What should the weight of a backpack be when hiking?

The norm in everything

Before you start packing, you need to think carefully about exactly what you'll need and how much you can handle. The weight of a backpack for a hike should be assessed according to several parameters:

• length and complexity of the route;
• physical capabilities of the traveler;
• speed and traffic conditions;
• possibility of replenishment of supplies on the way.

Let's say, on a trip for one day, 5 kg may be enough, but for a week you will need a tent, a supply of food and things, which will make the backpack 3-4 times heavier.

The general recommendation is as follows: the normal weight of a backpack on a hike should be no more than a third of the body weight for a trained person, and no more than a quarter for a beginner. For teenagers, the limits are 10-15 percent of their own weight (this is due to the immaturity of the musculoskeletal system, which can lead to spinal injuries).

Active movement of a group, including a prepared one, requires about 10 kg for a woman and 15-16 kg for a man. It is advisable to give teenagers a backpack weighing no more than 5-8 kg. With such a load, the group will move easily, covering a reasonable distance in a day, not get too tired and enjoy the process. After all, a hike is a pleasure, including an aesthetic one, and you shouldn’t turn it into a painful and dangerous overcoming of obstacles.

For a woman, the maximum weight is recommended to be no more than 16-18 kg; with such a load, she will be able to walk at a good speed and not experience overload. The weight of a backpack for a man on a hike can be no more than 20-25 kg. Large masses are not desirable. Yes, a man can carry 50 kg, but at the same time the load on his musculoskeletal system greatly increases, the speed of movement decreases, and the risk of injury increases: any accidental fall or slip can lead to serious consequences.

However, if the trip takes place on boats or catamarans, the weight of tourist equipment can be significantly increased, because you do not need to carry it on yourself; this function is performed by a watercraft.

#1: Fully Adjustable Suspension System

Each person has a different body structure. One is tall and thin, the other is short and wide, or vice versa. Good backpacks should adapt to any body structure.

The first thing I look for in a hiking backpack is a fully adjustable harness. You should be able to move the base that the shoulder straps are attached to up or down depending on your torso length.

expeditionary Thule Guidepost 85L

You should be able to control the width of the structure by moving the straps in or out to adjust their position on your shoulders.

You want a hip belt that sits comfortably on your hips and moves with your gait.

The chest strap should move up and down along the guides on the shoulder straps and be adjusted in length.

The ideal hiking backpack fits your back like a glove fits your hands. Even when fully loaded, 60% of the weight from the shoulders is transferred to the hips, which means the torso is not as tired while walking.

Price analysis : How much do hikes cost in 2021? Compare with last year

Some manufacturers (Osprey, Gregory, Black Diamond) produce backpacks with several sizes within the same model. The size guide is tied to the length of the torso - from the 7th cervical vertebra to the ilium.

We take only the most important

The basis of any equipment should be a tent, a sleeping bag and the backpack itself, while the choice is better to make in favor of professional equipment, it is more compact and lightweight. This means it will reduce the weight and volume of the backpack.

Experienced tourists advise choosing the rest of the equipment according to the principle: save where possible. Take lighter items of clothing; Think about what you can do without and leave it at home.

About a third of the backpack is groceries. It is preferable to choose them in dry form: cereals, crispbreads or biscuits (instead of bread), dried and dried meat, sweets, etc.

It is impossible to give a clear answer as to what the weight of a backpack should be on a hike, since it depends on many factors. The main thing you need to rely on is the principle of rationality: take only what is necessary and distribute it as compactly as possible.

Rospotrebnadzor told how much backpacks of schoolchildren of different ages should weigh

https://www.znak.com/2020-08-25/v_rospotrebnadzore_rasskazali_skolko_dolzhny_vesit_ryukzaki_shkolnikov_raznyh_vozrastov 2020.08.25

Live wisely

The marking of school bags, briefcases and backpacks must contain information about the age of the user, while the weight of the heaviest product intended for carrying school supplies by eleventh graders should not exceed 1 kilogram. Rospotrebnadzor made recommendations on the choice of school bags and backpacks before the start of the new school year.

Jaromir Romanov / Znak.com

They recalled that the dimensions, weight, design, sanitary-chemical, toxicological safety indicators of the materials from which student briefcases, school bags and backpacks are made are regulated by the Technical Regulations of the Customs Union “On the safety of products intended for children and adolescents” (TR CU 007/ 2011). The document obliges manufacturers to label these products with information about the age of users they are intended for.

“The weight of briefcases, school bags and similar products without textbooks should be no more than 700 grams for primary school students and no more than 1000 grams for middle and high school students,” the recommendations say. At the same time, student backpacks for children of primary school age must be equipped with a shape-resistant back, which ensures a complete fit to the back and uniform distribution of weight. All this is important for maintaining a beautiful figure and correct posture, and ultimately is important for the health of students, Rospotrebnadzor notes.

The department again expressed concern about the increase in both the number of textbooks and their thickness, which affects the overall weight of the sets of teaching aids that schoolchildren are forced to carry every day. Ideally, such a set for students in the first two grades should weigh no more than 1.5 kg, for students in grades 3-4 - no more than 2 kg, and grades 5-6 - no more than 2.5 kg. In grades 7 and 8, students can already carry 3.5 kg, and in grades 9-11 - no more than 4 kg. Considering the maximum permitted weight of backpacks for high school students, they can carry no more than 5 kilograms on their backs.

Rospotrebnadzor / rospotrebnadzor.ru

At the same time, Rospotrebnadzor notes, it is important to take into account the individual characteristics of the child in order to calculate the optimal weight of a satchel or backpack for him. This is easy to do: the weight of a school bag should not exceed one tenth of the weight of the student himself. That is, if a student weighs 30 kg, you should not hang a backpack heavier than 3 kg on his back.

The department also reminded that student briefcases, school bags and backpacks should be visible both during the day and at night. For this purpose, it is better if they have a bright contrasting color and are provided with reflective elements on the front, side surfaces and top flap. The material for making backpacks should be light and durable, with a water-repellent and easy-to-clean coating.

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Types of tourist backpacks

Tourist backpacks have an important difference from urban ones: they have a special hip belt, with the help of which most of the weight is transferred from the back to the pelvis and legs.

It should be remembered that the presence of a strap on the belt is the main detail. If the total weight of the load is 20 kg and there is no belt on the product, after a few days you will feel discomfort in your back and shoulders.

In a proper travel backpack, almost the entire weight of the load rests on the lower back. The shoulder straps serve only a supporting purpose and prevent the luggage from falling backwards. Accordingly, when planning a hike, you should choose just such models (Figure 1).

Figure 1. Types of tourist backpacks are very diverse

All backpacks are divided into two large groups: frame and frameless. Each of them has its own characteristics that should be considered before purchasing.

Frameless

Such products are also called soft due to the non-rigid back. It is believed that such models are less functional than frame ones, but modern manufacturers often equip their products with ties, additional pockets and fittings for more comfortable use (Figure 2).

Figure 2. Frameless models are suitable for short hikes

Tourists are not very fond of frameless models, since the lack of a rigid base makes wearing not very comfortable. To give the backpack its shape, a karemat rolled into a tube is usually placed inside, into which the rest of the things are placed.

At the same time, frameless models have several important advantages:

1. They are very compact and easy to store when rolled up. Thanks to this, they are indispensable during rafting or water trips.
2. Soft models weigh two or more times less than frame models. That is why women and children often buy them.
3. The cost of frameless models is much lower than rigid ones. Therefore, if you are going on a hike for the first time, and are not sure that you will become an active supporter of such a holiday, opt for this product.

If used incorrectly, some of the advantages of a frameless backpack turn into disadvantages. Firstly, due to the lack of a rigid base, they do not hold their shape at all, so you need to know exactly how to pack the backpack to make it comfortable to carry.

Secondly, the choice of large-volume models on the market is limited, so strong, large men are unlikely to find a suitable product for themselves. In addition, if a lot of things are packed inside, carrying such luggage will not be very convenient.

Frame

Equipped with a rigid frame system. They are recommended to novice tourists who have already appreciated the benefits of active recreation and are ready to spend money on purchasing quality equipment (Figure 3).

Figure 3. Frame models are heavier, but also more functional

As a rule, in small-volume models, a plastic plate acts as a frame; in larger ones, arcs made of a light metal alloy are used.

If we talk about the advantages of such products, they usually include:

1. The ability to fully regulate the distribution of load between the back and shoulders, due to which the tourist can carry quite a lot of weight without fatigue.
2. The design of the backpack allows you to carry out long treks with a lot of weight on your shoulders.
3. There is a very wide range of models on the market, so choosing the right one in terms of price and characteristics will not be difficult.

In addition, even if you do not know how to pack a backpack correctly, you will not experience any discomfort during transitions: the rigid back will prevent luggage from digging into your back or lower back.

The disadvantages of rigid frame models are completely opposite to frameless ones. Firstly, these are quite heavy products: depending on the volume, the weight can reach 2.5-4 kg. Secondly, after unloading your luggage, the backpack cannot be rolled up compactly for storage. In addition, the cost of such models is much higher than that of frameless ones.