Load tolerance is not as simple as strength training + cardio. Train your tissues, dial your pack fit, and stop getting humbled the first time the carry hits 25 pounds.
Excellent article! I just finished my BMT thru-hike and have been thinking through pack weight quite a bit. My base weight was around 17 pounds, so would like to cut that to 15 minimum by August for my JMT thru-hike.
Like you described - much of my excess weight was driven by fear. Fear of not having enough food, fear of running out of iPhone charge, etc.
I also agree heavily on the rucking component. From experience, I believe that strength training & rucking are the 2 most important training days and this is what I base my entire prep around. I've seen so many people fail on mountaineering/backpacking trips due to lack of strength and ability to move with the pack, NOT because of cardio.
I do a "general fitness" phase that leans higher on strength training with 1-2x days of rucking per week, but then a "sport specific" phase in the final 4-6 weeks leading up to the event in which strength training is cut back (1-2x a week) and replaced by more time on trail with a weighted pack (3-4x a week).
In a pinch, I will replace rucking with weighted step ups (building up to 1.5k). It's quite boring, but has been extremely effective for me if I can't make it outside on trail due to weather or some sort of constraint.
Hey Kevin! Thank you so much, and huge congratulations on finishing the BMT. That is no small thing.
I really appreciate you naming the fear piece, because I think that’s where so much of the hidden weight comes from. It’s rarely just gear. It’s the extra battery because what if, the extra food because what if, the backup cord because what if, and eventually the pack becomes a physical archive of every scenario we’re trying to control.
Your training structure makes a lot of sense to me, too. Strength builds the chassis, rucking teaches the chassis how to move under load, and then that final 4 to 6 week sport-specific phase is where the body starts learning the actual language of the objective. I think a lot of hikers underestimate that middle piece. They train their engine, then wonder why their shoulders, hips, feet, and calves file a formal complaint by mile 12.
And weighted step-ups deserve more respect. Boring? 100%. Effective? Unfortunately, yes. Building toward 1.5k is savage in the best way.
Going from 17 to 15 by August sounds very reasonable, especially with the BMT fresh in your body and brain. That’s the best gear audit there is. The trail always tells on us.
Good luck on the JMT. I’d be genuinely curious to hear what you end up cutting once you start shaving those last couple pounds (:
Jim, thank you so much. That means a lot coming from someone actively preparing for the trail.
You’re going to do great out there. One step at a time, one system at a time. The more prep you put in now, the more freedom and confidence you’ll have when the mountains start asking questions. Looking forward to seeing your CT journey unfold!
whenever I train for a climb, I ruck around my Seattle neighborhood, starting light then adding weight as I ramp up, then add elevation gain with Cascade hikes. I use 5-liter bags of water in my pack. 1 liter = 1 kg, metric system, brilliant.
Alexander, I love this. That old-school hiking toughness is a different breed. A 55 kg body under a 20 kg pack is no joke, especially with older gear.
I think trekking in the Himalayas permanently changed how I think about pack weight. I watched men carrying bundles of firewood bigger than their torsos and porters hauling fully grown adults up the mountain, sometimes several times a day. Suddenly, my carefully optimized backpack felt a little underwhelming lol. The human body is remarkably adaptable. Most of us just never give it a chance to adapt.
That’s a big part of why I write about pack weight, ruck training, and trail prep the way I do now. If you ever decide to get back into longer hikes, I’d be happy to help you build back toward it in a realistic way (:
Excellent article! I just finished my BMT thru-hike and have been thinking through pack weight quite a bit. My base weight was around 17 pounds, so would like to cut that to 15 minimum by August for my JMT thru-hike.
Like you described - much of my excess weight was driven by fear. Fear of not having enough food, fear of running out of iPhone charge, etc.
I also agree heavily on the rucking component. From experience, I believe that strength training & rucking are the 2 most important training days and this is what I base my entire prep around. I've seen so many people fail on mountaineering/backpacking trips due to lack of strength and ability to move with the pack, NOT because of cardio.
I do a "general fitness" phase that leans higher on strength training with 1-2x days of rucking per week, but then a "sport specific" phase in the final 4-6 weeks leading up to the event in which strength training is cut back (1-2x a week) and replaced by more time on trail with a weighted pack (3-4x a week).
In a pinch, I will replace rucking with weighted step ups (building up to 1.5k). It's quite boring, but has been extremely effective for me if I can't make it outside on trail due to weather or some sort of constraint.
Hey Kevin! Thank you so much, and huge congratulations on finishing the BMT. That is no small thing.
I really appreciate you naming the fear piece, because I think that’s where so much of the hidden weight comes from. It’s rarely just gear. It’s the extra battery because what if, the extra food because what if, the backup cord because what if, and eventually the pack becomes a physical archive of every scenario we’re trying to control.
Your training structure makes a lot of sense to me, too. Strength builds the chassis, rucking teaches the chassis how to move under load, and then that final 4 to 6 week sport-specific phase is where the body starts learning the actual language of the objective. I think a lot of hikers underestimate that middle piece. They train their engine, then wonder why their shoulders, hips, feet, and calves file a formal complaint by mile 12.
And weighted step-ups deserve more respect. Boring? 100%. Effective? Unfortunately, yes. Building toward 1.5k is savage in the best way.
Going from 17 to 15 by August sounds very reasonable, especially with the BMT fresh in your body and brain. That’s the best gear audit there is. The trail always tells on us.
Good luck on the JMT. I’d be genuinely curious to hear what you end up cutting once you start shaving those last couple pounds (:
Excellent article, Abbey! Very practical and useful info. I look forward to putting it into use on my CT thru hike!
Jim, thank you so much. That means a lot coming from someone actively preparing for the trail.
You’re going to do great out there. One step at a time, one system at a time. The more prep you put in now, the more freedom and confidence you’ll have when the mountains start asking questions. Looking forward to seeing your CT journey unfold!
whenever I train for a climb, I ruck around my Seattle neighborhood, starting light then adding weight as I ramp up, then add elevation gain with Cascade hikes. I use 5-liter bags of water in my pack. 1 liter = 1 kg, metric system, brilliant.
Alexander, I love this. That old-school hiking toughness is a different breed. A 55 kg body under a 20 kg pack is no joke, especially with older gear.
I think trekking in the Himalayas permanently changed how I think about pack weight. I watched men carrying bundles of firewood bigger than their torsos and porters hauling fully grown adults up the mountain, sometimes several times a day. Suddenly, my carefully optimized backpack felt a little underwhelming lol. The human body is remarkably adaptable. Most of us just never give it a chance to adapt.
That’s a big part of why I write about pack weight, ruck training, and trail prep the way I do now. If you ever decide to get back into longer hikes, I’d be happy to help you build back toward it in a realistic way (: