Fellow hikers/backpackers,
My wife and I have a trip planned to Gatlinburg/GSMNP that will be here soon. This trip is actually a park focused trip, unlike other trips I've taken to parks in the past. One of the objectives of this hike is to hike up Mt. LeConte and stop by the lodge/cabins up there. We will likely be taking the "easier" Trillium Gap Trail to reach the top. This is a fourteen mile round trip hike. This is hopefully one of many such hiking focused trips, with future trips to Glacier, Yellowstone, and some places in Utah planned for the future. Given the distance traveled and length of time I/we will be in the back-country, I decided that even though these are technically "day trips," that it would be best to have some survival items in case anything happens. This meant somewhat of a larger pack than those I typically see being sold as "day packs."
So this past year I've been buying stuff I need for this trip. I actually already had a lot of the stuff, but got some medical stuff, some water canteens, etc.. I also got a pack, an external frame, the High Sierra "Badger" 40. The 40 stands for capacity of 40L/2440 cubic inches. Now, one reason I got this is because the bag itself is perfect for what I need to carry, plus the external frame would allow for a rolled sleeping bag and tent to be attached at top/bottom areas if need be for any future overnight backpacking trips (any such trip would be only for one night, unless we are fairly close to our vehicle for resupply).
Well, about a month ago the wife and I hiked about a mile and a half in Brown County SP. It was hot and it was decent up and down elevation. I was bent over a lot even though I had a hiking pole. I remembered after the hike about using the poles to keep yourself standing straight up, and figured I should so that as I felt a lot of weight on my back. So last week I did a three mile hike down in Morgan-Monroe. My hip belt was actually around my gut, and I had the thing on tight. This time though I stood straight up and the top of the pack actually leaned back a bit. About the first 1/3rd of the way in, my shoulders were killing me. However, that pain ended up going away. Part of this I think I was tense as I don't have straight shoulders and mentally I see the shoulder straps falling off even with a chest strap. Well I ended up pulling a neck muscle that I felt about two days later. Nothing too serious, but it really made me wonder what was up.
I did some research on-line and found some mistakes:
#1: I didn't think the length of the pack mattered. It does, as I need it longer so the hip belt actually rests on my hips. This has been fixed.
#2: I watched an REI video and they said to put the pack on as follows: Hip belt/tighten, shoulder straps/tighten, chest strap/tighten, loosen shoulder strap a bit.
Additionally, the REI videos showed the people with the larger overnight packs actually leaning over slightly. They weren't using poles, so now I wonder what the proper form of walking is with a pack.
I'm hoping these two things alone will correct the issue, but I don't know. My wife has a typical day pack, and it says "25" on it which I believe means it holds 25L of stuff. Her pack is much lighter than mine, mostly due to the external frame. I'm now wondering if a non-external frame pack is the way to go and if so, can I find one big enough, but not one of those huge tube looking packs that are more for multi-day backpacking trips. I've also thought about getting a personal locator beacon as well, as some of the areas I'll be in will be very rural. Having such an item would mean I could forgo some emergencies supplies as if I was in a bind due to an injury I could just use it to get help, though if it was an issue that I could hike out the next day, I would hate having to go to such drastic measures.
I'm looking for suggestions on types of packs, posture while hiking with a pack (going up elevation, down elevation, and flat surface), and any other helpful ideas that you folks can give. I've actually found some non-frame packs that are similar in size to what I have. Many don't have the different pockets that mine has, which is somewhat of a negative.
My wife and I have a trip planned to Gatlinburg/GSMNP that will be here soon. This trip is actually a park focused trip, unlike other trips I've taken to parks in the past. One of the objectives of this hike is to hike up Mt. LeConte and stop by the lodge/cabins up there. We will likely be taking the "easier" Trillium Gap Trail to reach the top. This is a fourteen mile round trip hike. This is hopefully one of many such hiking focused trips, with future trips to Glacier, Yellowstone, and some places in Utah planned for the future. Given the distance traveled and length of time I/we will be in the back-country, I decided that even though these are technically "day trips," that it would be best to have some survival items in case anything happens. This meant somewhat of a larger pack than those I typically see being sold as "day packs."
So this past year I've been buying stuff I need for this trip. I actually already had a lot of the stuff, but got some medical stuff, some water canteens, etc.. I also got a pack, an external frame, the High Sierra "Badger" 40. The 40 stands for capacity of 40L/2440 cubic inches. Now, one reason I got this is because the bag itself is perfect for what I need to carry, plus the external frame would allow for a rolled sleeping bag and tent to be attached at top/bottom areas if need be for any future overnight backpacking trips (any such trip would be only for one night, unless we are fairly close to our vehicle for resupply).
Well, about a month ago the wife and I hiked about a mile and a half in Brown County SP. It was hot and it was decent up and down elevation. I was bent over a lot even though I had a hiking pole. I remembered after the hike about using the poles to keep yourself standing straight up, and figured I should so that as I felt a lot of weight on my back. So last week I did a three mile hike down in Morgan-Monroe. My hip belt was actually around my gut, and I had the thing on tight. This time though I stood straight up and the top of the pack actually leaned back a bit. About the first 1/3rd of the way in, my shoulders were killing me. However, that pain ended up going away. Part of this I think I was tense as I don't have straight shoulders and mentally I see the shoulder straps falling off even with a chest strap. Well I ended up pulling a neck muscle that I felt about two days later. Nothing too serious, but it really made me wonder what was up.
I did some research on-line and found some mistakes:
#1: I didn't think the length of the pack mattered. It does, as I need it longer so the hip belt actually rests on my hips. This has been fixed.
#2: I watched an REI video and they said to put the pack on as follows: Hip belt/tighten, shoulder straps/tighten, chest strap/tighten, loosen shoulder strap a bit.
Additionally, the REI videos showed the people with the larger overnight packs actually leaning over slightly. They weren't using poles, so now I wonder what the proper form of walking is with a pack.
I'm hoping these two things alone will correct the issue, but I don't know. My wife has a typical day pack, and it says "25" on it which I believe means it holds 25L of stuff. Her pack is much lighter than mine, mostly due to the external frame. I'm now wondering if a non-external frame pack is the way to go and if so, can I find one big enough, but not one of those huge tube looking packs that are more for multi-day backpacking trips. I've also thought about getting a personal locator beacon as well, as some of the areas I'll be in will be very rural. Having such an item would mean I could forgo some emergencies supplies as if I was in a bind due to an injury I could just use it to get help, though if it was an issue that I could hike out the next day, I would hate having to go to such drastic measures.
I'm looking for suggestions on types of packs, posture while hiking with a pack (going up elevation, down elevation, and flat surface), and any other helpful ideas that you folks can give. I've actually found some non-frame packs that are similar in size to what I have. Many don't have the different pockets that mine has, which is somewhat of a negative.
