Putting on a rucksack, right handed or left handed?

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I'm right-handed and always put my rucksack on by starting with looping my right arm through the right shoulder strap. Yesterday my neck and right shoulder were a bit stiff and so I tried putting it on 'left-handed' i.e. looping my left shoulder through the left shoulder strap first. It felt very strange, I got all entangled up and nearly fell over. I'm wondering how other people might put on your rucksacks...maybe I've been doing it wrong all these years.

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Dreadhead

Bushcrafter through and through
lay it on the ground, both arms into the straps, forward roll and up in one smooth motion and i'm away!

haha honestly I do it the same as you. Never thought if getting a pack on any other way. If it's a really heavy bergen I halk it up onto my knee to get my arm in comfortably whilst taking the weight on my knee, then shimmy it round and my other arm into the other strap in one motion. Always had the right handed strap go first on packs due to swinging them onto my right shoulder with all the weight on one strap, tricky when they are fully loaded.
 

sunndog

Full Member
May 23, 2014
3,561
477
derbyshire
Its strange how you do things "handed" and not notice.......try clapping with your opposite hand on top.....weird
 

NS40

Nomad
Nov 20, 2011
362
4
Scotland
I'm right handed but always put the left strap on first. I find it easier as my left arm had a mind of it's own....tends not to cooperate with anything that involves coordination.
 

Shewie

Mod
Mod
Dec 15, 2005
24,259
24
48
Yorkshire
You should lift with the centre haul strap to head height, then place each arm through the straps in turn, you don't really want to be lifting a full pack by the shoulder straps if you can help it.
 

GGTBod

Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
Mar 28, 2014
3,209
26
1
I used to do it as you describe (also a righty) but when my back started playing up about 5 years back i had to adapt as the lopsided weight on the back as i take the strain caused issues you definitely don't want at the start of carrying your kit, now i do one of two things, i either raise up the bag onto a ledge/rock/car boot lip or press it against a tree with my knee under it and climb into the pack with both arms before taking the weight on my back, this is definitely easier if i can find a good sized rock or ledge which i can sit the pack on at back level height, the against a tree method i go from my knee under the bag to spinning and pressing the bag into the tree with my back as i get both my arms into the shoulder straps before taking the weight
 

dwardo

Bushcrafter through and through
Aug 30, 2006
6,451
475
46
Nr Chester
Right shoulder strap first then immediately get left strap stuck on my watch. Followed by remembering I still have a multi tool on my belt whilst trying to do up the waist supports.
 

dasy2k1

Nomad
May 26, 2009
299
0
Manchester
Depends on how heavy it is, either right side first, or place rucksack on object about the right height, fit shoulder straps and lift

Sent from my SM-G900F using Tapatalk
 

Nice65

Brilliant!
Apr 16, 2009
6,438
2,859
W.Sussex
Many years ago, I slung a heavy pack on and felt a sharp pain in my right shoulder. Luckily I decided not to go out that day and instead took a hot bath to ease what I thought was muscle pain. It didn't help at all, so I phoned my aunt who is a radiographer at the hospital. She ordered me in for an X-ray where I was diagnosed with Pneumothorax (a split and partially collapsed lung). Very painful 5 day stay in hospital.

I'm very careful putting my pack on these days ;)
 

Laurentius

Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
Aug 13, 2009
2,422
614
Knowhere
Usually right handed because that is my stronger arm for picking things up, but I can do it the other way round, I just tried it and had no problems.
 

SCOMAN

Life Member
Dec 31, 2005
2,583
452
53
Perthshire
I just twinged my back on Sun morning, it wasn't even heavy! I did have the US FILBE Bergen kit a while back. On the large pack there were two handles on the side of the Bergen on the back. The idea was that you laid the Bergen on the ground with the back facing up and the top of your at your feet. Grab these handles and lift the bag over your head. Your hands naturally went through the shoulder straps. Sounds difficult but it was ok, see here at 25:17.

http://youtu.be/FemRN3y8Wv4
 

knifeman

Forager
May 27, 2015
132
0
england
If I'm in my own it's right arm then left, but if in with mates we lift each other's pack on


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Bluebs4

Full Member
Aug 12, 2011
880
36
Bristol
Left handed so over the left shoulder and muscle memory takes over the rest ..............my ruccy is on n off maybe 30 times a day
 
Dec 6, 2013
417
5
N.E.Lincs.
Lightweight/small backpack type of thing used more for library/shopping etc. if worn properly on my back then its right arm through first, but generally carried on one shoulder and always the left arm just through the left strap (strange I had not thought about it before) nap sack is carried over the head with strap on right collar bone and bag on the left side. Proper rucksack is always right arm first, even in younger days when super heavy and had to lay on back to put it on.

D.B.
 

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