Clever Pack Builder vs LighterPack (and other gear list tools)
Last checked: October 15, 2026. Features and prices change, so check each tool’s site before you commit.
LighterPack is a long-running free gear list tool, and there are now several other options, including our own Clever Pack Builder. This page lays out what each tool does, based on each tool’s own website, app store listing or published code, so you can pick the one that fits how you plan. We made Clever Pack Builder, so we’ve stuck to published features and prices, and we’re upfront about our own tool’s limits.
PackWizard was co-created by Justin Outdoors (featured on our YouTubers page) and developer Thomas.
Quick guide
-
- Free and web-based: LighterPack.
-
- Gear research with a large database and daily prices: PackWizard.
-
- Phone apps, kits and trip planning: Packstack or Gearli (both have paid plans for some features).
-
- A quick, no-account base weight check with shakedown tips: our Clever Pack Builder.
First, the base weight basics
Every tool here splits your list in a similar way:
-
- Base weight: everything in your pack that isn’t worn or consumable (shelter, sleep system, pack, cook kit, and so on).
-
- Consumables: food, water and fuel, which get lighter as you go. (Our Clever Pack Builder labels this category “Consumables (Food/Water)”.)
-
- Worn weight: what you hike in.
-
- Total pack weight: base plus consumables. Skin-out weight adds worn gear back in.
The formula is simple: base weight = everything you carry − worn items − consumables. Our Ultralight Base Weight Guide goes deeper. Definitions vary a little between tools; for example, Packstack counts trekking poles as worn. Check how a tool defines things before comparing numbers across tools.
Comparison table
| Clever Pack Builder | LighterPack | PackWizard | Packstack | Gearli | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Platform | Web | Web | Web | Web, iOS, Android | Web, iOS, Android |
| Account | None (list stays in your browser) | Can try without an account; register to save lists | Can try without an account; account to save | Account to save; shared links open without one | Free signup |
| Price | Free (donations welcome); paid membership with more features coming soon | Free (donations welcome); open source (GPL-2.0) | Free; supported by retailer links | Free tier (closet, 3 lists, 1 kit); Pro monthly/annual via packstack.io, lifetime on iOS | Free signup; iOS plans $4.99/mo to $49.99/yr (US) |
| Base / worn / consumable | Yes, plus skin-out | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Category breakdown | Yes, % of base weight | Yes, pie chart | Yes, donut or treemap chart | Yes | Yes (“gear distribution analysis”) |
| Gear database | Built-in catalog of about 430 items | Personal gear library | 10,000+ items, daily prices | Product database for auto-fill weights | “Thousands” of preloaded items |
| LighterPack import | CSV | n/a | Paste a LighterPack link | CSV | LighterPack, PackLight, Sheets, Excel, CSV |
| Export | LighterPack-format CSV, PDF, print, forum summary | CSV (also imports CSV) | Printable checklist | Share link and checklist mode | Printable list |
| Share link | Yes; short links valid 1 year from creation | Yes | Yes, with view counts and a public pack browser | Yes, read-only | Yes, URL and email invites |
| Suggestions | Clever Shakedown and Clever Swaps | Not a listed feature | Lighter-gear suggestions | AI assistant via MCP (edits need Pro) | AI import/categorization and receipt scanning |
| Trip / food planning | No (our separate Clever Trail Fuel Planner and Clever Water Trip Planner) | Not a listed feature | Not a listed feature | Yes (calories and water are Pro) | Yes (trips) |
| Sync across devices | No | Yes, via account | Yes, via account | Yes | Yes |
Clever Pack Builder (ours)
Clever Pack Builder is a free tool on this site. You add items (or pick them from a built-in catalog of about 430 items), tick what’s worn or consumable, and it keeps five totals in step: base, consumables, worn, total pack and skin-out weight. It shows a base-weight band (super ultralight under 5 lbs, ultralight 5 to under 10 lbs, lightweight 10–20 lbs, traditional above 20 lbs) and a category breakdown. Clever Shakedown reads your season, trip length and expected low and flags possible savings, duplicates and gaps.
What it does well
-
- Free, with no account or sign-up.
-
- Clear base / worn / consumable / skin-out split.
-
- Built-in shakedown tips that also check for gaps based on your season and expected low.
-
- Imports a LighterPack CSV and exports one back. Also exports a PDF, a printable checklist and a forum summary.
-
- Ounces or grams toggle.
Its limits
-
- No sync. Your list lives in one browser on one device. Clear your browser data or switch devices and it’s gone, unless you exported a CSV or made a share link.
-
- Short share links last one year. They stay valid for one year from when you create them (opening a link doesn’t extend that), so keep a CSV export as a backup.
-
- One working list at a time, plus a gear closet of saved items. No library of separate trip lists.
-
- Fixed categories (eight of them), no custom ones.
-
- No native app, no price tracking, no trip planning, and no public directory of other people’s packs.
LighterPack
LighterPack, made by Galen Maly, is a free web app for entering packing lists, visualizing pack weight and sharing lists. You can try it without an account and register to save your lists. It’s open source under GPL-2.0 (GitHub) and accepts donations. Its privacy policy says it runs no ads, analytics or tracking cookies.
Key features: base, worn and consumable weight; a pie chart by category; a personal gear library; share links; CSV import and export.
What it does well: LighterPack is free and open source, and you can try it without an account. Its privacy policy says it runs no ads, analytics or tracking cookies.
Worth knowing: LighterPack is web only, has no shared gear database (you enter weights yourself or reuse your own library), and you register to save lists.
Compared with Clever Pack Builder: both are free web tools with a base/worn/consumable split, CSV import and export, and share links. LighterPack saves lists to an account, so they follow you across devices and you can keep several lists. Clever Pack Builder needs no account and adds shakedown tips and a small gear catalog, but keeps one list in one browser.
PackWizard
PackWizard combines a gear list builder with gear research. Its homepage describes it as “100% free”, with 10,000+ pieces of gear and daily price updates, and you can try it without an account. It’s supported by links to retailers.
Key features: gear database with autofill and specs; daily prices and deals; base, worn and consumable weight; donut and treemap charts; lighter-gear suggestions; share links with view counts; a public pack browser; import from a LighterPack link; a printable checklist.
What it does well: PackWizard pairs list building with a gear database its homepage puts at 10,000+ items, with daily price updates, and it describes itself as “100% free.”
Worth knowing: PackWizard is web only, with no native app; saving lists needs an account; and the site is supported by retailer links.
Compared with Clever Pack Builder: both are free web tools with weight suggestions. PackWizard adds a much larger gear database with live prices, accounts for saving lists, and a community pack browser. Clever Pack Builder works without an account and gives season- and temperature-based shakedown checks, but has no price data.
Packstack
Packstack is a web app with iOS and Android apps that sync. Its free tier covers your gear closet, three gear lists and your first kit. Pro adds unlimited lists and kits, multiple packs per trip, calorie and water planning, and editing through AI assistants. Monthly and annual Pro plans are sold through packstack.io; the iOS app sells a Pro Lifetime option ($9.99, $14.99 or $19.99 listed on the App Store). It’s open source under the MIT license (GitHub).
Key features: base, worn and consumable weight; category chart; metric or imperial; LighterPack CSV import; kits; gear lifecycle; checklist mode; read-only share links that open without an account.
What it does well: Packstack syncs your gear closet and lists between the web and its iOS and Android apps, and adds kits, a checklist mode and gear lifecycle tracking.
Worth knowing: the free tier is limited to three gear lists and one kit; calorie and water planning, multiple packs per trip and AI edits need Pro; and saving needs an account.
Compared with Clever Pack Builder: Packstack adds phone apps, sync, multiple lists, kits and (with Pro) trip calorie and water planning. Clever Pack Builder is free with no account and no list limit to unlock, but keeps one list in one browser and has no app.
Gearli
Gearli is a gear-management app with web, iOS and Android versions that sync and, per its site, work online or offline. Signup is free; Gearli doesn’t publish free-tier limits on its website. On the App Store, paid plans are Explorer at $4.99/month or $39.99/year and Long Range at $6.99/month or $49.99/year (US).
Key features: gear inventory with reusable “gear bags”; trip packing lists; base, worn and consumable weight (worn added in app v1.3.3, consumables in v1.4.9); analytics; imports from LighterPack, PackLight, Google Sheets, Excel, CSV and copy-paste; AI categorization and receipt scanning; custom categories; wish lists; printable lists.
What it does well: Gearli imports from LighterPack, PackLight, Google Sheets, Excel, CSV and copy-paste, and organizes gear into reusable “gear bags” for building trip packing lists.
Worth knowing: signup is free, some features are paid, and free-tier limits aren’t published.
Compared with Clever Pack Builder: Gearli is built for managing a whole gear collection across many trips, with apps, sync and analytics. Clever Pack Builder focuses on a single list and a quick base weight and shakedown check, free and without an account.
Moving your list from LighterPack
You don’t have to retype anything. Use LighterPack’s CSV export to save your list as a file. In our Clever Pack Builder, open LighterPack Import / Export and use Import CSV Data or Upload CSV File. The importer reads weights in ounces, pounds, grams or kilograms. Download LighterPack CSV sends your list back the other way, which is also a good backup. Packstack and Gearli import CSV files too, and PackWizard takes a LighterPack share link.
Which should you pick?
It depends on how you plan. LighterPack is a free, simple web tool. PackWizard pairs lists with gear research and prices. Packstack and Gearli suit people who want phone apps, multiple lists and trip planning. Our Clever Pack Builder is the quick, no-account option with shakedown tips built in, with the trade-off that it doesn’t sync or keep a library of trips.
You can open the Clever Pack Builder and load a list in a minute, and export it again if it’s not for you. It’s free; if you find it useful, a donation helps keep the site running and funds future feature updates.