[pct-l] Jardine and the Backpack Hip Belt

Sym Blanchard symbiosis222 at gmail.com
Tue Feb 15 18:53:32 CST 2011


Mikey,

Push-ups it will be.  You, Victoria, JMT Reinhold, Shroomer, and Switchback
have all inspired me to start crankin' 'em out!

Symbiosis
______________________________________________________________


On Tue, Feb 15, 2011 at 7:36 AM, Mike Chapman <altathunder76 at gmail.com>wrote:

> Hey Sym, I just read my first jardine(beyond backpacking)yesterday,im
> a heavy truck guy,but jardine has my head spinning(wild
> thoughts,imagine that!). I may end up starting over with my gear and
> such,which is crazy and very late,but possibly very smart. Id say
> bulking up is great,but you will lose that mass in no time without a
> continued program and the diet to keep it solid. Id say lots of
> push-ups,you can do em anywhere(no gym needed),and keep it going on
> the trail. H Walker is a prime example of a guy who bulked up with
> push-ups,pull-ups and sit-ups. He was an NFL legend and never lifted
> weights,hes old as the hills now and still rough and buff enough for
> cage fighting. Yoshi,dont worry about the english,your words are more
> than fine for this list(better than mine) and I like the way you
> think. Hike on.
>
> On 2/15/11, Yoshihiro Murakami <completewalker at gmail.com> wrote:
> > Dear Sym
> >
> > I will write briefly, due to my limited ability of English writing.
> >
> > Generally speaking
> >
> > Ultra Light backpackers only satisfy the light backpack without waist
> > belt, because they can easy carry their load on their shoulders, since
> > total pack weight is very light.  The shoulder is not strong enough
> > for heavy load.
> >
> > Heavy Trucker need strong waist belt, because they cannot carry whole
> > weight by their shoulders only. I can carry heavy load with my special
> > backpack ( Mountainhardwear Solitude ) within 30 Kg, because the total
> > pack weight is supported by the hip bone.  No weight on the spines and
> > shoulders.
> >
> > Ray Jardine's book gave strong influences on the light weight trend,
> > but  his book contains some pseudoscience. So the reader must consider
> > his opinion with precaution.
> >
> > 1. The importance of waist belt cannot be ignored. The waist belt
> > support the half or more pack weight, then the muscles of shoulder and
> > the spines suffer lesser damage. This tendency became prominent when
> > the total pack weight became heavy. Many backpack makers recognize the
> > importance of waist belt, then they maintain their waist belt.
> >
> > 2. The most of his discussion of energy expenditure lacks empirical
> > evidence. His unit "foot-pound" may be one of the typical
> > pseudoscience.  I am not specialized in this field, but I had searched
> > the articles and found that the energy expenditure was measured by
> > Oxygen consumption. The energy consumption do not increase with the
> > pack weight. And I also found the weight of boots has no relation to
> > energy consumption when we were walking about 4-5 Km/hour. Our
> > physical system is tuned very well for walking. Our simple expectation
> > frequently fails.  The boots vs shoes and weight problems are not so
> > important as has expected. The important thing is blister. The
> > footwear should be selected on the blister - free stand point.
> >
> > 3. I cannot agree with his opinion about the sleeping bag. I think the
> > most effective insulation material is down. So, I think the best way
> > is minimize the clothes and maximize the down sleeping bag.
> > Coincidentally, my opinion is the same with Glen K Van Peski. I heard
> > his lecture at Tokyo. He is a ultra light backpacker, I am a heavy
> > trucker. But the lightning technique is almost the same.
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > 2011/2/15 Kevin <hikelite at gmail.com>:
> >> I own an ultra light pack, but I put it aside a few years ago in
> exchange
> >> for a suspension. I love my Gregory Z65. It actually transfers the weigt
> >> to my hips. No matter what I do with my GoLite, I can't get the weight
> off
> >> my shoulders. With the Gregory, I can pull the top adjustment
> straps(dunno
> >> what they are called) and the weight comes off my shoulders. It feels
> like
> >> the pack is sitting on the waist belt and the should straps are just
> >> balancing the weight over me. I feel some pressure against my chest, but
> >> it provides relief for my shoulders. I'm usually good for the first 10
> >> miles or so, the I start shifting the weight back and forth between my
> >> waist and my shoulders.
> >>
> >> Of course my Z65 weighs 4 pounds. This is a lot by ultra light
> standards.
> >> I considered a new pack, but I'm skeptical any can carry a load as well.
> >> Leaving KM, I'll have 11 days food with me. That's 22 pounds or more.
> >> Granted, my base weight is nearly 20lbs, so YMMV.
> >>
> >> Misspellings and typos brought to you by iPhone.
> >>
> >> On Feb 14, 2011, at 8:09 PM, Sym Blanchard <symbiosis222 at gmail.com>
> wrote:
> >>
> >>> I just read Ray Jardine's opinion of backpack hip belts on page 44 of
> his
> >>> book *Trail LIfe*.
> >>>
> >>> He reckons that the hip belt constrains spine motion, and therefore
> >>> increases one's chance of injury from falling. "Crunch!" he says.
> >>>
> >>> Last September, I had fallen while hiking the PCT, breaking my ankle
> and
> >>> shoulder.  I figured I need to get trekking poles (which I hate), ditch
> >>> my
> >>> umbrella (which I love), and buy high top hiking shoes (which I hate).
> >>>
> >>> Now I am rethinking my strategy.  My base pack weight is about 8-1/2
> >>> pounds
> >>> so I can cut off my hip belt, but the weight still seems tiresome on my
> >>> shoulders (especially when fully loaded with food and water).
> >>>
> >>> I am thinking about working out more at the gym to build up my
> shoulders
> >>> and
> >>> then carrying the pack on alternate shoulders (a la Jardine).
> >>>
> >>> Anyone else have this experience or have thoughts on this strategy?
> >>>
> >>> Thanks in Advance,
> >>> Symbiosis
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> >
> >
> >
> > --
> > Sincerely
> > --------------- --------------------------------------
> > Hiro    ( Yoshihiro Murakami )
> > Blogs http://completewalker.blogspot.com/
> > Photo http://picasaweb.google.co.jp/CompleteWalker/
> > Backpacking since about 1980 in Japan
> > 2009 JMT, the first America.
> > 2010 JMT, the second America.
> > ------------------------------------------------------
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