Backpacking List vs Pack My Backpack
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
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!
Pack My Backpack
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Pack My Bag is a simple app for hikers: enter your gear once, then quickly build a kit for any trip and see its exact weight. No more guessing what to pack or weighing your backpack by eye — the app calculates the weight automatically and reminds you about the small but important things before you leave. What the app does Base gear Keep a list of all your gear: name, category, weight, quantity, note. Categories include backpacks, sleep, camp, clothing, kitchen, electronics, tools, first aid, hygiene, documents, and more. Search and category filters included. Trips Create trips (Karelia, bikepacking, the Caucasus — anything) and build a gear kit for each one from your base list. Trip-only consumables Add temporary items needed only for this trip, without cluttering your base gear: water, food, a gas canister, insect repellent — whatever you need. Total weight The app instantly shows the weight of your base gear, consumables, total weight, and item count — the whole picture at a glance. Checklist before you leave Check off what's already packed — tent, sleeping bag, first aid kit, and everything else. Packing progress is visible right away. Offline Knowledge Base Download a hiking reference guide once (knots for now, more topics coming) and use it with no internet connection anywhere on the trail. Update it manually with one tap whenever you're back online. Why it's handy Enter your gear once, use it for as many trips as you want Don't carry extra weight and don't forget what matters Know your pack's exact weight before you leave home A simple, clear interface with no clutter or unnecessary settings The app works fully offline: your data stays on your device. Internet is only used once, when you manually download or update the knowledge base — everything else (gear, trips, checklist) works without it.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Pack My Backpack at none against Backpacking List's 3. Pack My Backpack also leads on device support (3 vs 1) and iOS requirement (15.1 vs 17.6). On price, update cadence and ads 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. Backpacking List sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month. Pack My Backpack asks for nothing beyond the download.
Backpacking List ships an update every 9 days, Pack My Backpack every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 8, 2026 and October 10, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Backpacking List | Pack My Backpack |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.6 (34 ratings) — better | — |
| Positive reviews | 100.0% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 34 — better | — |
| Update frequency | Every 9 days — better | Every 2 weeks |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Freemium | — |
| Devices | iPhone | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better |
| Requires iOS | 17.6 | 15.1 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 9 MB | 28 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Daniel Lubbers | Igor Pakholkov |
In-app purchases
Backpacking List
- Monthly Premium$3.991 Month
- Yearly Premium14 Days trial$14.991 Year
- Lifetime Access$49.99
Pack My Backpack
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Backpacking List free?
Is Pack My Backpack free?
Do Backpacking List or Pack My Backpack have ads?
Which is updated more often, Backpacking List or Pack My Backpack?
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