Pack weight for training

[ndbwhunter]

When using sand bags, salt, kitty litter, etc. do you use blankets or anything to keep the weight up high? I loaded mine up with blankets, kettle bells and dumbells last night and it felt like I was hauling around a 35lb rock that moved every time I turned.

 

[jmez]

I don't use blankets or anything. I have a Stone Glacier pack and it gives two options. I can just put a bag of whatever on the meat shelf to keep it up high. With the compression system on a SG pack I can also put it in the bag and keep it wherever I want it with compression straps.

 

[PA 5-0]

I use bags of uncooked rice. Flexible, cheap and all different weights so u can work up to ur goal. And they double as emergency rations in the event this Ebola thing goes sideways!!!!!!!! I do stuff the bottom half of the pack with clothes so the weight rides high.

 

[Ray]

I have saved a few just over a gallon liquid containers and each weighs about 10 pounds with water. I tried a single container like a 5-6 gallon jug, but found it too much of a pain to get onto various packs at the time. I prefer square shaped containers over round ones. Laundry detergent, windshield fluid, antifreeze,etc. all come in some kind of flattish container that is easy to secure to a frame or inside a bag pack. I can stick an empty container in the bottom of a pack bag to support full containers to better mimic a meat load. This can crush some containers, but the laundry detergent ones seem like they can handle it better than washer fluid ones.

And since I am old and love my knees I dump the water out before heading back down the hill.

 

[Tony Trietch]

I used two bags of fertilizer this summer. The H2O trick sounds great!

 

[ndbwhunter]

Most of my training will be done on stairs. I will do some longer walks out in the hills, but that's still going to be a lot of up and down to get any type of workout. Is there anyway to "protect" the knees when training like this? I like the water jug idea. I may just fill those jugs with sand since I won't be dumping them at all.

Thanks for all the ideas! Now if I could only get my pack adjusted properly.

 

[justinspicher]

When I was jumping out of planes and doing a done of rucking with crappy army equipment, I used a set of Chopat knee braces to help me out.

 

[JFKinYK]

Ditto on the brace. My last hunt, I bought a cheap bandage at the drug store. One of those compression, Ace bandage looking ones with the metal bars on the sides. I only took one, and would alternate knees each day. Purely preventative to take some stress off. The brace did rub the back of my knee some, so I should have worn it training too. It rubbed enough I quit wearing it by the end for the pack out - sort of defeated the purpose!

 

[7mag.]

Most of my training will be done on stairs. I will do some longer walks out in the hills, but that's still going to be a lot of up and down to get any type of workout. Is there anyway to "protect" the knees when training like this? I like the water jug idea. I may just fill those jugs with sand since I won't be dumping them at all.

Thanks for all the ideas! Now if I could only get my pack adjusted properly.

I use trekking poles to help protect my knees. I carry weight up and down while training because, that is what I will be doing on a hunt.

 

[mt100gr.]

To clarify, the sand I use is "tube sand". The bags are quite narrow and pretty stout. I usually shake them down vertically to compact the sand and fold over and duct tape down any excess bag material. This makes for a solid tube shapes weight that straps to a frame really well. I will usually wrap most of the bag with duct tape to reinforce it and always wrap where compression straps rub or where additional weight will contact it. Then I support it with the grab-it and run 3 or so straps around it. No bounce, slippage, or movement at all.

When I do stairs, I decrease the weight to sAve on the knees and increase the intensity to burn the muscles. I also alternate between hitting every step, to skipping every other step to tax different muscles and better mimic climbing etc.

I will say, however, that there is no substitute for hiking actual hills, mountains, etc. Nothing in the modern, "easy" world will beat you up quite like a loaded pack on a mountain trail. The muscles are there, the heart and lungs are there, but "the mountain has it's own ways" as a fella once said.

 

[Elkfitness]

I used a bag of bird seed and trekking poles this summer before moving to regular backpack gear. If you are still having trouble with pack fit, there is a pdf now in the kifaru site. It's on the duplex page. I bought a pack on here that was set up for a taller guy and I had to move the shoulder straps down. That and making sure the delta straps are loose before tightening the waist belt helped. Lastly, resist the urge to over tighten the load lifters. Aron has good videos on youtube. If you've already done this or it has already been suggested, I apologize.