PackApp USA vs Backpacking List
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
PackApp USA
This app helps outdoor enthusiasts plan and organize their gear for hiking, camping, and backpacking trips. It allows users to track pack weight, calorie estimates, and essential details for each item. Premium features offer advanced trip planning with weather forecasts and community-sourced gear.
- Unlimited gear item creation
- Pack weight and calorie tracking
- Trip planning with weather forecasts
- Community pre-made gear items
- Imperial or metric unit support
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Pack smarter. Hike lighter. Hunt harder. PackApp USA is the pack-planning tool built for backpackers and backcountry hunters. Build your loadout, see exactly where the weight lives, and walk into the field knowing your pack, your route, and your conditions. BUILD YOUR PACK • Create packs for any trip — day hikes to week-plus expeditions • Assign gear to real pack zones (top lid, main, exterior, worn) and see weight by zone • Weight heat map shows where your load actually sits • Calorie totals and calorie-per-ounce density for every food item • Consumable tracking — watch pack weight drop as you eat through it • Pack weight vs. body weight ratio with recommended load targets • Imperial or metric — your choice START FROM A REAL TEMPLATE Eleven ready-built packs with honest weights: Day Hike Essentials, Weekend Overnighter, 5-Day Backcountry, Week-Plus Expedition, September Archery Elk, Late-Season Rifle, Upland Bird, Waterfowl Morning, Winter Overnight, Backcountry Fishing, and Truck & Base Camp. Download one, swap in your gear, go. COMMUNITY GEAR DATABASE 1,200+ real items across 12 categories — shelters, optics, archery, dog gear, provisions and more — with verified weights and calories. Add gear to your pack in two taps instead of typing it in. PLAN THE TRIP, NOT JUST THE PACK • Trips with waypoints, dates, and travel method • Task lists so nothing gets left in the truck • Share a trip overview so someone knows where you're headed WEATHER FOR WHERE YOU'RE ACTUALLY GOING • Current conditions, 10-day forecast, sunrise/sunset, and severe weather alerts for your trip location — free • Air quality from Open-Meteo • PACKAPP PREMIUM adds the intelligence layer: Sky Score (a 0–100 conditions rating built from precip, wind, thunder, smoke, and fire danger), live SNOTEL snowpack depth from the nearest USDA station, and NIFC wildfire proximity within 100 miles SHARE THE LOAD Share packs with your hunting party. Owners control the roster, editors manage items, viewers stay read-only. Everyone sees the same list — no more group-text gear spreadsheets. PackApp Premium is an optional auto-renewing subscription. Free users get full pack building, 3 packs, trips, and core weather. Premium unlocks unlimited packs, the community database, Sky Score, SNOTEL, and wildfire tracking. Built in Idaho by people who pack out what they pack in. Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/
Backpacking List
This app helps organize outdoor adventure gear with smart checklists and reminders. It allows cataloging items, tracking food and supplies, and calculating pack weight. Share or export your lists for any trip.
- Essential gear warnings
- Customizable packing reminders
- Detailed gear cataloging
- Food and supply tracking
- Automatic weight calculation
- Shareable and exportable lists
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THE ULTIMATE BACKPACKING COMPANION. PACK SMART. ADVENTURE CONFIDENTLY. Simplify your outdoor adventures with the most intuitive gear management app ever created. Whether you’re preparing for a quick day hike, planning a weekend camping trip, or organizing your ultralight backpacking setup, The Backpacking List keeps your gear organized, your pack optimized, and your mind at ease. ESSENTIAL GEAR CHECK • Get warnings if critical items like fuel, lighting, spoon, first-aid kits, or something as big as a sleeping bag are missing in your pack list. • Custom warnings you set for any personal items you absolutely can not forget. Ex: Glasses/Contacts, mouthguard, braces, etc • Ideal for thru-hikes, remote treks, or just keeping your minimalist pack list dialed. PACKING REMINDERS • Schedule packing notifications so you don’t forget gear before hitting the trail. • Schedule charging notifications within 24 hours of the trip so you don't leave with a dead headlamp or GPS. • Perfect for trip prep, itinerary check-ins, or final camping checklist reviews. EFFORTLESS GEAR MANAGEMENT • Catalog gear with brand, model, weight, price, notes, and custom details • Instantly search or filter by type, weight, brand, color, or category • Track backpacker meals and general food availability and consumption with best‑by dates and color‑coded labels (fresh, best‑by soon, expired)—perfect for resupply & meal planning • Add bear spray expiration dates and get color coded labels when it's near expiration or expired • Drag-and-drop sorting, swipe-to-delete, and quick inline editing • Built for backpackers, day hikers, weekend campers, and ultralight minimalists SMART, DYNAMIC PACKING LISTS • Build unlimited hiking and camping checklists with trail info, elevation, mileage, and custom trip notes • Monitor your progress with checkmarks and completion bars • Automatically calculate base weight, food, water, pack total, worn weight and complete totals • Track multiple systems like backpack, daypack, or secondary chest pack • Visual breakdowns help dial your loadout efficiency • Built-in brand library includes popular gear manufacturers like Arcteryx, Patagonia, Nemo Equipment, MSR and many more... • Ideal for everything from a 3-season hike to a winter expedition SHARE OR PRINT YOUR PACK LIST • Export your checklist as a clean PNG — great for sharing with friends or printing out to manually check gear items off your list. • Ideal for group trips, trail meetups, or custom route planning. BACKUP, EXPORT & CUSTOMIZATION • Export full lists and gear data via CSV or JSON • Dark mode, light mode, and system themes • Metric & imperial support built-in TRUST • No Ads • No user tracking UNLOCK PREMIUM FEATURES: Try all premium features free for 2 weeks with the annual subscription. + Monthly, annual, or lifetime membership + Cancel anytime before trial ends to avoid charges Note: After the 2 week free trial, your annual subscription plan will automatically begin unless canceled through your App Store account settings. TERMS OF USE (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ CONNECT WITH The Backpacking List: Checklist Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/thebackpackinglist From overnight trips to far out remote backcountry expeditions, The Backpacking List App helps you gear up faster, smarter, and packlighter. Your outdoor adventure travel prep has never been easier! • Packing gear list? Covered. • Camping gear checklist? Easy. • Ultralight backpacking setup? Streamlined. Download now and elevate your outdoor adventure experience!
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: PackApp USA at 5.0 against Backpacking List's 4.6. Backpacking List's advantage is update cadence (every 9 days vs every 3 weeks) and ratings volume (34 vs 6). On price, review sentiment, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.
Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS
Both are free to download. PackApp USA sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per month and Backpacking List sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
PackApp USA holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.6. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Backpacking List has 34 ratings behind it against 6, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews split almost evenly too, at 100% and 100% positive.
PackApp USA ships an update every 3 weeks, Backpacking List every 9 days. The most recent releases landed on July 23, 2026 and September 6, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | PackApp USA | Backpacking List |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 5.0 (6 ratings) — better | 4.6 (34 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 100.0% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 6 | 34 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks | Every 9 days — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Freemium | Freemium |
| Devices | iPhone | iPhone |
| Requires iOS | 18.0 | 17.6 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 41 MB | 9 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Nicholas Dumke | Daniel Lubbers |
Customer experience
PackApp USA
Backpacking List
In-app purchases
PackApp USA
- Monthly Subscription$0.991 Month
- Yearly Subscription$9.991 Year
Backpacking List
- Monthly Premium$3.991 Month
- Yearly Premium14 Days trial$14.991 Year
- Lifetime Access$49.99
Questions
Is PackApp USA free?
Is Backpacking List free?
Which has better reviews, PackApp USA or Backpacking List?
Do PackApp USA or Backpacking List have ads?
Which is updated more often, PackApp USA or Backpacking List?
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