4 months of light hiking ONLY! Aaaarrrgggghhh!

Can you hike with a VERY large fanny pack with a single modified shoulder strap?  I know with my pack setup, a Burn, that I can do this because I often hike like this.  I would probably attach an extra large sternum strap that went all the around to to body of the pack if it was for a longer distance.

I have have a staple in my shoulder to repair a severely dislocated shoulder.  Unfortunately in my PCT thru I ended up dislocating both of my shoulders, several days apart likely due to upper body muscle loss.

Hope me your healing is fast and creativity puts you back on the trail.

“Oh well, at 72 I guess I have to expect parts to wear out and get some “bionic” repairs. The good news is that I can hike with a big fanny pack… very carefully.”

Keep moving, Eric. It ain’t over ’til the gravitationally challenged lady sings.

Malto,

Thanks for the single shoulder strap idea. I’ll try it. In the Mojave the big weight factor is water. I take at least 3 liters for a 4 hour hike, just for safety in case I get stranded.

Yeah Tom, I hear you. “Keep on keeping’ on” is the motto of geezers. “The first 100 years are the hardest.” or so I’ve been told. ;o)

Hi Eric,

Get get yourself sorted out and back fighting fit.

I started using a bum bag (fanny pack) for xc skiing last year and really like it.

Best of luck,

Would car camping with day hikes be an option? In dispersed areas, it can even be remote. Just an idea anyway.

Eric,

You’ll be back at in full force before you know it. It’s guys like you and Tom K that inspire me that I will hopefully be hiking for many more years.

How about a maxped Jumbo?

Nothing about it lightweight but with the hipstrap cinched it’s surprisingly comfortable.

I wear mine sometimes as i find it useful to be able to swing it round to access stuff

Sorry to hear you are limited for a bit, but it sounds like you have a game plan to work though it. I am sure you saw it but recently an old thread about backpacks without shoulder straps resurfaced that might have some ideas you could use.

Eric,
I really like to use an old fanny pack of mine when possible for day hikes as my neck/shoulder does not like weight. The fanny pack body is large enough to take lunch and rain jacket, sun screen etc. on the bottom of the pack is a pair of straps that works for a piece of extra clothing rolled up. One problem comes up when I need more water than the two water bottle pockets will hold. My solution was to sew two small, maybe 1″ pieces of webbing, one on either side. I fish a mini beaner through each piece of webbing and then I can clip on a one liter Nagene bottle through the cap retainer loop to each side of my fanny pack. Yes, they flop around a bit, but it’s tolerable and much better than the weight on my shoulders. This set up gets me up around a gallon of water for a long day hike in the desert.

billy

Ooh you guys are giving my ideas for my old ginormous fanny pack. It was intended to be used with a separate halter system that I never purchased. But I think a single over-the-shoulder strap would actually be a lot better. Add a couple of hip-belt pouches and some beer bottle holders to the waist belt and it might actually hold enough for a quickie overnighter in good weather.

Here is a possible solution to the water weight. I have attached a total of four pouches for water and food and another two for commonly used small stuff. Nth at would give you the ability to get 8+ lbs out of the pack and onto your hips.

Paul,

Have you been talking to my wife? She said the same thing. So I guess it’s going to be car camping and day hikes at least until my PT tells me I can begin trying a daypack.

I do have a huge Ski Patrol 1st aid fanny pack that I might try as well.

Have you been talking to my wife? She said the same thing. So I guess it’s going to be car camping and day hikes at least until my PT tells me I can begin trying a daypack.

 

Ha! Part of the reason why I suggested car camping is that *my* wife enjoys being out there but does not enjoy backpacking as much.

She enjoy places a little less popular, dispersed camping and is content to be somewhere without a lot of amenities that established campgrounds may have.

I have found over the years that car camping does allow places that aren’t backpacking destinations to be explored more. (The ancient Puebloan areas are among the first that comes to mind).

In any case, enjoy the car camping. It can be another enjoyable way to be outside.

Best of luck with the recovery, too.