Anybody rucking?

[jarrettd]

Tried rucking for the first time today. Made me realize that my pack is not good for that amount of weight. It really made my back sore between the shoulder blades. It also felt like there was a lot of pressure on the shoulder straps. I run an Eberlestock X2 and i had a 50lb bag of salt. We did 4 miles. Being new to this, does anyone have any tips? i had the load lifters all the way tight, but im not exactly sure how they work. I may look at getting a better/bigger pack. Im a small guy, 5'3" 135lb.

 

[Rob5589]

Welcome! First thing, why so much weight from the onset? I'd start with 30 or so until you get a feel for it. Second, find some pack fitting videos and make sure you're fitted correctly. That is imperative to comfort with weight. Good luck!

 

[thinhorn_AK]

I do but I’m not an expert on it by any means. I throw on a pack with 30lb in it when I take my dog out and go for 3-4 miles most mornings. I don’t mess with heavier weights until closer to hunting season or when I’m doing indoor workouts like step ups. I try to keep myself to where I can do 3 miles on rolling terrain with a 50lb pack in 40 minutes or less.

 

[Traveler]

I always have additional weight in my backpack when I am walking, hiking anywhere. Whatever is needed to maintain 35-50 lbs. fishing, hiking or just to park with kids.

Don’t be too quick to blame the soreness and discomfort on your pack. It was your first time…your body isn’t used to it.

 

[The_Yetti]

I started back up recently, I do about 30 pounds in my SO Saker. Will slowly work up the distance and the weight and be going pretty far with a good amount of weight before the season, but right now it's pretty easy to work back into it, post holidays.

 

[TheTone]

4 miles is a long hike for the first one. I have a couple loops I can do in nearby trails. I typically just track my time on them. I like to have good uphill and downhills in my loop. I do a bunch of shed hunting in the spring and then switch to weighted pack hikes in the summer

 

[jarrettd]

I always have additional weight in my backpack when I am walking, hiking anywhere. Whatever is needed to maintain 35-50 lbs. fishing, hiking or just to park with kids.

Don’t be too quick to blame the soreness and discomfort on your pack. It was your first time…your body isn’t used to it.

good point. and its not like i was sore all day. just my back was killing at the end of the hike. definitely not gonna give up. Thanks for all the feedback. Ill try a little less weight next time

 

[keystone112]

I am starting to ruck also to get ready for Wyoming elk this fall. My old cabela’s freighter frame has the upgraded straps. It works great so far and it’s 10x better than my old army rucksack. 35 pounds to start. I will work up to 50 pounds and 5 miles.

 

[chapman8523]

Possibly improper fit and adjustment of the pack, weight is riding too much on your shoulders and not enough on your hips. Mostly though, it's probably just a shock to the body.

 

[Maverick1]

Possibly improper fit and adjustment of the pack, weight is riding too much on your shoulders and not enough on your hips. Mostly though, it's probably just a shock to the body.

I usually start hiking in May. Start off with 25 pounds and increase weight until August.

 

[3forks]

We’ve got a toddler, so hiking with her in an Osprey kid carrier is what I do for about half of my rucking.

Our kid at 30 pounds, 5 pounds of snacks to keep her happy, the kid carrier itself at 7 pounds, plus some other variable weight from the rest of the assorted shit associated with a toddler gets me pretty close to 50 pounds.

We have few loops that vary from 2 to 5 miles with about 1000 feet of elevation gain. I try to keep the pace high, but I’ll also invariably have to squat a couple of hundred times during the hike to pick up gloves, hats, stuffed animals, and other shit she’ll jettison while we’re out. Also, when our kid starts to get cranky, I can usually prevent a complete meltdown by running and jumping us off rocks along the trail. So, it all adds up to a pretty good workout.

When I go solo, I pack a 40 pound bag of salt wrapped in white duct tape using my SG x curve frame. I get a lot of odd looks from others on the trail because the wrapped salt bag makes it look like I’m hauling some kind of drug load.

 

[SWOHTR]

I try to keep myself to where I can do 3 miles on rolling terrain with a 50lb pack in 40 minutes or less.

Are you running? Wow. Most people can’t walk 3mph for any duration….

Anyways, OP: you did a first time hike with over 1/3rd of your weight on your back. Ease up on it a little bit. Look into pack fitting and pack loading, ie you don’t want all the weight at the bottom of the bag you want it mid-back.

 

[thinhorn_AK]

Are you running? Wow. Most people can’t walk 3mph for any duration….

Anyways, OP: you did a first time hike with over 1/3rd of your weight on your back. Ease up on it a little bit. Look into pack fitting and pack loading, ie you don’t want all the weight at the bottom of the bag you want it mid-back.

No just walking fast. Almost power walking, I used to have to do it when I was working on forest fires back in the day. I just have an out and back on a bike path marked. Sometimes I’m closer to 45mins.

 

[feanor]

I agree with the above discussing load lifters. If you had them maxed out, it’s putting more load up high and maybe stressing your back more. Work out your hip flexors and legs and then keeping the pack weight there more is going to be better. Then when you put heavier weight on, you can always alternate to alleviate pressures.

 

[schmalzy]

Tried rucking for the first time today. Made me realize that my pack is not good for that amount of weight. It really made my back sore between the shoulder blades. It also felt like there was a lot of pressure on the shoulder straps. I run an Eberlestock X2 and i had a 50lb bag of salt. We did 4 miles. Being new to this, does anyone have any tips? i had the load lifters all the way tight, but im not exactly sure how they work. I may look at getting a better/bigger pack. Im a small guy, 5'3" 135lb.

Good bit of weight relative to your total body size.

What shoes were you wearing? Running shoes vs boots can make a pretty big difference. I notice it more in my knees than back but something to consider.

Is the salt just sitting in the bag or is it secured higher up on the pack closer to the top? I like to try to get the weight as high up as possible.

As others have stated, swing your hips/work the hip flexors.

As far as load lifters go, hard to say without seeing the pack on you. Not familiar with eberlestock layout, but I like Stone Glaciers video on how to set up their packs. I prefer most of the weight On my hips, with the shoulder straps barely touching the top of my shoulders.


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[justinspicher]

Rucking is probably 90% of my “working out”. I am usually fairly light, 15-20lbs for most outings. During the hunting season I’ll go a bit heavier, depending on how long I will be out.

 

[CAVEBEAR]

Start doing foot exercises and get some bands for your feet in order to workout and strength the muscles from the knee down. Never run with the ruck in training, it will just ruin your knees and back. Keep the weight in the 25-50lb range as you work up on weight and distance. Train your core, a solid core will allow you to get away with a lot on the mountain and prevent other injuries once your tired and heavy coming out.

 

[thinhorn_AK]

Good way to break in your boots too.

 

[Marble]

The easiest way to remember how to fit a pack for me is to start at the waist and move up.

Loosen straps on shoulder and lifters.
Put pack on
Cinch down belt
Snug, don't tighten the shoulder strthe correctaps
Pull load lifters into comfortable. At 50 it shouldn't be much.
Use chest strap to pull shoulder straps out of arm pits.

The pack should be lightly touching your upper back. If your upper back gets sore, the load lifters and or the shoulder straps were too tight.

While hiking and carrying varying loads, separate adjustments can be made to each piece to achieve comfort. This is very helpful with very heavy packs.

Make sure where the load lifters are attached to the shoulder straps is in correct position. They should attach near your collar bone. Some packs it can be adjusted properly, some can not.

And 50 is a lot. Start at 25, get it figured out, go from there. Just doing 25 normally and rarely doing 50 will get great results.

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[Southforkguy]

I'm convinced after miles of rucking,, even with my killer Seek setup, that the minute you throw 50 lbs in a pack that shit is going to kill your neck shoulders..