If you've been backpacking for more than a season, you know Lighterpack. It's the spreadsheet-meets-web-app that the ultralight community has used to share and obsess over gear for years. Thousands of PCT hikers have linked their Lighterpack lists in trail journals. It's simple, shareable, and free.
But it's also showing its age. If you've ever wanted to log actual trips, see what other hikers with your pack weight are carrying, or access your list from your phone without squinting at a data table — you've probably started looking for a Lighterpack alternative.
That's where MyPacks comes in.
What Is Lighterpack?
Lighterpack is a web-based gear list tool that lets you organize your backpacking gear into categories, log weights, and share a public URL of your loadout. It was one of the first tools to do this well, and the community around it is real — r/ultralight references Lighterpack links constantly.
Its core strength: dead-simple data entry. You paste in gear items, enter weights in grams or ounces, and get an instant breakdown by category. It outputs a clean shareable link.
Its core limitation: it stops there. There's no account dashboard, no trip history, no community, no mobile app, and no way to discover what other hikers are carrying.
Why Hikers Start Looking for a Lighterpack Alternative
Here's what comes up consistently when hikers talk about outgrowing Lighterpack:
"I want to compare lists year-over-year." Lighterpack is stateless — there's no account, no version history. Every time you update your list, the old version is gone.
"I want to see real packs from hikers like me." The PCT Class of 2024 hiked with an average base weight around 12–14 lbs. What were those people actually carrying? Lighterpack can't answer that. You'd have to find individual trail journals and hope they linked their list.
"I need to use it on my phone." Lighterpack's interface works in a mobile browser, but it wasn't built for one. Editing a list on a phone between miles at a resupply stop is painful.
"I want to track the actual trip, not just the gear." Packing lists are prep. But once you're off trail, you want to know: how heavy was that pack on the JMT section? What did you ditch in Mammoth? That context lives in your head, not in a Lighterpack URL.
MyPacks vs. Lighterpack: Side-by-Side
| Feature | Lighterpack | MyPacks |
|---|---|---|
| Gear list builder | ✓ | ✓ |
| Weight by category | ✓ | ✓ |
| Shareable link | ✓ | ✓ |
| Grams / oz / lbs toggle | ✓ | ✓ |
| Account + list history | — | ✓ |
| Trip logging | — | ✓ |
| Community pack lists | — | ✓ |
| Browse other hikers' gear | — | ✓ |
| Mobile-optimized UI | — | ✓ |
| Base weight calculator | Basic | Full breakdown |
| Free tier | ✓ | ✓ |
| No account required | ✓ | — |
The "no account required" row is Lighterpack's real strength for casual use. If you just want to share a gear list with a friend once, it's faster. But if you're tracking gear across multiple trips and seasons, MyPacks is built for that.
5 Reasons Hikers Are Switching to MyPacks
1. You Can See What Other Hikers Actually Carry
MyPacks has a community library of real packs from real hikers — PCT thru-hikers, AT veterans, weekend warriors. You can filter by trail, base weight range, and trip type. If you're heading to the Sierra in August and want to know what a 10-lb base weight actually looks like in practice, you can pull up twenty real examples rather than digging through trail journals.
This is the feature Lighterpack has never had and the one hikers ask for most.
2. Trip Logging Connects Your Gear to Your Trips
In MyPacks, a gear list isn't an orphaned URL — it's attached to a trip. The JMT in July 2025. Four nights in the Winds. Section hiking the AT from Harpers Ferry north. When you log a trip, you log the pack you used, the miles, the conditions. Six months later, you can look back and see exactly what you carried on each one.
Lighterpack has no concept of a trip. It's a snapshot, not a record.
3. The Base Weight Calculator Actually Breaks Down Your Numbers
MyPacks calculates your base weight automatically as you build your list, but it also breaks it down by category — shelter, sleep, clothing, food system, navigation, safety. You can see at a glance that your sleep system is 28% of your base weight and your shelter is 31%, which tells you exactly where the weight savings are if you want to go lighter.
Lighterpack gives you a total. MyPacks gives you a roadmap.
4. The Interface Was Built for Mobile
MyPacks was designed with mobile use in mind. You can edit your gear list at a trailhead, add items from a gear drop, or check your weight breakdown on the fly. The data tables are readable on a phone. Touch targets are sized for fingers, not a cursor.
If you've ever tried to edit a Lighterpack list on an iPhone at a resupply, you know why this matters.
5. Free, No Card Required — Same as Lighterpack
MyPacks has a free tier with no trial period and no card required. You get gear list building, base weight tracking, trip logging, and access to the community library. There's a paid upgrade for advanced features, but everything you'd use Lighterpack for today is free on MyPacks.
When to Stick With Lighterpack
Lighterpack is still the right tool if:
- You want to share a one-off gear list without creating an account
- You're linking your list in a trail journal and just need a clean URL
- You prefer the ultra-minimal spreadsheet interface with no extra features
There's nothing wrong with using both. A lot of hikers use Lighterpack for quick public shares and MyPacks for actual tracking.
How to Migrate From Lighterpack to MyPacks
- Export your Lighterpack list — use the CSV export option in Lighterpack (gear icon → Export)
- Create a free MyPacks account at mypacks.app — no card needed
- Import the CSV under Gear → Import
- Your items, weights, and categories come over. Attach the list to a trip and you're set.
The whole process takes about five minutes.
FAQ
Is MyPacks free?
Yes. MyPacks has a free tier with no time limit and no credit card required. It includes gear list building, base weight tracking, trip logging, and access to community pack lists. A paid plan is available for hikers who want additional features.
Can I import my existing Lighterpack list into MyPacks?
Yes. Export your Lighterpack list as a CSV (click the gear icon in Lighterpack, then Export). Then in MyPacks, go to Gear → Import and upload the file. Your items, weights, and categories transfer directly.
Does MyPacks have a mobile app?
MyPacks is a mobile-optimized web app, which means it works on any phone browser without a download. A dedicated iOS and Android app is on the roadmap.
How does MyPacks handle sharing gear lists publicly?
Every gear list in MyPacks gets a shareable link, the same as Lighterpack. You can share it in trail journals, subreddits, or with hiking partners. You can also choose to add your list to the public community library so other hikers can browse it.
What is base weight and how does MyPacks calculate it?
Base weight is everything in your pack except consumables — food, water, and fuel. MyPacks calculates your base weight automatically as you add gear and breaks it down by category (shelter, sleep system, clothing, food system, etc.) so you can see where your weight is concentrated.
Conclusion
Lighterpack is where most ultralight hikers start. It's fast, shareable, and requires no commitment. But once you're logging multiple trips a year, comparing gear across seasons, or wanting to know what the PCT Class of 2025 actually carried — you've outgrown a shared spreadsheet.
MyPacks was built for that next step. Same zero-friction free tier, more depth when you want it.