80lb pack + 16miles + 24 hours = ?

[Dogan]

= one tired ass runner.

[northernxposure]

Damn.

I read this the first time and - while rooting for you, WW - thought quietly that's just an insane amount of weight.

Then I reconsidered a few things, and re-evaluated the weight with something akin to an elk quarter. Any way I spun the weight in my head, it was still heavy as hell.

So last night I broke out my new to me purchase - an old (and still very new) MountainSmith FrostFire 2, and loaded it down with a 50# sack of corn and and another 25# sack of corn and hopped on the treadmill.

First mile, comfortable, but slow. Second mile, comfortable and still slow. By the third mile I noticed my knees getting sore, and my flexors starting to get a work. Back and quads were fine (which really freaked me out considering all I had to go off of was my experiences with my old REI internal frame...).

That distance, over varying terrain - I bet you slept like a damn baby. I know I'd be waking up a day later...

WW = Badass.

NXP

[doubleohseven]

You know, I spend a lot of time under a ruck.

There are very very smart men who have a few thousand miles more than me under a ruck. Who have told me this many many times.

Anything over 55# is asking your body to break.

[roscoe]

Do you mind if I ask why you decided to go with all that weight? Was that the goal - to test your capabilities in bad weather with 80 pounds?

[xxxDarksidexxx]

i read this a while back when i was lurking, and just read through it again...

WW is mentally deranged! ...your sick WW! i love it!

i see this was just over two years since you did that trip. i wanna see you do it again this november!

[Woods Walker]

Do you mind if I ask why you decided to go with all that weight? Was that the goal - to test your capabilities in bad weather with 80 pounds?

Yea. Just wanted to push it. But sometimes I am forced to pack heavy. Look at this little bundle of joy I took out a month ago.



It had a wood stove and 4-man shelter plus food etc for 2 guys/2 days. My uncle wanted to hit the woods in winter and he is older so humped the majority. I normally take every opportunity to reduce the pack weight as there is an increased risk of falls etc. A heavy pack beats the crap out of me in the hills. On a flat road or trail its way better but still gravity sucks.

[ODA 226]

You know, I spend a lot of time under a ruck.

There are very very smart men who have a few thousand miles more than me under a ruck. Who have told me this many many times.

Anything over 55# is asking your body to break.

Doubleohseven,

When I was in the SF groups, we would run 6 miles everyday with 60 pound rucksacks after doing combatives and PT. That was EVERYDAY, 5 days a week! We regularly fielded 120 pound rucksacks that we carried 15- 30 miles a day and that was with a basic load and a weapon. Quarterly, we would have to carry 60 lbs., a basic load and a weapon 12 miles in under 2 hours and 30 seconds. The best I did was 1:59. The Group record was 1:43.

55 pounds isn't a lot of weight in the big scheme of things, nor is 80 lbs...especially when you are fighting for your life!

226

[doubleohseven]

You know, I spend a lot of time under a ruck.

There are very very smart men who have a few thousand miles more than me under a ruck. Who have told me this many many times.

Anything over 55# is asking your body to break.

Doubleohseven,

When I was in the SF groups, we would run 6 miles everyday with 60 pound rucksacks after doing combatives and PT. That was EVERYDAY, 5 days a week! We regularly fielded 120 pound rucksacks that we carried 15- 30 miles a day and that was with a basic load and a weapon. Quarterly, we would have to carry 60 lbs., a basic load and a weapon 12 miles in under 2 hours and 30 seconds. The best I did was 1:59. The Group record was 1:43.

55 pounds isn't a lot of weight in the big scheme of things, nor is 80 lbs...especially when you are fighting for your life!

226

PM sent.

[ODA 226]

You know, I spend a lot of time under a ruck.

There are very very smart men who have a few thousand miles more than me under a ruck. Who have told me this many many times.

Anything over 55# is asking your body to break.

Doubleohseven,

When I was in the SF groups, we would run 6 miles everyday with 60 pound rucksacks after doing combatives and PT. That was EVERYDAY, 5 days a week! We regularly fielded 120 pound rucksacks that we carried 15- 30 miles a day and that was with a basic load and a weapon. Quarterly, we would have to carry 60 lbs., a basic load and a weapon 12 miles in under 2 hours and 30 seconds. The best I did was 1:59. The Group record was 1:43.

55 pounds isn't a lot of weight in the big scheme of things, nor is 80 lbs...especially when you are fighting for your life!

226

PM sent.

PM back to ya!

[Woods Walker]

You know, I spend a lot of time under a ruck.

There are very very smart men who have a few thousand miles more than me under a ruck. Who have told me this many many times.

Anything over 55# is asking your body to break.

Doubleohseven,

When I was in the SF groups, we would run 6 miles everyday with 60 pound rucksacks after doing combatives and PT. That was EVERYDAY, 5 days a week! We regularly fielded 120 pound rucksacks that we carried 15- 30 miles a day and that was with a basic load and a weapon. Quarterly, we would have to carry 60 lbs., a basic load and a weapon 12 miles in under 2 hours and 30 seconds. The best I did was 1:59. The Group record was 1:43.

55 pounds isn't a lot of weight in the big scheme of things, nor is 80 lbs...especially when you are fighting for your life!

226

Wow...... 120 lbs 15-30 miles in a day? 60 lbs 12 miles 2 hours.....Wow again.

What was the terrain like?

[ODA 226]

The terrain for the 12 miler was rolling terrain at Ft. Devens South Post. The worst terrain I can remember for a 120 pound + ruck was in two places...The first was an E&E exercise from Maine to New Hampshire and the second was in the Calw River Valley in Germany. The terrain was so treacherous, there were nets on the valley sides to stop one from falling 1,000 feet to one's death. And please remember the Group record for the 12 miler was 1:43!
226

[Defeater]

The terrain for the 12 miler was rolling terrain at Ft. Devens South Post. The worst terrain I can remember for a 120 pound + ruck was in two places...The first was an E&E exercise from Maine to New Hampshire and the second was in the Calw River Valley in Germany. The terrain was so treacherous, there were nets on the valley sides to stop one from falling 1,000 feet to one's death. And please remember the Group record for the 12 miler was 1:43!
226

You know, there are lots of times where I wish I had gone SF in my military career, then you have to come along and post something like this and completely ruin my dream...

[shrimpwd]

All I have to say is that there are way tougher people than I out there. I mean, if I went into the Army, they'd want me to weigh in at under 154 lbs. Then I might have to carry 80% of my body weight on my back at that speed? I just can't imagine. (I have done a 3-block walk pushing a bicycle with 120-130lbs in a medium alice pack without frame, but it was at maybe .5-1mph?)

[doubleohseven]

How tall are you? I think you got lied to.
The Army lets you be as big as your neck will allow.

[shrimpwd]

I'm 5'4" (last I checked. I may have grown another inch? I'm going to be 27 in April... oh, and definitely a guy). Of course, if I lost the 40-50 lbs that I've come to think they would want me to lose, it's really only like me carrying a 70lb pack now, but I'd have more muscle mass to do it with. Maybe I could do it.

I agree... WW, you need to do it again with more pics!

[doubleohseven]

yeah the max weight for soldiers currently in the army is 154. 160 for non prior.

height isn't a factor in the body fat measurements we do though so you just need a 17" neck =P

its 26% bodyfat for non prior at 27 28% at 28.

[Woods Walker]

. And please remember the Group record for the 12 miler was 1:43!
226

I didn't forget, just trying to block that kinda nightmare out of my mind. I did test my pack to its maximum rating. As Gunny said the EMR can take much more than 80lbs. So being naturally stupid went for it. Behold this beast.



For me getting a pack over 100lbs is nearly impossible being a more UL backpacker type. I had to put on a large POD, two long pockets and an E&E just to pull it off. Think the capacity must have been over 10,000 ci. Did a short 5-mile overnighter and want nothing to do with a 100+ lb pack again, thank you very much.

[joekaveh]

http://www.usarec.army.mil/hq/apa/rc/weight.htm <--Check the link for weight standards

Check some light infantry units/ranger battalions out there. A whole lot of guys 130-150 or so pounds who carry 80%-100% OR More of their body weight. Sorry for getting sidetracked here...

[Woods Walker]

I agree... WW, you need to do it again with more pics!

No going in the opposite direction. I took the pulk sled last weekend for a group camp out and packed heavy but naturally this didn’t matter. I have the winter BOB sub 40 and want to test it on the AT for 25-30 miles during 72-hours in a few weeks also want to do a sub 30 run for maybe 20+ miles over two days this winter. That will be a bivy sack/tarp thing for sure. A snow base can slow a person down big time, same goes for the hills but will shoot for the distance just the same.

[shrimpwd]

I understand the lighter weights. I normally 3-season hike with a sub-30lb pack. I really need to get out and do more of that, it would help me lose some weight in both areas. (I dream of a 20lb pack with food and water for 5 days... and 30lbs not in the front) Gotta hand it to you, you always have cool posts, pics and gear. Can't wait to see more.

[TAB]

You know, I spend a lot of time under a ruck.

There are very very smart men who have a few thousand miles more than me under a ruck. Who have told me this many many times.

Anything over 55# is asking your body to break.

Doubleohseven,

When I was in the SF groups, we would run 6 miles everyday with 60 pound rucksacks after doing combatives and PT. That was EVERYDAY, 5 days a week! We regularly fielded 120 pound rucksacks that we carried 15- 30 miles a day and that was with a basic load and a weapon. Quarterly, we would have to carry 60 lbs., a basic load and a weapon 12 miles in under 2 hours and 30 seconds. The best I did was 1:59. The Group record was 1:43.

55 pounds isn't a lot of weight in the big scheme of things, nor is 80 lbs...especially when you are fighting for your life!

226

I'm not saying you didn't, but I can't imagine RUNNING with 60 lbs on my back. I've carried that much comfortably at a nice slowish walk, but...running?

[sotik]

You know, I spend a lot of time under a ruck.

There are very very smart men who have a few thousand miles more than me under a ruck. Who have told me this many many times.

Anything over 55# is asking your body to break.

My problem with this whole, "Adding more weight is asking for trouble." Theory going around is that I am 190 pounds, I once weighed 300+ pounds. I use to carry, everyday an extra 100+ pounds of fat on my body everyday. Why would it be silly to assume I could put on a pack weighing 80lbs and hoof it through the woods? I mean I use to hoof around 100 plus pounds of fat. There are people who weigh 400+ pounds, I think if they were to drop their weight down to high 100's low 200's that a 80lb pack would be nothing to them.

I mean correct me if I am wrong, and I know that body fat is being evenly distributed around the body, but 100 pounds is 100 pounds fat or bug out bag I fail to see how it could be any more worse then a 100lbs of fat.

[TDW586]

My problem with this whole, "Adding more weight is asking for trouble." Theory going around is that I am 190 pounds, I once weighed 300+ pounds. I use to carry, everyday an extra 100+ pounds of fat on my body everyday. Why would it be silly to assume I could put on a pack weighing 80lbs and hoof it through the woods? I mean I use to hoof around 100 plus pounds of fat. There are people who weigh 400+ pounds, I think if they were to drop their weight down to high 100's low 200's that a 80lb pack would be nothing to them.

I mean correct me if I am wrong, and I know that body fat is being evenly distributed around the body, but 100 pounds is 100 pounds fat or bug out bag I fail to see how it could be any more worse then a 100lbs of fat.

Does "100 pounds of fat" sound like a good thing to you? Not saying you "can't", saying you shouldn't if you don't have to.

[ODA 226]

I'm not saying you didn't, but I can't imagine RUNNING with 60 lbs on my back. I've carried that much comfortably at a nice slowish walk, but...running?

Trust me...Been there, done that...averaged 10 minute miles with 60 pounds+ LBE and weapon. Anyone who has served in an Active Duty SF Group has done this too.