Military Report on Carrying Pack-loads over distance

[David]

Hi all - this is a military report on carrying pack loads. Soldiers carry extremely heavy packs but the problems explained; the causes and ways of rectifying them are relevant to us I think, even with our lighter loads.

You may find it interesting reading (you may not ) -
http://www.usariem.army.mil/assets/docs/publications/articles/2010/LoadCarriagePDF.pdf

I found that interesting points raised were:

Double packs - front and back - like Aarn packs - are the best method of carrying load as posture is straight and upright, and also has the least energy expenditure - though if front pack is large and/or heavy can lead to ventilation problems and greater heat stress.

Loading - heavy items at top and lighter items low down reduces stress but heavy items at top increase instability - from sway - on rough terrain.

Using a walking trailer attached to a hip belt accounts for an 88% reduction in energy expenditure !! and faster march times over distance of 54%.

Training to achieve aerobic fitness by walking with backpack loads over several weeks results in a decrease in the energy cost of carrying the load.

Females automatically reduce their stride length and frequency to compensate for load, males do not - though females compensate for weight by extending the neck and leaning strongly forward, which can lead to problems from pack straps digging in.

Males cover distances about 21% faster than females, regardless of the weight of pack load - pilgrims walking as a couple need to be aware of this .. how often have I seen the female half of a couple desperately trying to keep up with their male partner and becoming exhausted because of that - and injured. “walk at your own pace” is so important here.

Common injuries from marching with pack loads - foot blisters, back problems, and metatarsalgia - the same list I would make from doing first aid on Camino, though I would add shin splints, knee pain/s, and shoulder problems.

Report is specific - “Heavy loads increase blister incidence” so pack light!! They also say that “Regular physical training with load carriage induces skin adaptations that reduce the probability of blisters” - so another plus for training with loaded pack on similar terrain and over similar daily distances before Camino.

The injury list and response on page 37 is rather brilliant! - Military approved blister treatment for an unbroken blister is the same as mine - “Intact blister: drain, leave top in place, and use light pressure dressing”

They also recommend Antiperspirants on the feet (applied for at least three consecutive days before a march) to reduce blisters forming.

With all injuries they include tobacco use as part of the cause. I find it interesting that they say to cease tobacco use as it increases blisters and other injuries - as nicotine reduces the flexibility of red blood cells I assume it is that this rigidity of the cells stops them from freely entering the smallest blood vessels, leading to lack of oxygenated blood supply.

The pages on from page 37 are first aid specific and extremely informative.

To sum up - pack light - split load front and back .. or, actually, get the load completely off the body and use a walking trailer attached to a hip belt- see here -

though if you made box carts as a child you already have the experience to make your own!!!

I hope that this is of help/interest

Buen Camino!!

 

[Deleted member 67338]

From 30 years experience carrying a pack in the Army just don't shower in the morning as it softens the feet.

 

[Fletchonides]

Very interesting reading, thank you

 

[Anemone del Camino]

"Females automatically reduce their stride length and frequency to compensate for load, males do not - though females compensate for weight by extending the neck and leaning strongly forward, which can lead to problems from pack straps digging in."

Ah ha! I always said I walk like a Geisha on the Camino. Now it's been documented. Alas, I already carry so much in the front that addinf Aarn front packs would block the view .

Thank you for the pointers in this article.

 

[whariwharangi]

I wouldn't want a hiking trailer due to rough sections of track. That and sections of track covered by cow pies.

 

[David]

I wouldn't want a hiking trailer due to rough sections of track. That and sections of track covered by cow pies.

ah, but you haven't tried one I think? Rough tracks are no problem whatsoever to a walking trailer. I have taken a Radical Design trailer over really steep paths that have rocks coming out nearly a foot and it just sails over them. As for mud - without a heavy backpack one goes through muddy sections much more easily and so does the trailer - and cow pats? The trailer goes where you go - you go through cow pats, so does the trailer, you go round them, so does the trailer .if no choice? well, trailer wheels are easier to wash off than your boots!!

also, the Belgian chap walked from his home to Santiago - on the Camino all the way - and did not encounter one problem.

Worth a try, they really are .. just, if making your own, don't go for tiny wheels!!

 

[hecate105]

I agree with David about the walking trailer! I have a Dixon Roller Pack - which only has one wheel and it follows you everywhere - so much easier than a backpack.
Great to see the advice above - perhaps this forum should be recommended to the people running the 'Ten Tors' expeditions for teenage kids in Devon, UK - my poor niece has lost 9 toenails due to the heavy packs and long mileage with no stopping. They seem to think that the kids must suffer in order to 'grow' from the experience....! I hope it doesn't put her off doing a Camino in the future...

 

[thirtyeyes]

The trailers look interesting for the Camino, it's just too bad that most Rangers in US National Forests would consider them a vehicle and thus they are generally not allowed on most trails.

In the Army the packs often weighed about 80+ lbs, luckily other than a few marches done mostly for the pain factor, you typically packed light and stowed the heavy stuff in your duffel which was driven about in the back of the deuce or the armored vehicle.

 

[David]

Yes, packloads and the military I find interesting. The report mentions that until the 18th century the average soldier load was about 15kgs, the extra equipment being carried by carts or animals or servants - I guess they carried only their fighting load - but now a modern western soldier seems seriously over-burdened to me, especially if you add in the body armour. Too over-burdened, and therefore over-tired, to fight efficiently at times. The Romans had both light and heavy infantry, armoured and almost unarmoured, and we seem to have lost that distinction - but what do I know!
D-Day paratroopers dropped with about 35kgs load - but it was found out afterwards that on landing those soldiers threw most of the kit away, taking themselves down to a fast fighting load, and expecting to 'live off the land'.

I put the report up because although pilgrims don't carry such loads - I know that hikers on the amazing American long trails do! - I was interested to see that the physical problems are the same. - The injuries I see on Camino are the same and causes are the same - though on Camino I also find many pilgrims whose footwear is just completely the wrong size - too small, too narrow, poor footbed. One problem I have on Camino when doing first aid is getting people to stop! Where RICE is the only way forward without further injury they want to carry on, thinking that if they go a little slower it will be alright - many times it isn't.

 

[Rick of Rick and Peg]

I put the report up because although pilgrims don't carry such loads - I know that hikers on the amazing American long trails do!

In April Peg and I were down at a state park in Georgia that is used as a start point for the Appalachian Trail. The signin register for the trail there had the weights of the hiker's packs listed. Most seemed to be close to 33 pounds (15 kg.) That would include things that camino pilgrims don't usually carry such as tent, pad, stove, fuel, mess kit and a couple days worth of food.

Coincidently, we just missed (by 5 minutes) sending off a hiker from our town. He had been taken by car to one of the trails leading to Springer Mountain but the ranger didn't know which one.

 

[Deleted member 67185]

D-Day paratroopers dropped with about 35kgs load - but it was found out afterwards that on landing those soldiers threw most of the kit away, taking themselves down to a fast fighting load, and expecting to 'live off the land'.

I put the report up because although pilgrims don't carry such loads - I know that hikers on the amazing American long trails do!

On average, a backpacker doing a thru-hike on the PCT or the AT will carry from 11 to 16 kg loads, including food and water for 5 to 7 days. Last year, doing a thru-hike of the Colorado trail (which is similar in length to the Camino Frances, but at a much greater altitude ) my total pack weight was 23 pounds, with a base-weight of just over 15 pounds.

 

[MinaKamina]

Thanks for posting this, plus the video of the hiking trailer.
I wondered if such a trailer might be just the right thing for me.
So I asked my physiotherapist.
He had never heard of hiking trailers! but he could tell a lot about why a backpack and its weight are bad for the spine.

I'm very curious how this will all work out.
On the website of Radical Design I saw a picture of someone walking with both a trailer AND poles.
I'd have thought that thed handlebars of the trailer and poles would be in each other's way, but apparently they are not ~ maybe this takes some training

Here is a video of German guy who built his own DIY Monowalker

 

[Walter or Carol]

Have others used a trailer pack? Do you see them on the Camino? I'd love to hear about your experiences. With multiple back surgeries I can only lift 15 pounds total and was considering having luggage service, but like the idea of not having to depend on calling ahead every day.

 

[David]

Have others used a trailer pack? Do you see them on the Camino? I'd love to hear about your experiences. With multiple back surgeries I can only lift 15 pounds total and was considering having luggage service, but like the idea of not having to depend on calling ahead every day.

Hi Walter (or Carol) - the American mono-wheel trailers spread the load between the hip belt and the wheel so there is weight on the body at waist height whereas the Radical Design trailer carries the load over the wheel so no weight is felt on the body at all, only a sense of mass(?) ... it is an odd feeling at first as it is more like being conscious of a tail rather than any feelings of weight at all. I have recently received a Wheelie 1V from Radical Design (they offered me a very special deal to help with my first aid mission).
apart from the problems I have such as right foot and right knee (age old traumas returning as I age) I cannot carry enough back up supplies as well as my own gear to be able to walk the Camino now so appear with a car and just walk half a day up and down and then visit refugios, re-supply kept in the vehicle, which isn't satisfactory really.

Since receiving my trailer I have heavily loaded it and twice now walked up onto our northern ridge. This is about 120 metres high and a steep walk up from town, then a really steep track with tree roots crossing and large rocks sticking out .. then a mixture of track and level trail at the top, and then down again - only about three miles or so. Is a long ridge and has the remains of a 2,000 year old Celtic Hill Fort on it - mainly wooded and rather beautiful. - I know that this sounds like an advert but I was stunned by the ease of it. The trailer just goes where you go and rides over all terrain without a hitch. I thought that there would be a strong feeling of weight going up the hills but this is non-existent and I don't know why. Perhaps it is there but one doesn't feel it because it isn't weighing the back down or making the feet heavier? (The military report states that there is a reduction of 88% energy expenditure using a hip-belt trailer).
It balances perfectly and one only needs to slightly guide the poles at the waist when on uneven terrain. So, for me it has so far been rather a "Wow" experience.

On June 4th I am off to Burgos (from the UK - ferry to Santander) to walk the Meseta for a while with JennyH from Sydney - she also has a foot and knee problems so will be using a less elegant trailer that I made at home, a cart with weight also over the wheels - and I will be carrying my personal gear, my first aid kits, and also copious amounts of first aid -re-supply. I will report back after this trial and let you know how it went - both pros and cons, and I will be honest, not hiding any of the cons!

Hey - where do you live? Are you UK? Perhaps you could borrow it for a weekend trial?

 

[MinaKamina]

This news is getting better and better ... thank you, @David!

I've put the Wheelie on top of my try-out list.

 

[Walter or Carol]

Thanks David - how nice of you to offer the loan! We live in the States (North Carolina). Won't be in England until September and then only as a departure point to Iceland/Norway/Scotland cruise. I wish you well on your 6/4 trip. We won't be on the Camino till Sept/Oct 2018, but I love the updates on your trailer. Keep trekkin'.

 

[t2andreo]

This is a wonderful thread. Glad I found it! It is timely for me.

Good on you David!

 

[MinaKamina]

Currently ogling a for sale ad of a Radical Design Wheelie IV. Has rolled from the Netherlands to Santiago de Compostela. Asking price is 5/8 of original price.

Oh dear ...

 

[t2andreo]

Still very expensive. These are expensive devices. They are very well engineered. But, oh that price...

Maybe one day...

 

[MinaKamina]

Still very expensive. These are expensive devices. They are very well engineered. But, oh that price...

Maybe one day...

Female logic (Europe):

buy second hand at 5/8 of the original price.
save €xxx on costs of Jacotrans
promise oneself to make own lunch everyday, saving another €xx

Female logic extra (USA):

buy second hand and have it delivered to the starting point of the Camino, saving €€ on transport and customs
take home, keep it, rent it out or sell it again for a higher price.

Still a lot of money to start with

 

[t2andreo]

Behind every great or clever man, is always found an even greater or more clever woman...

 

[scaepio]

The trailers look interesting for the Camino, it's just too bad that most Rangers in US National Forests would consider them a vehicle and thus they are generally not allowed on most trails.

In the Army the packs often weighed about 80+ lbs, luckily other than a few marches done mostly for the pain factor, you typically packed light and stowed the heavy stuff in your duffel which was driven about in the back of the deuce or the armored vehicle.

Could you point me to a link that verifies this? I can't find one.

 

[Roland49]

Using a walking trailer attached to a hip belt accounts for an 88% reduction in energy expenditure !! and faster march times over distance of 54%.
To sum up - pack light - split load front and back .. or, actually, get the load completely off the body and use a walking trailer attached to a hip belt- see here -

I have tried two different versions of available commercial walking trailers and non would fit my stride length.
I didn't stand the chance of hurting myself by hitting the trailer. And I didn't want to "get used to it". It fits on the first try or it isn't mine.

If you can't stand the weight of the backpack on your back and hips it's IMO the only possible way to walk if you want to carry your own backpack.

But I had to built my own to fit perfectly. I found one with an widely adjustable drawbar and refittable axle (top- or bottom mounting = low or high rigg) and some other advantages (all metal, ballbearings, aluminum and titanium), but it had a price that was unaccaptable for me (~1000€). Drawbar and pulling-harness usable for pulling an expedition-sleigh.

I did pack very light (~5kg w/o water) for my CF last summer and was happy with it. I do plan my next Camino to be the Camino Portuges from Porto (if Covid19 ends) on easter vacation 2021 and I will fit my backpack with a sleeping-bag and some more stuff for lower temperatures and more rain. I try to end at ~7-7,5kg to carry.

BC
Roland

 

[David]

I have tried two different versions of available commercial walking trailers and non would fit my stride length.
I didn't stand the chance of hurting myself by hitting the trailer. And I didn't want to "get used to it". It fits on the first try or it isn't mine.

If you can't stand the weight of the backpack on your back and hips it's IMO the only possible way to walk if you want to carry your own backpack.

But I had to built my own to fit perfectly. I found one with an widely adjustable drawbar and refittable axle (top- or bottom mounting = low or high rigg) and some other advantages (all metal, ballbearings, aluminum and titanium), but it had a price that was unaccaptable for me (~1000€). Drawbar and pulling-harness usable for pulling an expedition-sleigh.

I did pack very light (~5kg w/o water) for my CF last summer and was happy with it. I do plan my next Camino to be the Camino Portuges from Porto (if Covid19 ends) on easter vacation 2021 and I will fit my backpack with a sleeping-bag and some more stuff for lower temperatures and more rain. I try to end at ~7-7,5kg to carry.

BC
Roland

Yes, fixed length drawbars are a problem for those with long legs or long strides - I made mine telescopic for this reason. To build my trailer cost in all about £120 (UK pounds).

 

[JimelBrod]

Hi Walter (or Carol) - the American mono-wheel trailers spread the load between the hip belt and the wheel so there is weight on the body at waist height whereas the Radical Design trailer carries the load over the wheel so no weight is felt on the body at all, only a sense of mass(?) ... it is an odd feeling at first as it is more like being conscious of a tail rather than any feelings of weight at all. I have recently received a Wheelie 1V from Radical Design (they offered me a very special deal to help with my first aid mission).
apart from the problems I have such as right foot and right knee (age old traumas returning as I age) I cannot carry enough back up supplies as well as my own gear to be able to walk the Camino now so appear with a car and just walk half a day up and down and then visit refugios, re-supply kept in the vehicle, which isn't satisfactory really.

Since receiving my trailer I have heavily loaded it and twice now walked up onto our northern ridge. This is about 120 metres high and a steep walk up from town, then a really steep track with tree roots crossing and large rocks sticking out .. then a mixture of track and level trail at the top, and then down again - only about three miles or so. Is a long ridge and has the remains of a 2,000 year old Celtic Hill Fort on it - mainly wooded and rather beautiful. - I know that this sounds like an advert but I was stunned by the ease of it. The trailer just goes where you go and rides over all terrain without a hitch. I thought that there would be a strong feeling of weight going up the hills but this is non-existent and I don't know why. Perhaps it is there but one doesn't feel it because it isn't weighing the back down or making the feet heavier? (The military report states that there is a reduction of 88% energy expenditure using a hip-belt trailer).
It balances perfectly and one only needs to slightly guide the poles at the waist when on uneven terrain. So, for me it has so far been rather a "Wow" experience.

On June 4th I am off to Burgos (from the UK - ferry to Santander) to walk the Meseta for a while with JennyH from Sydney - she also has a foot and knee problems so will be using a less elegant trailer that I made at home, a cart with weight also over the wheels - and I will be carrying my personal gear, my first aid kits, and also copious amounts of first aid -re-supply. I will report back after this trial and let you know how it went - both pros and cons, and I will be honest, not hiding any of the cons!

Hey - where do you live? Are you UK? Perhaps you could borrow it for a weekend trial?

Hi David, I'm considering a pull type trailer (Radical Design) but came across a Trekkers Friend (Chris Lowe's invention) which also converts ore: to a backcarry pac type. The latter is not very strong on harnesses and the walking poles converted to handles sounds "not convincing". I have a back weakness and would like to try out the pull type Trekker. If yours is available to try I'd be grateful for a loan. I live in Staines, England.

Moderator Note: email deleted.
Suggest using Private Message fubpnction of forum for contact.

 

[David]

Jimel, hi. The Trekker's Friend? Chris is a member of the forum so may chip in. Apologies but I don't rate it as highly as he does as the design has drawbacks. To me it is a "Meseta trailer", in the sense that it is ok for flat level ground, endless miles of smooth level paths.
I am not a fan of trekking poles, in the click click insect like moving across a level and safe landscape. I carry one pole, for stability when needed.
His design uses your own trekking poles but that means that on difficult ground, ascents and descents, you have no pole(s) for stability if you keep it as a trailer. His concept is to wear it on your back when the going gets rough but that is the very time when you do not want a weight on your back, making you unstable, and if you use a trailer as you cannot carry a backpack you are a bit stuck really. Also, with no control this means that on downward slopes it will come too close to you and your heels would start kicking it.

When using a trailer one needs (and wants) to have control over it so drawbars are needed, one either side. Something that your hands can grip when necessary, to control and turn the trailer, to push it backwards or pull it forwards, and to act as brakes. Radical design understood this and their frame design is superb. The Trekker's Friend just dangles behind you and you have no control over it, so although it is very light, and would be ok for flat level terrain where you keep up a gentle even pace, I don't rate it at all as, to me, the design is badly flawed.

The Radical Design Wheelie is a beautiful well engineered trailer - like it has been built by Mercedes! - but is terribly expensive and so a huge investment for what may be one Camino. It too has design faults. It was really built as a big-load wilderness trailer rather than a Camino trailer so the frame is slotted through the big bag on either side, which means that you can only remove the bag by completely dismantling the trailer. Also, the bag is useless for Camino as it is just one big opening cavern and everything you put in it falls to the bottom and you cannot find things - and it has no external pouches or pockets for all those bits and pieces we pilgrims use.
I removed the bag and replaced it with a tall rectangular rucksack with external pockets and lid pockets and connected it to the Wheelie with two military webbing quick release belts. This was perfect! I had access to the usual backpack needs and it could be instantly removed.
Radical Design do sell the Wheelie without the bag (you really don't want the bag!) but that is still £500!!

I would have been really happy to lend you my trailer but unfortunately I have sold it! After two inguinal hernia operations in the last two years my medics have told me that I have a weak lower abdomen wall and must alter my lifestyle, which means no more having a low belt attached to me and pulling a heavy trailer, so it is gone, as has my first aid mission. I shall return to Camino when the world becomes a little more normal, but as a lightweight pilgrim with a tiny - tiny! - backpack.

I have been working on a lightweight ladder frame trailer in my head .. two wheels, supporting ladder frame, and two folding telescopic drawbars that when closed down swivel down alongside the frame but that is as far as I have come. I can see it but have not built one. I was going to, to make a simple light but well designed Camino trailer to sell to pilgrims, but the plague came and I thought "what is the point?" so went no further with it. Probably a mistake as with lockdown and enforced isolation I have had plenty of time ... hhmm .. few more months of lockdown ... maybe I will build a prototype after all.

So, apologies Jimel, I have not been helpful. I am sorry that you have a bad back but, could you not pack super-light? On a summer Camino what does one actually need to carry? Wear one and pack one, a sleeping bag liner and a toothbrush? Some repeat pilgrims pack very light indeed - though the chances are you have already discarded this line of thought. All the best to you.

 

[Camino Chrissy]

Hi @David, I'm not sure if I am remembering correctly or not, but wonder if you were the person instrumental in Efren Gonzalez's choice of a trolley for his Via Francigena camino that I watched on his youtube channel.

 

[David]

Hi @David, I'm not sure if I am remembering correctly or not, but wonder if you were the person instrumental in Efren Gonzalez's choice of a trolley for his Via Francigena camino that I watched on his youtube channel.

I was not. I think he went for the big Wheelie Cargo, braked.

 

[hecate105]

Jimel - Do check out the Dixon Rollerpack at http://www.dixonrollerpack.com/3327.html

It is a single wheel trailer which is much easier over uneven/rocky ground. I paid about £350 which included shipping from the US...
If you get to Devon anytime (!!) you are welcome to take mine for a try out. It is very strong, carries as much as you can load on it - and is comfortable to use. I have carried tent/gear for two people and a dog - including a gallon of water!! My husband and I walked some of the 2 Moors Way last summer - which is very hilly - and it worked well - especially as now my husband has agreed to take turns... ! One with the trailer - the other with a day pack - luxury!
We walked some of the Camino ST Jacques/Via Aurelia along the Esterel in Provence - very rough tracks and boulders to navigate - and it was fine.
I cannot carry a loaded pack but pulling a loaded trailer is almost a pleasure!!

 

[Arn]

The Soldier’s Load and Mobility of a Nation by S L A Marshall has long been the goto resource on pack load and movement over distance.
Here’s my take away: the Camino need not be an exercise in stamina, force marches and pain. Buy good shoes/boots, break them in properly, pack light (under 20 lbs/9kg), walk at a reasonable pace over a reasonable distance. If something hurts (possible blister, knee pain, shoulder/neck pain). Investigate and correct immediately. Change socks often, more so if wet. Reduce inflammation with Naproxen, Aleve, etc. Drink more water than beer. Mix water with something like Gatorade. Pure water washes necessary nutrients from your system (electrolytes).
Lastly, keep it simple.

 

[Lurch]

Arn and I read the same book. Marshall pointed out how soldiers too heavily loaded suffered not only physical fatigue, but mental fatigue and were unable to effectively do their assigned missions. His suggestion was that, as on the Camino, packs be lightened as much as possible. While we will not be carrying rifles or grenades, the concept of weight saving is still important. On another note, today's military leaders seem to have ignored SLAM's book.

 

[Deleted member 67338]

The Soldier’s Load and Mobility of a Nation by S L A Marshall has long been the goto resource on pack load and movement over distance.
Here’s my take away: the Camino need not be an exercise in stamina, force marches and pain. Buy good shoes/boots, break them in properly, pack light (under 20 lbs/9kg), walk at a reasonable pace over a reasonable distance. If something hurts (possible blister, knee pain, shoulder/neck pain). Investigate and correct immediately. Change socks often, more so if wet. Reduce inflammation with Naproxen, Aleve, etc. Drink more water than beer. Mix water with something like Gatorade. Pure water washes necessary nutrients from your system (electrolytes).
Lastly, keep it simple.

Good read, as a 30 year Australian infantrymen I made a list after my escort of the Roll of Honour Afghanistan in 17 of not what to take on my next camino further reducing my load.