Backcountry Injuries

[NPO_Aaron]

Good afternoon all!

I am in the process of doing research for a book I am working on. The topic is preventative maintenance against injuries common to hunters and backpackers. A major section will be preventing back and pelvic pain via pack technology, proper fitting and proper physical conditioning.

The reason I am posting is to pick the brains of this group and draw off of others experiences.

Here are a couple of questions I have.

What do you believe is the most important factor in staying injury free?

Without making this a "battle of the brands", what packs do you trust to remain injury free, and what features make you feel that way?

If you have experienced back or pelvis pain while carrying a heavy pack, what type of pack were you using, and do you believe it was the quality of pack, improper fitting or a lack of physical conditioning that caused the problem?

What other types of injuries have you experienced while hunting, backpacking and/or while preparing for those activities?

Thank you to anyone who participates!

 

[pods8 (Rugged Stitching)]

My achilles were trashed after a 5mi packout on my first CO elk hunt. I was only semi-active going into that one. Using regular backpacking packs (a mountain smith which started flexing past 50-60lb) and had to cross a couple ridges (leaning into steep uphill climbs). Took over a week for those to loosen up just for regular walking around. I also recall my hip flexors just waiting to give out after 100yd if I tried to move 5lb more over X weight where as I could still walk that Xlb for 1mi steady, not sure if that was a pack issue or more so the effects of 5-6days of ALOT of miles I wasn't used to (probably the latter).

I keep steadily trying to up my game each year. My routine last year (which I plan to repeat but a bit more intense) was run winter into the summer (there are some races I like to run early summer) and then switch over to packing loads to build my legs to that burden w/o the beating of running on top of it for the fall. I plan to mix in some more elevation in my packing workouts this year though, really nothing prepares the body for walking up a steep slope other than doing it. Even doing a couple miles a few times a week with minor elevation variation made my core that much happier with a 70lb pack on it last year (was using an ILBE that round).

 

[husky390]

The smaller the gut, the better the pack will fit.

 

[kingfisher]

For packing heavy loads, strengthening the leg muscles helps to support the knees tremendously. Strengthening the back is important. Really, keeping physically fit, and flexible through stretching and training for a hunt is what will limit injury. And in terms of equipment, I hear trekking poles helps relieve some strain of heavy loads.

Below is a gritty bowman episode on Train to Hunt-It may be of interest.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sfUaZmTfqEs

 

[pods8 (Rugged Stitching)]

Trekking poles are nice to potentially quickly correct a misstep vs where it might go if your core/knees/ankles have to take it all on. Catching a funky step and not weighting it hard can make a difference.

 

[PathFinder]

What do you believe is the most important factor in staying injury free?
1. Don't do anything stupid. IE climbing ledges when you can go around, etc. Had some close calls with that.
2. Don't carry too much weight. In rough country, risk for injury is directly proportional to additional weight. All my close calls come with a heavy load, usually elk horns.
3. Be in shape. Strength, not cardio. A strong core, and strong legs greatly reduce risk for injury. Before I was used to carrying a heavy load, I trashed my LCLs just packing out a deer and day gear. Now I can pack out 80-100 lbs and be ready to roll the next day. The difference was training for it, and doing it year around.

Without making this a "battle of the brands", what packs do you trust to remain injury free, and what features make you feel that way?

1. Kifaru. Best waistbelt, period. Strong frame, awesome suspension.
2. Exo MG.
It comes down to load control really. Kifaru's sheet frame does awesome, I've had some stupid loads of elk horns on mine and it really handles it incredibly well. If the pack can keep the load centered on your body, and under control, it reduces the risk of injury significantly.
No experience with anything else I liked. Had a Kuiu Ultra and it was garbage.

If you have experienced back or pelvis pain while carrying a heavy pack, what type of pack were you using, and do you believe it was the quality of pack, improper fitting or a lack of physical conditioning that caused the problem?
1. I used to have lower back pain with the Kuiu Ultra I had, with loads over 40-50 lbs. I'm not sure if it was the crappy lumbar pad, or if it was because I had to lean forward/bend forward to keep the waistbelt from slipping. I haven't noticed the same problem with either of the two packs I've had since (Exo & Kifaru).

What other types of injuries have you experienced while hunting, backpacking and/or while preparing for those activities?
1. Wrecked my LCLs on the first deer I ever packed out. Total load was maybe 60-70 lbs, 4.5 miles downhill with 4500 foot drop in elevation. To make things worse, I hiked quite a bit and hunted the next two weekends. I had a hard time walking on them for a while, but after three months they quit bugging me. After that, I started shed hunting lots harder (carrying out 20-50 lbs of horn on most hikes) and backpack hunting. Ever since I've spent lots more time hiking under a load, and hiking 3x more miles than I used to, I haven't had a problem. My body just wasn't built up to it at the time, and I paid for it.

 

[NPO_Aaron]

What do you believe is the most important factor in staying injury free?
1. Don't do anything stupid. IE climbing ledges when you can go around, etc. Had some close calls with that.
2. Don't carry too much weight. In rough country, risk for injury is directly proportional to additional weight. All my close calls come with a heavy load, usually elk horns.
3. Be in shape. Strength, not cardio. A strong core, and strong legs greatly reduce risk for injury. Before I was used to carrying a heavy load, I trashed my LCLs just packing out a deer and day gear. Now I can pack out 80-100 lbs and be ready to roll the next day. The difference was training for it, and doing it year around.

Without making this a "battle of the brands", what packs do you trust to remain injury free, and what features make you feel that way?

1. Kifaru. Best waistbelt, period. Strong frame, awesome suspension.
2. Exo MG.
It comes down to load control really. Kifaru's sheet frame does awesome, I've had some stupid loads of elk horns on mine and it really handles it incredibly well. If the pack can keep the load centered on your body, and under control, it reduces the risk of injury significantly.
No experience with anything else I liked. Had a Kuiu Ultra and it was garbage.

If you have experienced back or pelvis pain while carrying a heavy pack, what type of pack were you using, and do you believe it was the quality of pack, improper fitting or a lack of physical conditioning that caused the problem?
1. I used to have lower back pain with the Kuiu Ultra I had, with loads over 40-50 lbs. I'm not sure if it was the crappy lumbar pad, or if it was because I had to lean forward/bend forward to keep the waistbelt from slipping. I haven't noticed the same problem with either of the two packs I've had since (Exo & Kifaru).

What other types of injuries have you experienced while hunting, backpacking and/or while preparing for those activities?
1. Wrecked my LCLs on the first deer I ever packed out. Total load was maybe 60-70 lbs, 4.5 miles downhill with 4500 foot drop in elevation. To make things worse, I hiked quite a bit and hunted the next two weekends. I had a hard time walking on them for a while, but after three months they quit bugging me. After that, I started shed hunting lots harder (carrying out 20-50 lbs of horn on most hikes) and backpack hunting. Ever since I've spent lots more time hiking under a load, and hiking 3x more miles than I used to, I haven't had a problem. My body just wasn't built up to it at the time, and I paid for it.

Thank you for the awesome response! I am very curious about Kifaru packs now. When it comes to western hunting or backpack hunting I am very new and doing my best to absorb all of the information out there(I am from central ND). I have been romanticizing the Idea of chasing big bull Elk or mule deer through the mountains, and apparently talk about it enough to warrant my In-Laws buying me a Badlands pack for Christmas. Being a flat lands whitetail hunter, the pack seemed to be all that and a bag of chips at first, until I started training with heavy loads. I am a big, strong fellow (you know, ex-football player type with a little extra weight packed on over the years) and I was becoming fatigued quickly with 50-60lbs in the pack which recently resulted in a severe spasm of my lower back 2 miles into a hike.

My inspiration behind writing a book is to help people avoid most of the injuries my peers and I have endured. In my other life (you know, the one where I am not hunting or fishing), I am a Chiropractor. I spend 5 days a week helping people with dysfunction of their spine and pelvis, and am lucky to have a large number of outdoorsmen in my practice. I do my best to give my fellow hunters the best possible information I can to keep them healthy, and I feel it is my responsibility to completely understand a topic before I spread my opinion. Since my area of expertise is the spine, I have found myself very interested in pack technology. Since pack hunting opportunities are limited where I'm from, experience is also limited and I am afraid that most people will just purchase the biggest pack at their local sporting goods store and call that good.

While picking peoples brain on the subject, the Kifaru brand is frequently mentioned, and I'm curious what qualities make them different.

So, this leads me to my next question.

Those of you who LOVE your current pack, why? What are the factors that you feel makes your current setup superior. (this one is a shot in the dark) Does anyone know of testing done by different companies to study the distribution of weight or increased ergonomics in different brands of packs?

Thanks again for all of the info!

 

[PathFinder]

Why do I love my Kifaru? The biggest thing for me is the waist belt. For a bit of background, I'm 5'6" 145, 135 if I've been out in the backcountry for a few days. There isn't a heck of a lot on me for a waist belt hang on to. Though I loved my Exo up to about 55lbs, after that it tended to feel like it was hanging off of my hips, and gave me hot spots on my hip bones. My buddy, who is 6'0" 175, hasn't experienced that at all with the same pack. For my build, the Kifaru belt is perfect. It is split ~60/40, and sort of folds/contours over my hip bone. In this manner, it seems to generate more normal force per tension on the belt. Other belts rely on the foam compressing tightly to fold over the hip bone. The Kifaru belt is able to fold over it, and stay put more effectively with the same amount of tension on the belt. Along with that, the massive lumbar pad distributes pressure very well, and keeps the load stable by limiting how much the pack can twist on my waist. In addition, everything else is very well though out. It's highly modular, durable, and user friendly. The frame is very well thought out, and the suspension is very comfortable and keeps everything up top in place. Once you deal with the company, you'll love them even more. They are brilliantly customer oriented, and constantly making awesome new products. I think the same could be said of Exo and SG as companies.

 

[toddb]

Last year my best friend got lazy and went across shale rocks instead of dropping down and reclimbing. Rock shifted and away he went. Borrowed gun ended up 30 feet away with multiple chips in stock and scope. Took 15 minutes to find glasses and whole roll of electric tape to stop bleeding on fingers and wrist. Oh yeah he broke one big toe in the event .all on opening day. He did not quit ,but had to walk gingerly all week and could never look up for fear of subbing toe on a rock or stump. Almost every problem our group has had can be traced to being lazy, taking shortcuts , being tired or going to fast. It just takes one second to maybe impact you for your whole life.