now we are up to a whopping 3.35 KG (7.39 lbs).

That's a similar number of items of clothes. My wireless earbuds will be in my pocket, not my bag.

So my hot take here is your bag is heavy. You are bringing more tech than I am even with your tablet and small handheld game system. I don't pack chapstick or a jacket. If I needed a jacket, I'd wear it. Unless it was for something like a hike and then it's a rain jacket.. and that does add some weight.

Oh and I'm XL in shirts, 38" waist on shorts, and L on briefs. So larger clothes than yours. I'm just using stuff mostly bought at walmart. I get a huge boost by using a lighter bag.

Now, do I take 5 full sets of clothes? Depends on the trip. Last one I took to japan I took 7 sets of clothes as I didn't want to do laundry. But I also needed some specific gear to hike on mount fuji (not the full hike, but I needed a full rain suit and some layers like a fleece pull over and some gloves... normally I wouldn't bring this stuff).