Backpacking

[hdugger]

I'm not seeing the right forum to post this in, so I'll try here.

My 21-year old son with a 50-plus unfused high thoracic curve is considering doing a backpacking trip over spring break. He hasn't backpacked before - he's just gone on day hikes with us.

Has anyone here carried several days worth of wilderness backpacking gear? He doesn't tend towards pain in his curve, but I'm wondering if loading himself down with gear is pushing his luck.

[Pooka1]

No idea but maybe he can arrange the weight on the straps so as to oppose the curve?

[titaniumed]

You will want a backpack that supports 95% of the weight on the hips.

They are out there. He can have someone help him strap in when it is loaded down.

I would also reccomend weighing down the prospective backpack at the store and wearing it for some time before buying.

Ed

[titaniumed]

Hd

To efficiently carry heavy loads, the backpack must transfer weight to the hips. Shoulder only carriage backpacks are painful with heavy loads. By distributing the weight to the hips your efficiency and comfort are greatly increased. Vertical force around your pelvis is distributed by using a unique hipbelt pad and polymer wings. The polymer wings are bolted to the frame, not sewn or held on with hook and loop fasteners. These polymer wings wrap around your hips and distribute the load to your body. The backpack's waistbelt cinch straps attach to the polymer wings and pull directly on them, distributing the forces over a wider area. This distribution results in more comfort than other backpack frames. The padded portion of the waistbelt functions only as padding.

http://www.arucsystems.com/construction.htm

A properly designed backpack is a good thing.... You get the idea....LOL
You can get an idea of the design from this company.
Nice to have the bend in the frame, its self supporting.

Ed

[hdugger]

Thanks so much, Ed. I'll pass that on to him.

Now I just have to convince him that wandering, off-trail and through private land, down the Rio Grande with his girlfriend may not be the smartest ides in the world.

[titaniumed]

The Rio Grande? Holy moly, I hear there are lots of cowboys and indians down there....
Ed

[hdugger]

I can confirm that there's still lots of Indians there. It's their land along the Rio Grande that I'm trying to discourage him from trespassing on. According to the Public Lands guy I talked to (note: never tell your parents your Spring break plans :)), they have their own laws about trespassing, and they're not hesitant about enforcing them.

Cowboys I didn't see. Actually, I don't think I saw any cows up there.

[titaniumed]

I meant that as a joke... I meant drug runners and boarder patrol.

[The Historian]

You will want a backpack that supports 95% of the weight on the hips.

They are out there. He can have someone help him strap in when it is loaded down.

I would also reccomend weighing down the prospective backpack at the store and wearing it for some time before buying.

Ed

Good advice. I'm considering buying one based on this report. I'd long wanted to take up backpacking, but based on the little I'd heard, I was discouraged because I'd not be able to carry a pack on my back and shoulders.

For what it's worth, here's a photo from Monday after I hiked up Pole Steeple, a trail on Piney Mountain in central PA.

[diane2628]

If the backpack is fitted correctly, the majority of the weight should be on the hips, not the back.

I went on a backpacking trip 4 months after I had my t3-t12 fusion. Not a very heavy pack, but it was fine. I have gone often since then, including canoe trips where I had to portage very heavy packs. No problem - shouldn't be a problem for an unfused curve either, other than the usual muscle pain anyone would have after backpacking.

[jrnyc]

when in pain all the time, it is not possible to walk any length, let alone back pack!
glad for those who can! other problems along with the scoli make it impossible for some of us...

jess

[flerc]

I was looking for some kind of backpack like this, before I saw my daughter walking straight supporting the weight of her backpack over her shoulders.
What does not kill you makes you stronger. I think it might be applied in this case.
If the weight over shoulders overcomes the resistance of the spine, it would be really bad, surely terrific. But if muscles are strong enough and could keep the spine straight (at least some degrees less than usually), I can not imagine a best exercise.

[Back-out]

I depend on a backpack style purse (Napa leather) all the time . Even when it's heavy, if evenly centered and tight on my upper-mid back, it actually allows me to stand upright (otherwise I tilt forwards)! That relieves pain in a different way.

The softness of the wide straps helps too. This, is quite different from a camping backpack, of course, but in terms of my body mechanics it's amazingly helpful - even a form of P.T., I figure gravity and the weight, are helping to balance me. Wearing my purse/backpack put on right, is the ONLY way I can walk without leaning on a shopping cart of using a walker! I completely depend on it.

Similarly, a cheap very upright bike saved me from having to rely on a motorized cart to get around a very spread out college campus decades ago. That and exercise, are what permitted me to go so long before the curve worsened to where I need surgery. It's really worth experimenting with your personal body mechanics.

That said, backpacks can still be a problem for those with scoliosis who also have degenerative disk disease in the lower spine. As my arthritis has worsened, I can't carry anything in my arms. Even if optimally distributed, more weight hurts over time.