Pack

[ctdad]

I hiked two miles tonight with 85lbs in my stone glacier pack. The pack did its job, however I gotta say, I hated having that much weight on my back. I weigh 167lbs and that is just more than I want to currently carry. I've been doing 70lbs and while that is difficult, 85 was worse! Those of you packing 100lbs are a lot tougher than me, but I'm a skinny wimp.

[cnelk]

Nice going!
But why?
Sure hate to see anyone have an injury at this late stage of the game

Im about the same weight as you, I know how heavy a 100lb pack is and I shy from it.
Ill make 2 trips

[fm]

You will get enough 100 pound packing while you are packing your elk out.

[ctdad]

Honestly, I didn't know any better. I read about all these people who train with 100lbs and thought I was building up to that. Lesson learned. Two trips.

[pointysticks]

two years ago i was in a valley with justin.

my buddy jack had to leave and hiked his way up over the summit when we woke up. he packed up and decided to hunt his way out. while i was in that valley, i saw a deer above me. jack was gonna walk right up to it. sure enough, jack sees it, and makes a terrific shot. about 80 yards. he let loose three arrow (we found out later)..that deer ran down the hill towards up and died. jack waved us off, and indicated that we should keep hunting. jack boned out the deer and left. when we hiked out we could see jack's footprints. they were so deep! 10 miles like that. i called jack and he said the pack wash crushing. over 100lbs. his knees hurt to this day.

what bummed me out? jack asked if we enjoyed the backstrap he left for us. nope..i never could find that carcass. bummer.

big packs are a younger man's game. i dont relish it.

[elkmtngear]

I couldn't do it. 80 pounds will make my hips scream on a 2 mile uphill packout. I'm 52 years old, 170 lbs...not built like a pack mule.
I'll do more loads with less weight.

[Bowhunter]

I practice with 65lbs for a 3 mile walk with some hills. That is enough to get me in shape for a heavy packout. I do believe I would keep it to 80-85lbs max and that would be brutal. I have been taking it easy the last 5 days to heal some shin splints from a tough workout. You don't want to hurt yourself. A slip or stumble with a heavy load can end your hunt and possibly future hunts.

[mtnmutt]

I am extremely grateful to all of you for being honest about stuff like this.

Last year for closing weekend, I backpacked in 5 miles. On day 2, I realized this was too much for me to pack out quickly. However, I had mountain lakes to keep meat cool if needed for multiple days. I reset my maximum hunting distance to 2 miles because of how my body handled that last hunting trip. I will only push that distance if I have water nearby to keep the meat cool.

I have a bad left knee and right hip. Conditioning can only do so much.

It is best to be realistic and honest with yourself before you hit the woods.

[ctdad]

I'm glad to hear these responses as well. I was convinced I just couldn't hang after my experience last night. Glass I did it here and not on a mountain and glad I sought out opinions here as well

[pointysticks]

CT..how do you like that stone glacier? did you get the little pack as well?
i was really torn..i even hit the "buy" button a few times. i certainly called Schnee enough with a bunch of questions.

last year, i hauled a elk leg..i was too dumb or tired to even remove the hoof. i took the entire leg. this was in my badlands 2800. i have no idea how much that weighed. it was heavy. did two miles, dumped it into my truck and we headed back in the dark for the next load. what a feeling!!

my first elk..4 young idiots. me being one of them, hauled out a big bull elk in one load. i think my pack weighed 125. i had this ridiculous $45 pack. man, i hope that never happens to me again. the other 3 guys were SWAT officers that run and exercise all the time. i was this pudgy, civil engineer that worked at a desk and visited the field once a day. i'd tell you where we were, but i would be giving up the best kept elk secret in NM. we were high and steep!

it is crazy what we put ourselves thru.

knowing what i know..i would train with a much lighter load, and be mentally prepped to step up under a big load. walking around with a big bag of beans or rice as ballast is much different than a load of elk meat. i dont know how, it just is. it is different

[Bowhunter]

I am extremely grateful to all of you for being honest about stuff like this.

Last year for closing weekend, I backpacked in 5 miles. On day 2, I realized this was too much for me to pack out quickly. However, I had mountain lakes to keep meat cool if needed for multiple days. I reset my maximum hunting distance to 2 miles because of how my body handled that last hunting trip. I will only push that distance if I have water nearby to keep the meat cool.

I have a bad left knee and right hip. Conditioning can only do so much.

It is best to be realistic and honest with yourself before you hit the woods.

I could hike in many miles but getting an elk out is what limits my distance. The distance from the trailhead can be further with help. With cooler temps or water one could get an elk out solo if further in. I am helping a fellow elk hunter for a week before I start my hunt just for this reason.

[cnelk]

There is no way to practice for packing an uneven load in uneven terrain.
This load had a front quarter head and cape. Prob 50 - 60lbs
It just sucks, but the reward is always worth the effort

[Harmy]

My preparations have been hiking 2-4 miles 3-4 times a week (sometimes scouting or just in town). I train with about 55-65 lbs (dumbells or steel plates wraped in blankets) in my pack and my 12 year old has about 20-25 lbs in his. About every 2 weeks I up my load to about 85 lbs for 2 miles max but and I do not do this more frequently than that. Too painful otherwise. Another thing that helps me is to balance on one leg with my pack on for as long as I can hold it. I also do lunges with the pack on and a limited amount of stairs with the 55 lb load. Other than a few pushups and situps this is the only training I plan to do between now and Oct 5.

Pack Training.jpg (140.15 KiB) Viewed 7993 times

[Z Barebow]

I train with my old Schuh pack with a 60 lb bag of softner salt. The padding and support leave something to be desired. I figure that is stressing my body more than my Kirafu pack.

So when it comes to hunting/packing with my Kirafu Siwash, almost any load feels good in comparison. (I have a freighter frame for meat)

[aron]

I think it is important to train a little bit with a weighted pack to at least know what to expect and what is managable for you. If a person doesn't know there limits and bites off more than they can chew with a large pack load, it can get ugly quick. I know if I trained with a heavy load constantly, my hips would be shot pretty quick but I also don't want to get myself in an situation 3+ miles from the road because I "thought" i could manage this load.

[ctdad]

[quote="pointysticks"]CT..how do you like that stone glacier? did you get the little pack as well?
i was really torn..i even hit the "buy" button a few times. i certainly called Schnee enough with a bunch of questions.

I like the pack. I only got the terminus bag. It compresses down to nothing so I don't see any need for a second bag personally. I did have a zipper put in the bottom part of the bag though to give me access to the stuff on the bottom while using it as a daypack. Kurt does a nice job with customer service. I had some questions about fit after I got it and he helped me out. Then, about a month later, he emailed me to follow up and see if I needed any more help.

[pointysticks]

Smart move with the extra zipper. Nice.

[Aron Snyder]

I train with heavy weight, but I don't recommend it to others.

It's all about what each persons comfort level.

[WindedBowhunter]

WOW, that is some serious weight!

When you do train with a weighted pack, try to use a weight like water that you can leave behind. This is especially important if your training in steep terrain. You can hike to the top of the mountain, dump most or all the water and hike back down. Reducing the weight for the hike down will save your knees big time!

[JimKirk]

I once packed 100lb quarters on my very first elk for 2 miles. right then I decided never again! i'll make another trip. Unless you are packing with a partner, I think a realistic backpack hunt could not be much more than 5 miles from an access point due to spoilage considerations. young tough guys might do more but like some have described impact injuries take forever to heal. I admire the backcountry guys going in deep but man is it alot of work when you get an elk sized animal down.

[twinkieman]

[quote][/quote] That's what mules are for!

[RockChucker30]

I've done 100+ a lot in the last several months. I did an awkward 75 lb load yesterday, and will probably do some more heavy load stuff this week. Take your time, go slow, and be careful and it's fine. A good pack makes a world of difference. Strengthening your feet and the supporting muscles in your lower legs helps a lot too.

[cnelk]

I had a 30# pack on yesterday up and down aspen draws and heavy timber at 10,000ft.

Train as you wish, but NOTHING will get you ready like elk country will.

[kevin_t]

Agreed on elk country training. I did a fast and furious 3500 of gain, sort of a depletion mode training with very minimal carb intake over the 48 hrs before (choke cherries , wild raspberries etc)

I had 150 on yesterday briefly and it makes 100 seem like a piece of cake. Of course I only weigh 180 or less.

[chrisschwarz]

I am working with 60lbs 3-4 times per week. I have rocks in my pack (wife thinks my head), I start out with the easy inclines then do the straight up, straight down for an hour then back to the easy inclines. I like to get the legs burning. I'm sure my pack will be 30lbs or less until I have to haul an elk if we are lucky.

I have stopped a couple times when my muscles did not feel right IE cramp or fatigue set in too quick. Then I give a little more time off and work on sit ups/push ups or just walking on level ground until I return to normal (what ever that is LOL)

[pointysticks]

some of you are hard core!! kudos..i feel sorry for your elk herds.

me? i love to disguise my pack weight training as long distance summer trout fishing trips. by the end of my hikes..my 40lb pack is but a feather

next year, i have 3 trips planned. one light travel trip with the wife..and two knee crushers, looking for virgin trout. just walking around with a pack to walk around wont work with me. too lazy..i need goals.

good job guys!!

harmy..your 12 year old kid is a trooper!! nicely done dad.

[WindedBowhunter]

I had a 30# pack on yesterday up and down aspen draws and heavy timber at 10,000ft.

Train as you wish, but NOTHING will get you ready like elk country will.

Well said! But for us from the East Coast, we need to do what we can!