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A Hunting Loadout vs a Gear Spreadsheet
By Austin Christensen · Updated October 23, 2026
A spreadsheet is an honest way to total a pack. LighterPack is the backpacking version of that idea. A hunting loadout is the same list, plus the parts a generic sheet never grew: a kill kit, a weapon, and other people's elk hunts.
Backcountry Hunter is a gear loadout app for hunters. It is not affiliated with Petersen's Backcountry Hunter magazine or with Backcountry Hunters & Anglers (BHA).
What a sheet already does
A spreadsheet can hold a name, a category, a quantity, and a weight, then sum the column. That is a real gear list. It does not give you a hunting gear catalog, weapon builds, or public elk loadouts.
On October 23, 2026, lighterpack.com said LighterPack helps you track the gear you bring on adventures: enter packing lists, visualize pack weights, and share lists. The homepage offers an account or a try-it-without-an-account path.
People run hunting lists in both. Nothing here says a sheet cannot add a row called "game bags." The gap is everything around the column of numbers.
| Topic | Backcountry Hunter | Spreadsheet or LighterPack |
|---|---|---|
| Total the weight | Per item, with worn, consumable, and left-at-camp flags on a loadout. | A sum column, or LighterPack's pack-weight view. |
| Hunting context | Species pages, including elk, and guides for the archery and rifle kits. | A generic list. LighterPack's homepage describes adventures, not an elk catalog. |
| Weapon | A rifle, bow, or sidearm build with accessory slots. | Another row, unless you build that structure yourself. |
| Other hunters' kits | Public loadouts on Discover. | A file someone sent you, or a LighterPack link they published. |
| No account | The pack calculator and the gear catalog. | A local spreadsheet. LighterPack's homepage also offers a no-account try. |
Stay in the sheet when
- The list is private and you already trust the formulas.
- You are counting ounces on a backpacking trip and LighterPack's shared link is the whole job.
- You do not need a weapon build, a kill-kit group, or a public elk page.
Move the list when
The hunt has a weapon, a meat haul, and a partner who should see the same items you do. Build it as a loadout, mark food and water consumable, and keep the rifle or bow in a weapon build so the pack number stays readable. Start from the elk gear list if the tab is blank. The pack calculator is the no-account step if you are not ready to save anything.
Common questions
- Is a spreadsheet enough for a hunting gear list?
- Yes, for a list only you will read. A sheet with a name, a category, a quantity, and a weight can total a pack. It gets clumsy when you want a weapon build, a public elk list, or a link that is not a file attachment.
- What is LighterPack?
- LighterPack, at lighterpack.com, is a web tool for tracking the gear you bring on adventures. Its homepage says you enter packing lists, visualize pack weights, and share lists, with an account or without one. The homepage does not describe elk weapon builds or a hunting gear catalog.
- Can I move a spreadsheet list into Backcountry Hunter?
- There is no spreadsheet import on this page to promise. You add items from the gear catalog or as custom items in a loadout. The pack calculator is there if you only want a total and no account.
- Does a shared spreadsheet replace public elk loadouts?
- A sheet you email is a list of your gear. Public elk loadouts are other hunters' lists, open on the elk page in Discover. They answer a different question: what did someone else carry.