I have done similiar with a bag of dogfood in my pack. Had a friendly dog come sniffing around on that one. It turned out fine but my past results are not an indication of your future results.?
Mike
When I trained with my backpack loaded, I just used large bottles of water and heavy groceries (8 cans of garbanzos ain’t light!) Why buy plates when you have plenty of weights at home? I added bags of rice, unused hiking boots, books, whatever was dense and heavy and fit in the pack! ? There is lots of good information in this topic, I am enjoying the posts.? I am 63 years old, 6'10" tall, bad knees, coming off a double ruptured Achilles Tendon.? If I did not vary my training methods, I would break down fast.? I live in the SF Bay Area, where I can take long hikes with lots of vertical, usually on weekends, but can't do that every day.? I take walks around the neighborhood, row (on ERG and water), stationary bike and lift.
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I intend to get some sort of plate carrier setup to augment my local walks.? Seems like a good way to get my heart rate up a little higher and work my legs harder.? Not sure what kind, goruck is expensive but I think it may fit my XXL-Tall body.
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Since cross training methods are being discussed here, let me throw in one of my favorites, climbing stairs.? There is an 8 story parking garage nearby, if I go up it 16 times, that is 1000 vertical feet.? I take the elevator down to save my knees.? Does great work on the quads and glutes.? Heart rate in zone 2, low zone 3.? Last summer, I did stairs once/week for a couple of months.? By 6 weeks before my hike, I was doing 2500' feet of vertical in a little over 2 hours.? Got me through a 50+ mile trip, from Virginia Lakes to Yosemite Valley. (A week after the trip, my Achilles tore in two places, I do not think that has much to do with training on stairs.). At my previous job, I was able to use the fire stairs for training.? Yes, it can get boring.? I listen to music or basketball games.? (Steph Curry and the Warriors have gotten me through a lot of workouts.)
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I use the wild gym ruck and find the suspension system very comfortable.? The shoulder straps are extra wide and include two movable sternum straps.? The hip belt is very effective.? Yes, it is pricey, but I use it every day.? The shoulder straps have dedicated pockets to hold a phone and a water bottle.?
[Edited Message Follows]
> Just curious: What's wrong with carrying a weighted backpack for training? It seems that doing so kills two birds with one stone (NOT THAT I GO AROUND KILLING BIRDS).?
> Doesn't carrying the backpack one plans to use for the actual hike get the body used to the weight and the feel of it??
> And really, who cares what people think if they see you walking with the pack down the main street in broad daylight? Maybe they'll think you are homeless and throw you a few coins - whilst telling you to keep moving. ;-)
> Ken.
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I'll give one possible response to this.? My big Osprey pack cost a lot more than a rucking pack, and they do wear out.? A couple of years ago, the shoulder strap pulled out of the base of the pack going up Kearsarge Pass, I was able to do an improvised repair with some paracord, made it up Whitney a few days later, but that was it for that pack. (Fortunately, Osprey replaced, free of charge). Better for me to have some sort of training pack, take just a few training hikes with my actual backpacking rig.
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> Just curious: What's wrong with carrying a weighted backpack for training? It seems that doing so kills two birds with one stone (NOT THAT I GO AROUND KILLING BIRDS).?
> Doesn't carrying the backpack one plans to use for the actual hike get the body used to the weight and the feel of it??
> And really, who cares what people think if they see you walking with the pack down the main street in broad daylight? Maybe they'll think you are homeless and throw you a few coins - whilst telling you to keep moving. ;-)
> Ken.
?
I'll give one possible response to this.? My big Osprey pack cost a lot more than a rucking pack, and they do wear out.? A couple of years ago, the shoulder strap pulled out of the base of the pack going up Kearsarge Pass, I was able to do an improvised repair with some paracord, made it up Whitney a few days later, but that was it for that pack. (Fortunately, Osprey replaced, free of charge). Better for me to have some sort of training pack, take just a few training hikes with my actual backpacking rig.
?
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When I trained with my backpack loaded, I just used large bottles of water and heavy groceries (8 cans of garbanzos ain’t light!) Why buy plates when you have plenty of weights at home? I added bags of rice, unused hiking boots, books, whatever was dense and heavy and fit in the pack!
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On Feb 11, 2025, at 9:35?AM, Charles Fannin via groups.io <cjzilla@...> wrote:
? There is lots of good information in this topic, I am enjoying the posts.? I am 63 years old, 6'10" tall, bad knees, coming off a double ruptured Achilles Tendon.? If I did not vary my training methods, I would break down fast.? I live in the SF Bay Area, where I can take long hikes with lots of vertical, usually on weekends, but can't do that every day.? I take walks around the neighborhood, row (on ERG and water), stationary bike and lift.
?
I intend to get some sort of plate carrier setup to augment my local walks.? Seems like a good way to get my heart rate up a little higher and work my legs harder.? Not sure what kind, goruck is expensive but I think it may fit my XXL-Tall body.
?
Since cross training methods are being discussed here, let me throw in one of my favorites, climbing stairs.? There is an 8 story parking garage nearby, if I go up it 16 times, that is 1000 vertical feet.? I take the elevator down to save my knees.? Does great work on the quads and glutes.? Heart rate in zone 2, low zone 3.? Last summer, I did stairs once/week for a couple of months.? By 6 weeks before my hike, I was doing 2500' feet of vertical in a little over 2 hours.? Got me through a 50+ mile trip, from Virginia Lakes to Yosemite Valley. (A week after the trip, my Achilles tore in two places, I do not think that has much to do with training on stairs.). At my previous job, I was able to use the fire stairs for training.? Yes, it can get boring.? I listen to music or basketball games.? (Steph Curry and the Warriors have gotten me through a lot of workouts.)
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There is lots of good information in this topic, I am enjoying the posts.? I am 63 years old, 6'10" tall, bad knees, coming off a double ruptured Achilles Tendon.? If I did not vary my training methods, I would break down fast.? I live in the SF Bay Area, where I can take long hikes with lots of vertical, usually on weekends, but can't do that every day.? I take walks around the neighborhood, row (on ERG and water), stationary bike and lift.? On weekend hikes, I'll use my backpacking pack, weighted with water, so I can pour it out if I run out of gas, or it just gets too hot out.
?
I intend to get some sort of plate carrier setup to augment my local walks.? Seems like a good way to get my heart rate up a little higher and work my legs harder.? Not sure what kind, goruck is expensive but I think it may fit my XXL-Tall body.
?
Since cross training methods are being discussed here, let me throw in one of my favorites, climbing stairs.? There is an 8 story parking garage nearby, if I go up it 16 times, that is 1000 vertical feet.? I take the elevator down to save my knees.? Does great work on the quads and glutes.? Heart rate in zone 2, low zone 3.? Last summer, I did stairs once/week for a couple of months.? By 6 weeks before my hike, I was doing 2500' feet of vertical in a little over 2 hours.? Got me through a 50+ mile trip, from Virginia Lakes to Yosemite Valley. (A week after the trip, my Achilles tore in two places, I do not think that has much to do with training on stairs.). At my previous job, I was able to use the fire stairs for training.? Yes, it can get boring.? I listen to music or basketball games.? (Steph Curry and the Warriors have gotten me through a lot of workouts.)
?
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There is an optional waist/hip belt available for GoRuck packs but they didn’t have the size I needed and so I started without it. I haven’t felt a need to buy one yet but there’s no doubt that all the weight is carried by the shoulders doing it this way, so it’s definitely not identical to backpacking. No doubt the setup isn’t cheap but there are often coupon codes and weight plates can be purchased on Amazon for a lot less than on GoRuck’s website. It’s definitely a splurge type purchase but it does seem to fit my lifestyle and gets me carrying weight a lot more than I otherwise would. Also, since my backpacking setup is far lighter than the 35-40 pounds I carry in the GoRuck, any kind of hiking is now easier in comparison, especially with the hip belt transfer.
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An alternative opinion:
We own several weight vests, but not a "GoRuck" pack or plate carrier.? My wife would sometimes train with the weight vest instead of her trip pack.? She noted that the weight vest puts a lot more weight on the shoulders.? There is no suspension and thus no transfer of weight to the hips.? Looking on the GoRuck website, I see similar properties on their ruck sacks and plate carriers.? The plates may be rigid, but there's no waist belt to transfer that weight to the hips.?
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So while I think ruck packs are better than some alternatives, It's not quite analogous to multi-day backpacks with even a moderate suspension.?
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Also, $255.00 for the Rucker 4.0 pack is pretty outrageous unless you intend to make rucking part of your lifestyle.? I would be more interested in having my main pack include some extra straps to accommodate a ruck plate,? or have a dual-purpose hydration sleeve/ruck plate holder incorporated into a standard backpack.
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I really enjoyed the Collegiate West alternative for the Colorado Trail, which is part of the Collegiate Loop. The trail is high, often above treeline, and within close proximity to many side trips. The trail is easily accessed from Leadville and Leadville is easily accessible via public transit from Breckenridge which is easy to get to from Denver. The entire loop is 160 miles which is equally divided between the east and west segments. I hiked this as part of a CT thru hike, southbound. I hitchhiked to Salida at the end of the segment. That was a tough two part hitch, so a shuttle at that point might be a good idea. This hike was a while ago, in 2014, but some searches indicate that advance permits are not needed. There were self issue permits at various points on the CT.
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https://coloradotrail.org/traveling-the-ct/collegiate-east-west
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Thanks. There are so many wonderful places to hike in the world, I envy eagles' ability to soar above all of them.
[Edited Message Follows]
There's the Cohos Trail in New Hampshire.?
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NH is underrated for hiking; there are bald granite domes and the trails are carpeted in blueberries in the summer. The altitude is not as high as the Sierra but the daily gains can be.
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There's the Cohos Trail in New Hampshire.?
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https://www.cohostrail.org/
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NH is underrated for hiking; there are bald granite domes and the trails are carpeted in blueberries in the summer. The altitude is not as high as the Sierra but the daily gains can be.
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This is an excelllent point. Its very good advice to start slowly and allow for recovery. Many people (myself included) experience overuse injuries on trail. Hiking is really the best training to reduce joint and tendon type injuries. Excellent cardio fitness from non impact training could lead to starting too fast and result in injury. This is exactly what happened to me last year after lots of biking, swimming and rucking on streets and sidewalks, but less on trail training.
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On Feb 10, 2025, at 8:34?AM, MORI COSTANTINO via groups.io <mcostantino@...> wrote:
?Cycling is not walking.
Specificity in training is the key to minimizing sport specific injuries.
The little balance muscles get exercised on uneven trails. When small muscles tire out, joints , tendons, ligaments take a pounding.
I’m a fan of “go slow to go smooth, go smooth to go far “.
Corollaries are:
Hard day, soft day.
Many overuse injuries are under recovery injuries.
Hydration helps prevent joint injuries (and the spine is a joint).
Just a few thoughts….
Still wondering why I wander......
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still on the wonder wander............
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When I am in my backpack preparation mode and wear my pack on the local hike and bike trail, I use bags of rice to simulate my expected pack weight.
In any case, I am no longer in the pack it all in mode and now strive to go as light as possible. Years of carrying out food after a trip has taught me that I really do not need that much food. My goal now for a ten day hike is 15lbs total pack weight.
For a ten day cycling trip I have a saddle bag and bar bag and that is it.
I see people on this forum love to quote aphorisms; so: Go Light. Go far.
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I totally agree on the value of rucking. I have a Wild Gym ruck and wear it every day while walking my dog 2 or 3 or 4 miles. I am a 68 year old female so I am in the "use it or lose it" stage of life.
I had been walking the dog daily for years since I retired, but adding the ruck pack last May has made all the difference. The nice thing about a ruck pack is how easy it is to gradually ramp up the weight by doing a varied mix of weight plates. I have a 5,a 10,and a 20 lb. weight plate. I started with 15 lbs, moved up to 20 after a few months, moved up to 25 at New Years, and plan to be up to 35 by May. That will equal the weight of my backpack's summer setup.
One way I know it is helping is when I go on a dayhike with my dayhike setup, which is 15-20 pounds, and I can do a ten mile dayhike with no issues.
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Engaging in a wide range of sports and exercise endevours is far more preferable to a body than a singular pursuit.
On Mon, Feb 10, 2025 at 10:34?AM MORI COSTANTINO via <mcostantino= [email protected]> wrote: Cycling is not walking.
?Specificity in training is the key to minimizing sport specific injuries.
The little balance muscles get exercised on uneven trails. When small muscles tire out, joints , tendons, ligaments take a pounding.
I’m a fan of “go slow to go smooth, go smooth to go far “.
Corollaries are:
Hard day, soft day.
Many overuse injuries are under recovery injuries.
Hydration helps prevent joint injuries (and the spine is a joint).
Just a few thoughts….
Still wondering why I wander......
--
still on the wonder wander............
|
Cycling is not walking.
Specificity in training is the key to minimizing sport specific injuries.
The little balance muscles get exercised on uneven trails. When small muscles tire out, joints , tendons, ligaments take a pounding.
I’m a fan of “go slow to go smooth, go smooth to go far “.
Corollaries are:
Hard day, soft day.
Many overuse injuries are under recovery injuries.
Hydration helps prevent joint injuries (and the spine is a joint).
Just a few thoughts….
Still wondering why I wander......
--
still on the wonder wander............
|
There’s nothing at all wrong with training using the same backpack used for backpacking under the load expected on typical trips, but it can be more convenient to use something like the Go Ruck setup. To keep a backpacking pack, like my ULA Circuit, always ready for use with appropriate weight would require either keeping my normal gear in the pack, or using some sort of substitute, which would alter the way it carries. ?Definitely possible but not as easy as just grabbing my GoRuck.
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The form factor of the GoRuck is also much smaller and less odd looking when walking around the city, which is a consideration for some people. Unless someone knows what the pack is, they have no idea of the weight. The Go Ruck is purpose built for properly carrying weight in a compact form. You could not just put a 30 pound plate in a ULA Circuit and have it carry well. ?
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Anyway, it boils down to personal preference, convenience, and appearance. And I think I walk under load a lot more because I have it. For example, after a big pre Super Bowl meal yesterday, I decided on the spur of the moment to grab my GoRuck and walk for four miles before kickoff. I know I wouldn’t have done that with my circuit because it would not have even been with me. I carry the GoRuck almost every day as a regular backpack in the colder months when I won’t sweat much while wearing it.
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I've been carrying a 25 lb backpack up my local steepest trails for several years as my training for JMT, TMB, etc.
I cycle a lot - 100 - 150 miles a week - so the lower extremities are taken care of, but my issue - and caused an early bailout to Mammoth Lakes on a previous trip - is either sciatica or pinched vertebra nerve in the lumber region. Perhaps I should wear a corset.
Ken.
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I cycle a lot - 100 - 150 miles a week - so the lower extremities are taken care of, but my issue - and caused an early bailout to Mammoth Lakes on a previous trip - is either sciatica or pinched vertebra nerve in the lumber region. Perhaps I should wear a corset.
Ken.
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Highly recommended for upper body and core fitness. ?I rucked a 30 pound weighted vest prior to my 2024 PCT hike. ?I also trained by swimming. ?I had zero shoulder and low back pain as well as improved balance during my hike. ? For leg training consider: stairs, hiking, step ups etc. ?+\- weight depending on your fitness level. ?Good luck
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On Feb 9, 2025, at 2:00?PM, kenjessett via groups.io <kenjessett@...> wrote:
? Just curious: What's wrong with carrying a weighted backpack for training? It seems that doing so kills two birds with one stone (NOT THAT I GO AROUND KILLING BIRDS).?
Doesn't carrying the backpack one plans to use for the actual hike get the body used to the weight and the feel of it??
And really, who cares what people think if they see you walking with the pack down the main street in broad daylight? Maybe they'll think you are homeless and throw you a few coins - whilst telling you to keep moving. ;-)
Ken.
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Just curious: What's wrong with carrying a weighted backpack for training? It seems that doing so kills two birds with one stone (NOT THAT I GO AROUND KILLING BIRDS).?
Doesn't carrying the backpack one plans to use for the actual hike get the body used to the weight and the feel of it??
And really, who cares what people think if they see you walking with the pack down the main street in broad daylight? Maybe they'll think you are homeless and throw you a few coins - whilst telling you to keep moving. ;-)
Ken.
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Charles Fannin
ravi_jmt2013