The day I figured out I was packing my pack backward for 3 years

I was on the Skyline Trail in Yosemite last June, about 8 miles in, and my shoulders were killing me. I stopped at a creek to refill water and this older guy asked if I was okay. He looked at my pack and just said 'your heavy stuff is way too low.' I had been shoving my tent and cook kit at the bottom of my pack since I started hiking. He showed me how to pack dense gear up high against my back. The rest of that 20 mile day felt totally different. I couldn't believe I missed something that basic for that long. Has anyone else had a simple packing trick totally change their hike?

3 comments

3 Comments

drew_hart41mo ago

@sean_green44 same boat, strapping my tent to the bottom for way too long.

moore.beth1mo ago

Three years. THREE YEARS. That's like finding out you've been wearing your underwear backwards for a decade. My buddy did the same thing except he also had his sleeping bag strapped to the outside top of his pack like some kind of fluffy hat. We laughed at him for two seasons straight. But honestly the real crime is nobody told you sooner. Trail culture is supposed to look out for each other not let someone suffer for 3 years with a poorly packed bag. At least you figured it out before you needed spinal surgery.

sean_green441mo ago

Hear you @moore.beth but I actually kind of admire the guy for figuring it out on his own... trail culture can get preachy real fast and sometimes it's better to let people learn their own lessons until they ask.