Weighted pack causing hip pain

[kravguy]

Last year while on a successful mule deer hunt, I had trouble with hip pain, almost like cramping from the belt on my exo pack. I struggled thru the inclines of the pack out and chalked it up as something not being adjusted quite right.

Fast forward to so training this year and now its a Seek Outside pack I'm using to see that helps any. A few nights ago while doing an uphill section, I had the same hip pain.

Wondering 2 things. 1. Has anyone suffered something similar that maybe knows what it going on? 2. Is it possible the belt is too low on my hips? Middle to top 3rd of the belt seems to be land at hip bones.

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[rodney482]

Waist strap on your belly button?

 

[87TT]

My pack used to ride down on my belt and cause it to dig. I switched to FL suspenders and much better.

 

[kravguy]

Waist strap on your belly button?

No, slightly below.


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[*zap*]

try loosening the belt and putting more weight on your shoulders when going uphill..
the top of the pack may be pulling away from your body and digging the belt in...maybe adjust the load lifters?

middle of the belt on the iliac crest...

 

[Goodtimekiller]

I had the same pain with exo. Got the kifaru with curved stay and that solved everything. I talked to exo about curved stays and they said adding more padding to the back pad is supposed to have the same effect but i have not tried it because i had already gotten rid of the exo.


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[Ryan R]

If I feel any hip fatigue it is usually due to the pack sitting a little low. I added a few sections of an old foam sleeping pad to my Kifaru lumbar pad and it helps keep the pack riding higher.

 

[kravguy]

My pack used to ride down on my belt and cause it to dig. I switched to FL suspenders and much better.

Mine is not a digging pain or hot spot. My hip fatigues quickly and feels like cramping.

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[kravguy]

Thanks for the suggestions. I'm gonna try running it higher and see if that doesnt take care of it. Then go from there.

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[Truaxdw]

It may be too late in the season, if you do physical conditioning training you may try adding banded walks. It may help strengthen those muscles in addition to modifying your pack.

 

[Marble]

Mine is not a digging pain or hot spot. My hip fatigues quickly and feels like cramping.

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Things to consider:

Certain pants are not for carrying a pack with a tight belt.

Certain pant belts

Position of pants. Like said above.

Improper pack fitment or wrong belt.



Lastly, how much weight are you carrying? 40 pounds would be my Max for training daily with an occasional 60 to 70 carry a couple times just too see how everything feels. I'm a big muscular guy and can and do carry 100 pound packs every year. But pre season I am training, not trying to hurt myself.

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[manitou1]

I always get those cramps in my hip flexors early in the season/training. I always chalked it up to getting those muscles in shape. Goes away after 8-10 hikes with some weight in the pack. This has been my experience anyway.

 

[mfllood3800]

I had the same issue with my Kifaru. Posted on hear, and Aron saw it and said to call him, so I did and this is what he told me
" sometimes you have to ride the hip belt up higher, everyone is different, try that"

I tried it and no more of that hip pain. My belt is higher than most guys and as a result It makes breathing a tad harder when cinched super tight. But the pain was gone.
I have an EXO K2 with a K3 belt that is now doing the same thing. I have lowered my shoulder strap buckle all the way to the bottom, keeping the pack higher and cinching the belt higher like my Kifaru. It does help. Maybe try that.

 

[Lvthntitall]

I have an Exo K3 and had the same problem, figured out that it was the pants belt I was wearing, I also added and extra lumbar pad and have not had anymore issues.

 

[JeremiahH]

I've experienced this. The last time was from my seek outside pack a couple years ago. I wasn't using a lumbar pad and the tops of my glutes were in essence lifting the bottom of the frame while I hiked. Not immensely but enough to cause corrective muscle pains and hip pains. I needed to shorten my torso adjustment because I noticed as I was experiencing this pain I also had too much gap between the top of Clavicle joint and shoulder straps. I still use seek outside but I added lumbar pad for my body type and dialed in torso adjustment.

I have a kifafru bikini too and kifaru lumbar is about perfect for my body and I was careful to dial in that torso adjustment as well.

empty pack and hip belt wrapped around the middle of my illiac crest I've found the best to dial in the torso length and make sure zero gap in shoulder straps, but not aggressively low that its creating downward shoulder pressure.

No more hip pains.

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[kravguy]

Thanks for all the replies. Yesterday I went for a brief hike with everything set the same. I wanted to see if I could recreate the area of discomfort, and it wasn't something of a fluke from say being a little dehydrated or possible soreness from a previous workout. It's definitely on the incline portion of the hikes with a weighted back.

Looking at all suggestions here and trying to cover most responses with one post, I train with a 40lb sandbag. I've gone as heavy as 80lb to try and help nail down pack fit and feeling of it. But I typically have 40 lbs in the pack. Seems I need to make a harness adjustment to get the belt higher on my hips with the belt more around my naval. Mine is def too low by the responses here. I made the adjustment last night and will try again tonight.

I sit all day for work, and have tight hip flexors to begin with. So at the start of this, I wasn't sure if it was simply that or pack fit had something to do with it.

 

[kravguy]

Update.

Made a few adjustments to the harness for the belt to ride higher. Belt was right at navel height for the latest hike. I think the adjustment improved the comfort level a little bit, but I was still getting the hip discomfort on the long up hills. I'm starting to think it's just me and needing to get used to being over the hill with some things. Turned 41 in June, and I swear the morning of my birthday my knees just decided they were going to start aching. I'm not out of shape by any means, just spend too much time sitting behind a desk. I'll see if things don't improve as I add more weighted pack hikes to the training I've already been doing and report back.

 

[*zap*]

The best position for the hip belt FOR ME is wrapping my hips with iliac crest 1/3 of the way down from the top of the belt. I have the pack set to put on the shoulder straps and tension them a bit and then pull down the hip belt and latch it as it wraps my hips.

 

[WCB]

I have had a similar issue when my pack gets too low. I think the pack wasn't letting my muscles move or travel like they should my a$$ and upper thighs would start to get pumped more so than the rest of my legs. Getting the pack higher allows better movement and better comfort.

 

[roosiebull]

I always get those cramps in my hip flexors early in the season/training. I always chalked it up to getting those muscles in shape. Goes away after 8-10 hikes with some weight in the pack. This has been my experience anyway.

mine too... hip flexors need to get used to it. usually i feel it pretty bad my first really heavy pack of the year, and gets gradually less each heavy pack

i do like my pack riding a little higher than traditional fit