A guy on the CDT told me my pack was killing me, he was right

Last summer on the Colorado Trail segment near Twin Lakes, this thru-hiker who looked like he'd been out for months stopped me and said 'your hip belt is riding way too low, you're carrying with your shoulders'. I'd been hiking with that pack for over 300 miles at that point and thought my back pain was just normal conditioning. He showed me how to eyeball where the belt should sit, right on the iliac crest, and I loosened the shoulder straps to the point where they barely touched. That simple fix took maybe 20 pounds of perceived weight off my load and I ended up covering the next 80 miles two days faster than my planned schedule. What's the most basic gear adjustment someone pointed out to you that made a huge difference on trail? I feel like we all get stuck in our own habits until someone else sees it clear as day.

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oscar39019d ago

Wait, weren't you on the Colorado Trail, not the CDT? Those are different trails, but I get what you're saying about the hip belt thing. That same fix totally changed my hiking too, I was carrying my pack like a suitcase for years. I always thought the shoulder straps were supposed to do the heavy lifting, turns out they're just there to stop the pack from tipping backwards. Once I got the belt sitting right on my hip bones and let it take the weight, my neck and shoulders felt way better after a long day. It's crazy how something so small can feel like a whole different pack, but it's easy to miss when you're just grinding out miles.

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