Mt. Whitney Portal Store & Hostel Forums General Mt. Whitney Portal Store Message Board Great New Training Aid When You Can't Get To A Mountain

I discovered a great way to get legs accustomed to carrying a lot of weight (backpacks) all year round.

It's called the Walk Vest and has pockets balanced all around to carry up to 16 lbs. I found that the weight is distributed so evenly that you need at least 12 lbs. to feel anything. I'm using the vest instead of a weight packed backpack to train with. The vest is made of mesh so it breathes. Sizes run a bit large. Cost is $79.95 for the vest which comes with 4 pounds of weights. Each additional 4 pounds is $14.95, shipping is $14.95. Great investment though for year round conditioning. It has a waist belt so you can jog with it.

Got mine through Techno-Scout or www.walkvest.com
I'll probably do a little short run up from the Portal with the vest the day before my actual hike.

I think I'll stick with my training regimen of throwing on my backback filled weight (such as water bottles or weight plates) and slogging up a hill. It seems to me that nothing gets you in shape for backpacking like actual backpacking (even if you can't get to a mountain).

As far as adding weight to my body to load my legs, rather than a weight vest I'd much prefer to add the weight by eating. That way I can say that my gaining weight is part of my conditioning program for backpacking. That's my story and I'm stickin' to it!

TN