Trail runner told me my pack was killing my knees

Ran into a guy at the Snoqualmie Pass trailhead last month. He watched me load up and said I had 15 pounds too much sitting high. Switched to a lighter pack with the weight low and around my hips. Did 18 miles on the Pacific Crest Trail section this weekend and no knee pain for the first time in 2 years. Anyone else get pack advice that actually fixed something specific?

2 comments

Log in to join the discussion

Log In

2 Comments

bennett.harper1mo ago

Totally agree, this exact thing happened to me on the Wonderland Trail. A guy at a resupply pointed out my load was riding too high and I was leaning forward the whole time, so I dropped my gear lower and cinched the hip belt tighter. Did a 20 mile day after that and my lower back and knees felt way fresher than they had in months. It's wild how a little weight shift can change everything.

7

shanef341mo ago

That thing about "a little weight shift can change everything" really hits home, @bennett.harper. I had a similar wake up call but it was about my water bottles. I used to carry two big Nalgene bottles in the side pockets of my pack, which sounds fine, but they were both on the same side so I was always sort of twisted sideways. My right knee would ache after like three miles and I blamed my shoes or the terrain. Then one day I forgot one bottle at home and just had one on the left side and the difference was wild, no more pain. Ended up switching to a soft flask that I could stuff in the front pocket of my vest and now I barely think about it. It's funny how our bodies tell us stuff but we just ignore it for years until some stranger or a random accident shows us the fix.

4