Packing your backpack
Packing your backpack
Important to know
A trained person can wear a maximum of 20–25% of their body weight over a longer period of time. The German Federal Armed Forces pushes this figure up to 33%. For them, touring with a backpack is notoriously extremely strenuous!
Wrong!
The backpack is pulling backwards – i.e. the backpack’s COG is too far from that of the body. Heavy weights quickly turn walking into a misery because the body has to work against the weight of the backpack. The shoulder straps put more stress on the shoulders than normal. In difficult terrain, the wrong packing technique can become a safety risk.
In light terrain
In light terrain (hiking trails, flat paths), the COG of the load should be packed higher up.
In difficult terrain
In difficult terrain (mountainous regions, steep paths), it should be somewhat lower and, thus, closer to the body’s centre of gravity. With this packing technique, you tend to bend forwards slightly as you walk to compensate, but it is also easier to keep your balance than it is with a high centre of gravity.
