Plate loaded backpack.

20L jerry can

I first heard about this style of loaded pack on a Joe Rogan podcast (I can’t remember which episode) and looked it up right away. I enjoy weighted hikes as I think they are excellent training in their own right and are overlooked for how important they are to prepare for longer hikes. So seeing this simple plate loaded backpack I was keen to acquire one for my own training.

The pack is really quite simple; it’s an old-school army ALICE pack with a bar on the back for loading plates. I bought a re-creation frame and straps from an army surplus store and drew out what I would need for the plate loading. The plate on the back is 200mm x 350mm and 3mm thick, the pipe is a standard 50mm pipe, 180mm long at approximately 70 degrees. I had this all welded up at an engineering shop next door to where I work. I can’t remember what I paid, but it wasn’t much, it’s ridiculously easy for a metal work shop to put together so I suspect most shops would be open to a cash deal.

With the plate made it was up to me to fix it to the pack frame. I bought four small U bolts from a hardware store, then marked and drilled where I would need them to go. I needed to cut down the top set as these would rub against my plates when loaded. The bottom bolts wouldn’t reach the plate due to the angle. I normally use one small spacer off this plate to allow the plate to sit well (Two spaces are pictured to make room for the bag below, more on that later). I finished the plate with silver zinc spray paint to prevent rust.

Total unloaded weight is 5kg (the steel is heavy) and I could load up 50kg plus on this frame.

A few modifications

One option is to ditch the plate loading and just load up the pack frame. I bought a shelf off a retailer in the US for about $5 which makes it easy to load containers to the pack. I bought a 20 litre jerry can for this purpose so I can load 20kg for water on the pack, roping or strapping it on. This works great as a slightly unstable load (a good proxy for hiking where the load is more fixed and the terrain more unstable). However this looks a little too “play army” for me so I don’t often train this. (Full respect to the armed forces, I’m just not part of them and don’t want to mistaken for a serviceman).

The shelf also makes it easy for me to attach a small carry bag to the pack which I set up when I take my dog out for longer walks where he will need a drink. I needed somewhere to pack some water for him and me, a dog bowl, raincoat, first aid kit etc. To make room for the shelf, and full pack I needed to pack the plates out from my back a little further, hence the extra packer.

Last but certainly not least are the straps I have for this pack frame. They are made by a New Zealand company (Twin Needle and Thread) and they are incredible. They are thick, wide, comfortable and extraordinarily well made. They make this my most comfortable pack by far, and I couldn’t be happier with them. The small pack is also made by them and it is of the same supreme quality. They were even able to custom make the pack for me with molle webbing on both sides.

This project took a little bit of organisation to collect all of the parts and put it together but has been well worth it for me. This is my go to set up for taking the dog for a walk around the block, exercising him, and me at the same time. This keeps me partially prepared for when I can get away for a longer hike.

Also good for weighted calisthenics