Can you walk long distances with a heavy pack?

One more thing, just to burst your bubble.

The test for Smokejumpers to qualify as a firefighter require them to load a pack with 110 lbs and hike 3 miles in 45 minutes over varied terrain.

The millitary does very similar excercies.
 
Hudson said:
Just had shoulder surgery and it didn't heal well. Biggest downside is I think it limits me on weight for a pack. Sucks. I might be able to work through it but we will see.
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you will you'll have nerve damage from the surgery and all your nerves got to regrow reconnect and then you got to read top in your body desensitize it is what the physical therapist and call it you'll get tough again.
 
I'm a recreational camper, but do quite a bit of camping deep.. I have a pretty large pack (80+ L) too, mostly because I don't like to pack carefully, just chuck my shit in and go.. Having an external frame makes a HUGE difference for me especially the closer I get to being fifty, but then again I'm not jumping on and off trains all day either. I can go a good way, but I think externals are good for people like me, not so much for active travelers, as they're bulky and I've read here they're extremely dangerous for train hopping.
 
Coywolf said:
try using a lightweight pair of trekking poles. They make a WORLD of difference.
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Several years ago, I did the Maunawili Trail / Waimanalo trail in Hawaii.. About a nine mile trip, but it'd been storming, and was coated in thick mud so slippery it was like walking on jagged ice and portions were totally washed-out, super narrow, and dangerous- debris everywhere...

I shredded my ankles within three hours, and it ended up taking me 8-9 hours- I'd be a skeleton out in the woods if I didn't have a trekking pole that day One of the hardest hikes I've ever taken. I should have turned back after the first section, but I'm a dumbass that thought I was a tough guy.

Didn't walk right the rest of the trip.
 
Ok, Coywolf, relax. I know the weight rating on anything is a conservative estimate of what it can hold. I'm sorry to have offended you. I've done plenty of long distance hiking and I know exactly how big various sized bags are. The original poster was asking for advice about how much gear can be carried long distances and I thought over 40 lbs is a bad recommendation, and that you maybe overestimated the weight of your load, but whatever. Carry as much stuff as you like. I'm gonna drop this thread now.
 
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I just dont like to be labeled as a liar. So, please reconsider next time you tell someone there is 'no way' what they said is true.

Either way. My recommendation is that you never carry any more than 1/3 of your body weight. That is the reccommended weight limit to not injure yourself.
 
Coywolf said:
I just dont like to be labeled as a liar. So, please reconsider next time you tell someone there is 'no way' what they said is true.

Either way. My recommendation is that you never carry any more than 1/3 of your body weight. That is the reccommended weight limit to not injure yourself.
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To be clear, I didn't mean to imply you were lying, only that you misjudged weight.
 
Got it. Not admitting that you may have been mistaken, but reaffirming the fact that you may have been right.

Let's agree to disagree on this particular issue.

Back to the topic. After my said first endeavor with hitchhiking, I have learned that if your body says 'no' to the weight you have loaded into your pack, there really isint ang 'getting used to it' it is probably going to suck for a long time, unless you can build the muscle mass and endurance to deal with it.

Lighter packs are always reccommended.

When I was researching trying to hop trains, I ended up being without my vehicle (mechanical problems) out of Roswell, NM. I had to determine everything I was going to need to start a new job in less than 2 weeks, 400 miles away in Moab, UT.

I proceeded to category clothes, house items, personal items, and the like to have to hitch that distance and leave my vehicle at the shop until I could come back for it.

I ended up with a 50+ pound pack, and an Irish Bouzouki in a hard carrying case. I ended up getting from Roswell, to Belen, NM. I knew there was a major yard there that I might be able to get a train to Flagstaff, to get to my family's house and then hitch north from there to moab.

After trying to fit all my shit into a mini well, I soon gave up, realizing that I had way too much gear to fit into a train (I thought) without being seen. So I gave up, lol.

Now i know that my chosen gear can fit the lifestyle i need. Experience in the best teacher.
 
You can do anything you wanna do my love!!! 💚💚💚 Getting an ultra light hiking pack, down sleeping bag and small one person tent is key. I typically like my “base weight” no more than 20 pounds, then add clothes, hygiene stuff, dog food, my own food, water, art supplies....45 pounds can be a bit much for me at first but youll gain muscle and you’ll get stronger and it’ll become easier! Totally worth it! Good posture and stretching also helps!!
 
Stiv Rhodes said:
Coywolf, there's no way you were hitching around with 80 lbs on your back. My REI 85L hiking pack is only rated for 40 lbs. I've put 52 lbs exactly (6.5 gallons) in it when I was hauling water for my squat and my shoulders were killing me after a couple blocks. My bag also has a great strap and padding arrangement. It doesn't matter how strong you are or how you condition yourself, the shoulder straps chafe and bruise your skin if you carry that kind of weight for much time. For reference, a gallon of water weighs 8 lbs. 2 gal water-16 lbs, 12 pack of 12 oz cans of beer-8 lbs, half gallon of vodka-4 lbs, that's 28 lbs of liquid. Idk how much food and clothing you had but my 85L pack weighs about 40 lbs when completely filled with just cloths and a person eats about 3 lbs of food per day. But you're right about one thing, those Alice packs are shit.
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Not true , I have a 90 ltr and a small 35ltron my chest and lived out of both for quite a while .
Reason I carried so much and both was mainly winter gear and Carhartt ect.
I was going through temps of 120° in Las Vegas to - 34° in Western Montana .
Cought a greyhound and of course they weigh everything and I was sitting just under 100lbs , and I've walked miles and miles with them , and yeas hopped ect.
For me the trick is loading your pack properly so nothing is poking you or rides uncomfortable or isn't swinging or shifting , the pack on my chest actually worked as a good counter Ballance and was mainly important day to day stuff or stuff I wanted to get to without dropping everything and digging .
After you get everything to ride right and adjusted to comfort (as much as your gonna get with that weight) the next most important thing is foot wear.
I started with brand new docs that were broke in , but ditched them in favor of after market airforce boots I dug out of a salvation army donation box , the docs had zero arch support and I could literally feel my arches flattening out and it was very painful , the military boots are goretex have a good insole and nice ankle support , as you don't want to roll or possibly break ankle .
And yes you can do alot with trekking poles , I never really used them as trekking poles but as poles to stretch out a tarp or tent fly with as a make shift pup tent type shelter .
I carried alot of water , two bladders , 3-4 metal water bottles at a time .
It's important to stay hydrated because you are going to sweat alot , and not just when it is hot.
Most of the time even in winter as I was walking I got by with just a hoodie because of the heat I generally generated from walking with two packs and one on my chest , you don't want to over heat or sweat so much as to be wet in the cold , and if you do change your shirt immediately when you stop and then put on your coat or else you risk freezing or hypothermia.
It is much easier to dry a hoodie and shirt then to go without your coat because it is wet.
 
Fully loaded and waiting to head south
 

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Romanriff said:
I usually have no problem walking long distances, in fact I kinda like the satisfaction I get from walking town to town. I got a new pack that holds a lot more stuff but I don't know if i'll be able to walk long distances lugging it around. I don't know how much it weighs but the pack is almost full and is about 70L.
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I have been struggling with this issue for YEARS. I love walking, hiking, camping but hate backpacking. Tried like crazy to reduce carry to 8 - 10 pounds but failed, compromised at 12 lbs, now i say fuck it and stay at 15 pounds. Anything more is no fun, and fun is the whole point. I'm an older man. My pack now is the SOG Ord 40l pack got on sale for 49 bucks at Big 5. Not light at a little over 3 lbs empty but it seems durable without a still frame to damage. I don't carry too much: 10x10 camo tarp, army gore tex bivy, Lamina Spark sleeping bag, camo fleece throw, wooby blanket, bathing suit, rain poncho. That's about it, few extra socks, etc, but never clothes.
 

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Im used to carrying a lot when I go on walks, but I dont exactly like it.. for really long distances Id like to have a small load of absolute essentials, [high quality, reusable, and multi-function] for my back.
It does help that I know some massage techniques that can help sort out my back muscles when I need to.
 
At one point in my life I could easily walk far with lot of weight . But now no I keep bit light as possible .
 
I have been struggling with this issue for a long time. I read there are pct hikers who carry up to 70 pounds, but i sm not capable of carrying anything over 20 pounds max. I tramped 15 miles yesterday with a full 15 pound pack, and this is near my limit. I like to stay in shape, so i carry all my gear on all walks, this also helps me stay used to the gear and where it is. I am carrying bare minimum. I use my bike and trailer when i need to luxury of a few extra things i can carry in a small bike trailer. I strongly prefer walking.
 
ayy same OP my solution was to get a bike with a motor on it, then i couldnt afford the motor oil and gas all the time so just the bike but then i didnt understand bike maintennance, so now i have a hand wagon lol. carries for real everything i need. i havent started my journey yet but i have high hopes it will do me wellView attachment 56613
 

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I've always wanted to do some kind of cross country walking trip pushing one of those fancy jogging strollers loaded with gear.
 
Johny said:
Not true , I have a 90 ltr and a small 35ltron my chest and lived out of both for quite a while .
Reason I carried so much and both was mainly winter gear and Carhartt ect.
I was going through temps of 120° in Las Vegas to - 34° in Western Montana .
Cought a greyhound and of course they weigh everything and I was sitting just under 100lbs , and I've walked miles and miles with them , and yeas hopped ect.
For me the trick is loading your pack properly so nothing is poking you or rides uncomfortable or isn't swinging or shifting , the pack on my chest actually worked as a good counter Ballance and was mainly important day to day stuff or stuff I wanted to get to without dropping everything and digging .
After you get everything to ride right and adjusted to comfort (as much as your gonna get with that weight) the next most important thing is foot wear.
I started with brand new docs that were broke in , but ditched them in favor of after market airforce boots I dug out of a salvation army donation box , the docs had zero arch support and I could literally feel my arches flattening out and it was very painful , the military boots are goretex have a good insole and nice ankle support , as you don't want to roll or possibly break ankle .
And yes you can do alot with trekking poles , I never really used them as trekking poles but as poles to stretch out a tarp or tent fly with as a make shift pup tent type shelter .
I carried alot of water , two bladders , 3-4 metal water bottles at a time .
It's important to stay hydrated because you are going to sweat alot , and not just when it is hot.
Most of the time even in winter as I was walking I got by with just a hoodie because of the heat I generally generated from walking with two packs and one on my chest , you don't want to over heat or sweat so much as to be wet in the cold , and if you do change your shirt immediately when you stop and then put on your coat or else you risk freezing or hypothermia.
It is much easier to dry a hoodie and shirt then to go without your coat because it is wet.
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Perfect explanation. I always tell myself I'm carrying way too much shit, then continue to prove myself wrong.

Riding over mountain passes in the winter, and then going to the desert a week later requires lots of different gear.
 
Coywolf said:
Perfect explanation. I always tell myself I'm carrying way too much shit, then continue to prove myself wrong.

Riding over mountain passes in the winter, and then going to the desert a week later requires lots of different gear.
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You guys are more man than I ever will be - or ever was. Shoestring says that his pack’s from 65-75lbs. He’s been toting huge amount of gear/weight for a long time, plus that stuffed 5 gallon bucket of road-food, plus water.
 
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