Backpack training - how much weight?

[BAKPAKR]

I had been using an old Dana Designs Bighorn from the mid-90s for training. This year, I switched over to my Kifaru Timberline 3 bag on the frame that came with my Longhunter Guide. It fits me much better than the Dana Designs pack and carries weight better. I have a loop of about 4 miles at a local state park that I have been doing once or twice a week recently. It has quite a bit of ups and downs. My total pack weight has been right around 65 pounds. I will up that weight in a couple of weeks as this fall I am going to have to carry a lot of extra water and some other gear I would not normally carry into base camp.

 

[Moldrupj]

I mostly train with a 40 LB bag of corn strapped to my pack frame - a few decent trails with some elevation but I tend to get the more consistent workouts in going up and down the stairs at the high school football stadium nearby. I've been using the training mask the past few years as well to help strain my lungs more and at least pretend to prepare for altitude.

 

[Drakester]

I use one to two 25 pound bags of dog food depending on fitness level, terrain and time of the year. Plus, if I get peckish on the hike it’s cheaper than trail mix.

 

[whereisfredbeckey]

About 50 lbs.

 

[welpro222]

50lb bag of concrete during off season once a week for 3-6 miles on rough trail up/down hills. Bump it up to 80lb bag of gravel for the last 2x weeks before hunting trip. Combine this with 2-3 days of walking/jogging for 3 miles during week.

 

[Lochtsa71]

I use 25 and up to 45 lb. sandbags for uphill climbs or elevation gains up to 3000 feet.

 

[Randonee]

Thanks for the tip on the goruck plates. Seems like a great solution and easier storage at home.

 

[huntfish207]

I have 25, 35,45 & 55 pound sand bags that I use depending on my workout for the day.

 

[ThinkLeicaBuck]

What do you use for your backpack cardio / training?

I use the outdoorsmans pack frame and atlas trainer with a 45 pound olympic style weight. Near my house is the Wellsville Wilderness area and it provides a 4 mile climb with 4500 vertical gain. I do this twice a week with the weight and once without.

 

[Pianalto.j]

I use every water bladder I have and then use some scuba weights I have. Usually somewhere between 50-60#

 

[sam hill]

Training for my Stone's sheep hunt this past August , I loaded my brand new Exo 5500 K2 bag with the gear for the hunt. Weight was 50 lbs without rifle and ammo. Did 90 minutes a day for 2 months on the local trails.

 

[Jackal7]

I just did a backpack caribou hunt in the Brooks Range. I started training 18 months prior to leaving. Goal was to put on five pounds of muscle, but ended up losing ten pounds during training. I am over 50 and I mixed in cardio, weights and 2X per week I would walk hills or an inclined treadmill with a 40 pound weight vest from Run Max. Did all this 6X per week with one day off each week for recovery. I started with 30 pounds in the vest and worked my way up. By the time I left for Alaska I was in the best shape I have been in since high school. The tundra was hard but the combo of the training types paid off for me. I wasn't about to carry 90 pounds uphill over tundra for two miles, but I was able to hunt hard and pack out my caribou without feeling like I was going to die.