Might it be better to load your pack with the gear you intend to carry? The balance of a bag of spuds is likely to be quite different from the "real" kit.
.......would be very interested in more details on this subject if we have any experts here, a new thread though.
Just a thought, will your training include a couple of multi day trips?
Recovering from one (admittedly long) day's walking with a relaxing day is different to having to do it again the next day, and the next, and the next, ...
...Very good point you make and is something I'm well aware of. I intend to get to 22 miles then I will train for consecutive day hiking until I can indeed walk 22 miles on the trot. I have no idea if this is achievable for 12 days on the trot, though. If worse comes to worse and I fall behind my 12 day schedule I can always eat by going to shops on the way however I'd love to do it all in 12 days so I can completely live off the pack...
Thanks for all the advice guys! I'm already strong and fit being able to do 10 strict pullups, 10 dips, sprints, long jogs, just never really trained with a heavy pack but I have no doubts I'll quickly adapt to this.
Today (the morning after) all pains have vanished, in fact the only pain I did have from my 9 mile 28kg walk yesterday was a mildy sore left ankle, which stopped being sore half way through the walk. Pretty good going for my first long-distance heavy pack walk, no?
Really the only lasting effect this morning is a good tired feeling in the leg muscles and the small blister on the right foot both of which will dissapear in a couple of days time at which point I will attempt a 12 miler, maybe a 15, with my 28kg ALICE.
I was reading about the karimmor sabres last night and quickly came across a lot of negative comments on them, mainly pointing out how they are mediocre packs, however I tried hard to find anything negative about the berghaus vulcan, so I'm probably going to go with the vulcan if I can somehow bring myself to part with the small fortune.
As requested here's my kit list in it's current incarnation. It's by no means complete and I'm sure I can shave off a kg or two with the help of you guys?
![]()
I dont know how long 0.5l of fuel lasts in mins, without testing, maybe someone else does.
But its got to last longer than 12 solid fuel blocks.
yeah I made a mistake with that bit of my list. Each 230g box of MOD-issue hexi contains 8 individual blocks. I usually use two blocks to heat up a dehydrated meal to boiling point, and if conditions are ideal one block does the job! So in total I should carry 48 blocks so that's 6 boxes at a weight of 1380 grams. The versatile thing about hexi is you can save your stores of it by adding twigs and such like to the fire.
I'm trying out methylated spirit alcohol in my SAT, experimenting on weather or not I will be carrying less weight by using alcohol over solid hexi.
This primus omnifuel looks too complicated and fancey for my liking. A pump for a gas bottle? I think I'll stay away from this one unless it turns out one gas bottle could do me for the entire 48 cooked meals, then I will probably get it!
Thanks for all the advice guys! I'm already strong and fit being able to do 10 strict pullups, 10 dips, sprints, long jogs, just never really trained with a heavy pack but I have no doubts I'll quickly adapt to this.
Today (the morning after) all pains have vanished, in fact the only pain I did have from my 9 mile 28kg walk yesterday was a mildy sore left ankle, which stopped being sore half way through the walk. Pretty good going for my first long-distance heavy pack walk, no?
Really the only lasting effect this morning is a good tired feeling in the leg muscles and the small blister on the right foot both of which will dissapear in a couple of days time at which point I will attempt a 12 miler, maybe a 15, with my 28kg ALICE.
I was reading about the karimmor sabres last night and quickly came across a lot of negative comments on them, mainly pointing out how they are mediocre packs, however I tried hard to find anything negative about the berghaus vulcan, so I'm probably going to go with the vulcan if I can somehow bring myself to part with the small fortune.
As requested here's my kit list in it's current incarnation. It's by no means complete and I'm sure I can shave off a kg or two with the help of you guys?
![]()
Hi,
Ive just read through the thread and going to add my brief advice for what its worth, I've 17 years of service in the Royal Marines and counting so have a little bit of experience on walking with a heavy load ( I consider a heavy load to be a two man lift to get the backback on your shoulders by the way).
Firstly, ditch the Alice pack. Have a look in good outdoor shops and have a look at the shoulder/waist harness configuration on the better backbacks. Why people insist on using Army surplus is beyond me. All the kit we use is supplied by the lowest bidder, not necessarily the best. Find something with padding that suits your build. Waist straps are important, it takes the weight off of your shoulders and distributes it to your hips where your skeletal system can support the weight much longer than muscles. You cant comfortably have a lot of weight on your shoulders/neck for a sustained time. It will become the only thing you think about after a few days. With that, correctly packing the bag for the best weight distribution is essential. Keep heavier items lower down and closer to the body.
Secondly, training, start small, get bigger gradually. Your body needs to be conditioned to carry weight for an extended period of time, I would get used to walking 10 miles with a 10kg daysak then up the weight but not the distance. Once your happy with that, increase the distance but drop the weight slightly again, keep doing that until your comfortable with the weight over your expected daily distance. With the training you will iron out those little niggles. To prevent blisters, tape vulnerable areas of you feet up with zinc oxide tape to stop the rubbing - this is done before you get blisters as prevention. You may find that the base of your back will rub as well, whack some tape there if needs be.
Thirdly, I dont know your experience but think mountain safety. Preparation of your route with a rough plan that you can leave with someone who knows where you are. Whilst your out training, take a map with you even if you know the area and study the map as you go and match the surrounding country side to the map. This will teach you map to ground, something that comes with experience of using a map. It also takes your mind off of the plodding along. Have a look for a book called Mountain craft and leadership. Its a bit old but has some really good stuff in.
Theres is loads more i could harp on about but its getting late and up at six for a run. Good luck and enjoy the walk.
1. Ditch the razor
2. The towel. You might have a look at the special purpose micro-fibertowels made specifically for hiking. Mine is a full sized towel but packs smaller than a dish towel and is about the same weight. They have the same water absorbancy (or greater) as a regular towel and dry faster. Here's a link to just one source www.botachtactical.com/mcnetttowel.html
"...So what exactly do you think I'm doing to cause injury to myself?.."
cbr6fs what exactly am I doing that's potentially going to cause injury?
So what exactly do you think I'm doing to cause injury to myself??
cbr6fs what exactly am I doing that's potentially going to cause injury? I've actually ordered a berghaus vulcan II rucksack earlier today because you guys have convinced me the ALICE is no good. I'm really looking forward to loading the vulcan and seeing if it's that much more comfortable.
As for the advice on walking the distance before carrying any weight, I disagree in that what's the point? Why not kill two birds with one stone and get straight to the point of the exercise and go the distance carrying the loads you intend to. I and pretty much anyone of average fitness could walk 22 miles even with a day-pack type of weight on their back, so why do I need to train to walk 22 miles with next to no weight on my back!?!