Weighted Pack Recommendations

[hh76]

I use old magazines bundled into 10-15lb stacks. Put them into grocery bags and duct tape them tight. With the compression straps on the packs, they distribute weight pretty well in the pack.

 

[Doc Holliday]

If you have a pool, the 40# bags of salt work well.

 

[justinspicher]

I am the opposite of the previous guys posting. I rarely train to carry weight. Ive always viewed it more as a gut check, you are either going to do it or your not. With that being said, I fully believe in walking as part of a overall health benefit without beating up your body too much. Just my opinion though.

 

[hunting1]

I hike with a GoRuck and 30-lb plate all year. You can use rice, beans, kitty litter etc. I just like the plate. Going to the GoRuck events is fun as well so win win.

 

[dplumlee12]

I use a sand bag in the bottom and flat sided 1 gl. water jugs on up from there , if i really run out of gas I can dump some water .

Great Idea on the water and fatigue... I'm about to start loading a training pack and this struck me as genius.

 

[Centralcoastca]

Since you're gonna buy a hunting pack, you could make some cheap sand bags with cheapo dry bags off amazon and pavers sand from home depot. Or just get some big sand bags from home depot and put them in a trashbag and wrap it with a bunch of duct tape. Its what i did. Way better than metal weights IMO and you'll wanna be sure you can pack heavy loads with your hunting pack anyway

Edit: if you're asking how much weight to put in it i dont think you need to do more than 30-50 depending on your fitness level to start out and you can go up from there if you want to

I live by the beach and used to do the same thing. I would just fill up gallon ziplocks with beach sand and add them as I wanted. Cheap and easy and no hard edges to wear anything. This reminds me that I should really be doing that again, thanks…

 

[Newtosavage]

I'm looking to start training with a weighted pack, mainly climbing stairs and hills. I think ~55lbs is enough to make the ascent difficult but not wear out my knees on the downhill.

What has worked well for other people (realizing that not everyone has the same body type)?

For a lot of years, I just used an old Kelty external frame with a pair of steel weights strapped to it. Worked fine. That frame fit me like a glove. I don't like internal frame packs for loads above 40-ish pounds.

This year I finally upgraded to an Outdoorsman's Atlas system. Pricey but really nice. Carries the weight as good or better than that 40 year old Kelty frame.

I do bleachers to train and found that 30# + bleachers was my body's limit before my knees started giving me trouble. I'd be very careful what you do with 55 lbs. on your back. I realize we're all built differently however.

 

[Newtosavage]

I'm definitely in the camp of not training with a 100 lbs because you think may be hauling out 100 lbs.

I backpack year round so that constitutes the majority of my weighted carry.

But about 8 weeks out from hunting season I make it a point to get out with weighted pack twice a week (still hiking 2-3 days a week w/o a pack). I start with 30-ish lbs for two weeks, 40-ish lbs for two weeks, 50-ish lbs for two weeks and 60-ish for the final two weeks. Again only two days/week- usually one day is 3-5 miles, the other shorter but steeper.

I've never felt under trained hauling out loads during hunting season, even with loads in the 100 lb range.

wise advice there.

 

[thinhorn_AK]

The majority of my pack training is with 25-35lbs. I use those go ruck plates. When I train with a "heavy" pack, I try to do it indoors on a step box as intervals. The last thing I want to do is injure myself.