Backpack Weight Impacts

Not Applicable

Completed

• Conditions: Exertion; Excess

• Registration Number: NCT04249986
• Lead Sponsor: University of California, San Francisco

Brief Summary

Backpacking is an increasingly popular outdoor recreational activity. The base pack weight (BPW) includes gear that is not consumed or worn on the body: shelter, sleep system, weather-proofing layers and personal gear to ensure a degree of comfort and safety. As such, reducing BPW is one of the most important tasks a backpacker manages when preparing for a trip. Available recommendations for ideal BPW are currently inconsistent, lack clear parameters, and rely on anecdotal evidence. The study aims to collect field data on perceived exertion and heart rate (HR) in relation to BPW during a day-long interval of hiking. Such findings can have implications on the cost and safety profiles extending from recreational backpacking to military and wilderness rescue operations.

Detailed Description

Not available

Study Timeline

• Study First Submitted: 2020-01-24
• Study First Submitted QC: 2020-01-28
• Study First Posted: 2020-01-31
• Study Start: 2020-02-21
• Primary Completion: 2024-07-01
• Study Completion: 2024-07-01
• Status Verified: 2024-08
• Last Update Submitted: 2024-08-01
• Last Update Posted: 2024-08-05

Recruitment & Eligibility

• Status: COMPLETED
• Sex: All
• Target Recruitment: 20

Inclusion Criteria

• Only adult (age 18-65)
• Have gone on at least two overnight backpacking trips in the past 5 years
• Have hiked at least 8 miles in a day on one of those trips

Exclusion Criteria

• Lower extremity injuries or surgeries in the past 6-months
• Daily Smokers
• Chronic medical problems:
• Hypertension
• High cholesterol
• Diabetes
• Heart attack
• Heart surgery, cardiac catheterization, or coronary angioplasty
• Pacemaker/implantable cardiac defibrillator/rhythm disturbance
• Heart valve disease
• Heart failure
• Heart transplantation
• Congenital heart disease
• Kidney disease
• Back pain

Study & Design

• Study Type: INTERVENTIONAL
• Study Design: CROSSOVER

Primary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
The Borg Rating of Perceived Exertion During the Total Hike	2 weeks	Participants will report their perceived exertion towards the end of both hikes. The Borg Rating of Perceived Exertion scale ranges from 6 to 20. 6 being the lowest score of no exertion and 20 being the highest of maximal exertion.

Secondary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Heart Rate	2 weeks	Difference between participants' heart rate during both 17 and 19 pound base backpack weight.
The Borg Rating of Perceived Exertion During Incline and Decline Sections of the participant	2 weeks	Participants will report the perceived exertion mid-hike and towards the end. The Borg Rating of Perceived Exertion scale ranges from 6 to 20. 6 being the lowest score of no exertion and 20 being the highest of maximal exertion.

Trial Locations

Locations (1)

UCSF Fresno; 🇺🇸 Fresno, California, United States