16 Ultralight Backpacking Brands You Should Know

Mountain Laurel Designs

Founded: 2002
Niche: Pyramid shelters, packs, and quilts
Instagram: @mountainlaureldesigns

Mountain Laurel Designs is one of the original cottage gear makers, founded by Ron Bell in Roanoke, Virginia. MLD’s pyramid tents like the SuperMid and TrailStar remain the gold standard for storm-worthy, floorless shelters that can handle wind and snow, and their Burn and Prophet packs influenced today's new generation of ultralight backpacks. The brand still hand-builds everything in the U.S. and has recently moved to a monthly ordering window to manage demand, so patience is part of the deal if you want a piece of MLD gear.

Yama Mountain Gear

Founded: 2006
Niche: Ultralight shelters and packs
Instagram: @yamamountaingear

Yama Mountain Gear started as a conversation among hikers on the Pacific Crest Trail in 2006, and founder Gen Shimizu has been designing and sewing some of the most if-you-know-you-know ultralight gear near Missoula, Montana ever since. Yama tents like the Swiftline and Cirriform are known for aesthetic, deep catenary cuts that hold up in wind far better than flat-topped designs, though they also have a reputation for being some of the more finicky tents to pitch correctly. Shimizu is a one-man design and build operation, and it shows in the level of craftsmanship—you’ll be hard-pressed to find better quality. Ask any longtime ultralight backpacker which brand makes the best-built tent on the market, and there is a good chance Yama comes up first.

Zpacks

Founded: 2005
Niche: DCF tents, packs, and quilts
Instagram: @zpacks

Zpacks began when Joe Valesko couldn't find gear light enough for his 2004 Appalachian Trail thru-hike, so he started sewing his own. Twenty years later, Zpacks has grown into one of the largest and most recognizable names in ultralight gear. They’re known for pushing Dyneema Composite Fabric into the mainstream, from the beloved Duplex tent to the cult-classic Hexamid, one of the lightest one-person shelters ever made. Zpacks gear tends to reward experienced hikers who already know how to pick a good campsite, since the lightest shelters sacrifice some stability for weight savings, but newer hikers also gravitate to their generously-sized Arc Haul packs. For those chasing the lowest base weight possible, Zpacks is hard to beat.

Durston Gear

Founded: 2018
Niche: Ultralight shelters and packs
Instagram: @durstongear

Few brands in this list have generated the kind of devoted, almost cult-like following that Durston Gear has built in less than a decade. Founder Dan Durston is a biologist and lifelong hiker based in Golden, British Columbia, and his offset dual-pole design for the X-Mid tent line solved a problem that had frustrated trekking-pole tent users for years: headroom. The X-Mid 1 and X-Mid Pro 2 have become the go-to tents for thru-hikers thanks to a rare combination of livability, wind resistance, and, in the case of the silpoly versions, incredible affordability. Durston himself is highly active in the community, answering questions directly on Reddit, which only adds to the loyalty his brand has earned.

Read the full story on Durston Gear here.

Tarptent

Founded: 2002
Niche: Lightweight tents and shelters
Instagram: @tarptent

Tarptent has been building some of the most reliable ultralight shelters on the market since Henry Shires sewed his first tarp for a Pacific Crest Trail thru-hike in 1999. Along with his wife and business partner Cynthia, Shires turned that hobby into a full-time company based in Nevada City, California, and Tarptent has consistently designed some of the more progressive tents on the market. The main differentiator from others on this list is their use of struts, which tend to be polarizing among hikers. Like several other brands on this list, Tarptent recently ventured into freestanding tents with the ArcDome, which gives hikers a lightweight freestanding option that’s ready for winter snow loads.

Six Moon Designs

Founded: 2002
Niche: Affordable ultralight shelters and packs
Instagram: @sixmoondesigns

Ron Moak started Six Moon Designs after his own Pacific Crest Trail thru-hike convinced him there needed to be an affordable option in a category that got expensive fast. To this day, their tents are without a doubt the best value for ultralight hikers. The Lunar Solo is an extremely popular one-person tent, prized for offering serious weight savings without the price tag of a full Dyneema shelter. Based in Beaverton, Oregon and still family-run, Six Moon Designs has kept its founding mission intact: gear should be light and durable, but it should also leave you with enough money left over to actually go on the trip.

Gossamer Gear

Founded: 1998
Niche: Ultralight packs and shelters
Instagram: @gossamergear

Gossamer Gear is about as close to a founding father as this category has. What started as Glen Van Peski's homemade backpack for his son's Boy Scout troop became GVP Gear, then Gossamer Gear, and eventually one of the most trusted names in the space. Gossamer Gear's 60-liter Mariposa and 50-liter Gorilla packs are more or less the official gateway packs to ultralight backpacking, and the brand's "Take Less. Do More." ethos extends into useful shelters like The One and top-tier ultralight contenders like the Whisper tent. Though much smaller than Zpacks, the company's breadth of gear is similar, and Gossamer Gear currently offers gear for hikers at every point of their ultralight journey, including packs, trekking poles, and accessories.

Read our story about Gossamer Gear's history here.

Ultralight Quilt Brands

Nunatak

Founded: 1999
Niche: Down quilts and lightweight insulated apparel
Instagram: @nunatak_gear

Nunatak is one of the true pioneers of the backcountry quilt, and they’re known today as the gold standard. Started in a basement in West Seattle in the winter of 1999, Nunatak has relocated a few times and now operates out of Colorado, but the core product has barely changed. Nunatak is one of the few cottage brands on this list still making everything themselves in the U.S.A., in this case with high-quality 800-fill-power or better goose down. Their reputation among longtime ultralight backpackers as a premier quilt maker has never really wavered, even as newer companies have entered the category. Though the founder Jan is known for providing expert guidance, their custom options may make them better suited for hikers who have used quilts before and know exactly what they want.

Katabatic Gear

Founded: 2008
Niche: Down quilts, bivies, and hoods
Instagram: @katabaticgear

Katabatic Gear began because founder Aaron Martray was tired of quilts that let cold drafts sneak in around the edges. After nearly 200 nights testing prototypes everywhere from the Hayduke Trail to Alaska's Yukon River, he landed on a design with a patented cord-clip attachment system that keeps the quilt cinched snugly around a sleeping pad all night, solving the draft problem that turns plenty of hikers off quilts in the first place. Based in Salida, Colorado, a town that sits directly on both the Colorado Trail and the Continental Divide Trail, Katabatic has built a reputation for making some of the warmest, highest-quality quilts you can buy. Ask just about any long-term thru-hiker, and there’s a good chance they use a Katabatic.

Enlightened Equipment

Founded: 2007
Niche: Down and synthetic quilts
Instagram: @enlightenedequipment

Enlightened Equipment is the biggest quilt brand in the game. Founder Tim Marshall started sewing quilts in his Winona, Minnesota basement, and the brand has expanded into a 50-employee operation out of a 50,000-square-foot facility. What sets Enlightened Equipment apart is its build-to-order model, in which hikers choose their own fabric, fill power, temperature rating, and color. It's worth mentioning that this author personally has found their quilts to run much less warm than the temperatures they’re rated for. Nonetheless, they have a devoted following and remain one of the most accessible entry points into quilt sleeping for anyone new to the category.

Ultralight Backpack Brands

Pa'lante Packs

Founded: 2016
Niche: Minimalist frameless backpacks
Instagram: @palantepacks

Pa'lante built its name on carrying less and doing it extremely well. Founders Andrew Bentz and John Zahorian started designing and prototyping packs in a Utah basement, and the brand's stripped-down aesthetic and dumpster-diving marketing have become as much a part of its identity as the packs themselves. The Simple Pack—which was updated to become the v2—was highly coveted when it launched and effectively established the modern minimalist hip belt-free pack as its own category. Pa'lante gear is built for hikers who have already dialed in their kit and do not need a pack to hold their hand, and the brand's loyal, almost cultish fanboy following on trail speaks for itself.

Read our story about Pa'lante's history here.

Nashville Pack

Founded: 2018
Niche: Vest-strap frameless backpacks
Instagram: @nashville_pack

Nashville Pack started when co-founder Levi Morton stripped every extra ounce off his framed backpack and decided to reach for a sewing machine to build something even lighter. Along with fellow thru-hiker Grant Leonardi, Morton built the Cutaway, a running vest-style pack with more reachable pockets than nearly anything else on the market. The brand's modular strap-and-body system means hikers can mix and match fabrics and configurations to build a genuinely custom setup. The packs are very small and are not for the novice hiker, but their straps are easily the best-fitting on this list.

Superior Wilderness Designs

Founded: 2016
Niche: Semi-custom ultralight backpacks
Instagram: @superior.wilderness.designs

Superior Wilderness Designs, often shortened to SWD, was started by Brandon McIntyre and Ashley Thick after their own frustration with off-the-shelf packs led them to start designing their own. Everything SWD makes is hand-sewn in their Michigan workshop, and the brand has built a name on semi-customization: hikers can choose between numerous packs, then narrow down their torso length, pockets, hip belt size, and colors. It's a smaller operation than some names on this list, which means longer lead times, but also a level of one-on-one attention that is hard to find with the larger brands.

Meadowphysics

Founded: 2023
Niche: Minimalist ultralight packs
Instagram: @meadowphysics

Meadowphysics founder John Zahorian is no stranger to the ultralight backpack space. He co-founded Pa’lante Packs in 2016, left the business, and returned quite recently with Meadowphysics after an extended break. The Crane pack is clearly inspired by his Pa’lante days, but Zahorian has taken a different approach with modified pockets and a choose-your-accessories method. Availability comes and goes in limited runs, and you’ll be competing with some serious fanboys, so anyone interested should sign up for the brand's email list.

Hyperlite Mountain Gear

Founded: 2010
Niche: Dyneema packs, tents, and accessories
Instagram: @hyperlitemountaingear

When Mike St. Pierre discovered Cuben fiber (now known as Dyneema Composite Fabric), he became convinced it could make his own gear dramatically lighter. He and his brother Dan grew Hyperlite Mountain Gear inside a historic mill building in Biddeford, Maine, where the company manufactured domestically for years before moving production to Mexico. Their Dyneema packs, especially the Southwest and Junction lines, have become a default choice for hikers who want serious weather resistance without sacrificing weight.

This author would argue that most Hyperlite items are not actually ultralight from a grams standpoint, but they’ve introduced Dyneema and its potential in ultralight gear to the mainstream, and are now tied to it, warranted or not. All the same, they are one of the very few companies making large-capacity, lightweight packs for skiers, hikers, packrafters, and climbers, and you’ll be hard-pressed to find another company that checks those boxes.

Misc Ultralight Brands

Igneous Gear

Founded: 2023
Niche: Small ultralight accessories
Instagram: @igneous.gear Igneous Gear has a knack for creating tiny items that solve huge problems for hikers. Founder Ray Aldridge, a materials engineer who grew up hiking the Sierra Nevada, started the brand after losing the cap to his favorite water bottle on a backpacking trip and deciding he could design something better. Igneous now offers a small lineup of repair kits, a bottle cap bidet, and the NOBO Bottle, a reusable HDPE water bottle built to replace the disposable Smartwater bottles that have become a staple among ultralight hikers. It's a niche within a niche, but exactly the kind of overlooked detail that separates a dialed-in kit from an average one.