How to Load a Pack for the Outdoors

Dick: Hello, this is a heavy stuff—cook kit, heavy bag of food, tent… Laura: We got our viewers on screen, “Hey everybody!” We will just take a look at how to load a pack properly, so if you want to keep going Dick, that would be great! Dick: Okay, so you can bag light, sleeping pad light. Laura: Okay, so what happen then if I am on the trail and I am going for just a low impact hike? Dick: Okay, then what we are going to do is load the things into that pack exactly the way you see them here with the light items deep into to lowering the pack, the heavier the items to the top—reason? Shift the weight onto the hips. Laura: Right. Dick: Onto the hip belt, you should be carrying the majority of the load on the hips taking the load off the shoulders which get tired very quickly from that. Laura: Right. Dick: Then that we talked about, that is the way pack is designed to operate. Laura: Of course, okay what happens if I am in different environment such as ice climbing there, it is seems more active? Dick: That is pretty active? Laura: I know. Dick: Or mountaineering? Or skiing on the mountains? What you want then is exactly this, pull that… Laura: Okay Dick: Pull this Laura: Okay Dick: Now, remove the heavy items down. We put the light items on the top, why? We want to pull the load in towards the body center of gravity, so that when we move, it moves with us. Laura: Right Dick: And it is not swinging us back and forth as wood if was higher up. Laura: So, a little mount turn might be, trail high, active low, guess? Dick: I buy them. Laura: Trail high, active low. Trail high, active low. Trail high, active low! Dick: I think you got it.