How to get stronger to carry bag?

[BusGypsy]

Thanks to everyone's advice, a lot of helpful stuff there. Oddly enough as of yesterday my back pain stopped, rather suddenly.... so that's good.
Luckily I only carry my bag to and from work.
I'm a rubbertramp, so I'm not carrying my home with me. However I do consider myself a prepper; up here we're due any minute now for a massive earthquake (just look up Cascadian Subduction zone) and I work in the heart of downtown. So my pack is based on what I think I'll need during an earthquake, primarily, although it does carry a bunch of stuff for other situations, such as SHTF societal collapse kind of stuff.
I sort of accidentally became a prepper over the last 5+ years; first it was a messenger bag and friends pointed out I carried useful stuff. Then I got my first P38 at a food bank and I think it helped turn my brain towards the idea of being "prepared". Then some fire maker here, some water purifying here, some REI shopping here... and over the years my EDC has evolved into what is now I very cool school type backpack, pretty ergonomically packed, everything very tight. The water and food I carry can make a difference in weight.
and I should get back into yoga!

 

[BusGypsy]

I dont think you have quite mastered the traveler nomenclature yet @Jackthereaper !! You may want to relearn the different nuances between greenhorn, homebum, tramp,rubber tramp, traveler, traveller, hitchhiker, hobo, oogle, anarchist, hippy, punk, traincore, rainbow & housie, houseless before using one incorrectly again. There once was a thread that explained the historical differences but I don't know where it went.

The act of homebumming is not something housies do, nor is it the same as being housed up. I think homebum is one of those words that can have a negative connotation if another describes someone as such. Its like I could be a homebum & or bumming it while homeless & not traveling but its kinda uncool for someone to call me a homebum or refer to me as a homebum. Most homebums never ever travel or have ever traveled. Many homebums suffer from mental illness & substance abuse, a few homebums once were/are travelers & may have circumstances that prohibit their traveling. Sometimes they share the same ailments as genuine homebums but often this is a temporary station in life. Sometimes people get daily habits & can no longer travel or have to stay stationary for some reason but may also not be housed up. Usually homebums dont dream big or plan excursions. Many greenhorns live in a house but are planning to travel, some are also young teens. I personally have & do live in an apt so housed up as a housie, I once was a greenhorn; I have been homeless & houseless, am also a hobo/hitchhiker/traveler all though not currently traveling full time and I also have Traveller (2 L's) ancestors. I have rubber tramped around as a passenger but not as a driver. I have attended Rainbow gathering but not a rainbow kid or a hippy. I identify as a punk but less & less do I look like a punk in my middle age years, as there is no official uniform .

The majority of us who are housies live in relative comfort & security while not ever being homeless or homebums.. Most homebums might never consider traveling or being housed but still might take offense to being called a bum. Any of these terms can be derogatory, especially if spoken from the opinion of an outsider who is confused. Someone who has never been homeless might not want to ever use that term. For the record homebums definitely do not play ice hockey or participate in organized sport & usually do not have doctors or health insurance. They do not consider how much a pack weighs as they have probably never owned a pack & or shouldered one. Perhaps housebum could be interchanged for housie but again if it spoken about me instead of by me or another like me it can be derogatory.

There should be a glossary! I'm especially curious about the different spellings of "traveller".

 

[Deleted member 20]

Yeah so I forgot about the nuances of tramp as a rubbertramp lives in a vehicle. A leathertramp walks. The others should be self explanatory but a Traveller with 2 ls is an Irish ethnic minority of traveling gypsys that exist in the EU and US. A Traveler could actually identify any traveling folk as well except bum or homebum.

 

[Anagor]

but a Traveller with 2 ls is an Irish ethnic minority of traveling gypsys that exist in the EU and US. A Traveler could actually identify any traveling folk as well except bum or homebum.

Well, IMHO first of all the differences come from the fact that traveller (British English) == traveler (American English) == "A person who is travelling or who often travels" [1] (for whatever reason).

Indeed the source also lists (marked as British):

• A Gypsy or other nomadic person.
• A person who holds New Age values and leads an itinerant and unconventional lifestyle.

English Travellers:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/English_Travellers

Especially New Age Travellers:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Age_travellers

[1] https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/traveller

I sometimes write traveling and sometimes travelling, lol. Should write AE version here I guess.

 

[Deleted member 20]

@Anagor That new age traveller definition is interesting and accurate all though I had never read that before. In the US few unintentionally spell with 2 L's unless they know either of these nuances or suck at spelling.

 

[BusGypsy]

I guess I identify as: A gypsy pirate rubbertramp deadhead stoner prepper.

 

[Anagor]

Well, I think people tend to categorize people in some way, but I'm wondering if that makes so much sense. I mean, if I would categorize myself depending what I did since 2014 it would be four or five categories, sometimes overlapping. I tend to categorize myself just as ... me.

 

[RobHASboots]

My EDC is about 15-20 lbs; I'm 130 lbs. and it sometimes leaves my lower back sore. I've gone through my bag and can't think of anything that I wouldn't need. Any tips? Maybe work outs to get a stronger back?

Unfortunately, the only way to get used to a heavy pack is to... just get used to it.
People that train for long distance thru-hikes (like the Appalachian Trail) might load their packs with books, or water containers, to get used to carrying 50-60 lbs. of weight on the back.
Never underestimate our ability, as humans, to adapt to conditions. Adaptation, even to adverse conditions, is our greatest strength as a species.
Psychologically, it can take up to a month for the human mind to adapt to new conditions/settings/lifestyle (depending on the person).
FORGE ON, COMRADE!

 

[Hobo richard]

I have been struggling with this issue for years. I am 69 years old, and don't have the strength to carry a heavy load. I have bicycled extensively, cross north America, numerous double century rides, but now i am too old for all that. I prefer a backpack that weighs no more than ten pounds. I realize that is very light and not efficient.
Recently I have looked into and experimented with shopping trolleys like elderly women pull around, mostly in Europe. Not sure if this would work for me, I bought 2 Chinese trolleys to test the concept. One was complete garbage, the other seemed to work. I loaded it up and dragged it around for miles. Takes some getting used to, but it holds all my gear.
Seeing that this might work for me, and not trusting the Chinese to make a decent long-lasting product, I ordered a German made trolley by Andeson: Andersen Royal Shopping trolley Hydro 2.0 - https://maeshillscollection.com/andersen-royal-shopping-trolley-hydro-2-0.html. This one is great and high quality. Took some doing to find this company willing to ship to the US.
Overall I like this trolley concept for moving gear. Small enough to allow easy access to trains and busses. not sure if it would work for train hopping. Maybe as the bag is a backpack style with straps, maybe you could tie the light-weight trolley part to your chest.
These are popular in Europe with the plastic shooing bag bans, 8 million babushkas can't be wrong. The photo shows an extra set of wheels, Spares, now they are inside the bag.