Trek Preparation

Pack Training & Load Management

How pack weight affects your body, a percentage-based way to build carrying capacity, and how to progress load safely.

Carrying a load raises the energy cost of walking and the stress on your legs, hips and back, and it rises with the weight. That is why pack carrying is something to train deliberately, and to build up gradually.

In short: Your target pack weight includes everything you carry. Train with a percentage of it, build up gradually, and check your target against your body weight and your itinerary.

A hiker with a large backpack and poles walking a forest trail

Load is trained deliberately, and gradually.

Your target trekking pack weight

Your target pack weight is the realistic total you expect to carry on trek: the pack itself plus everything inside it, including water, food and safety equipment. Military load-carriage reviews generally suggest keeping sustained loads to around 30% of body mass, with heavier loads raising injury risk. Recreational trekkers usually carry less; check your own itinerary and, if in doubt, aim lighter.

Percentage-based training

Programme sessions prescribe your training pack weight as a percentage of your target weight:

Target pack weight	Prescribed %	Training pack weight
8 kg	50%	4 kg
12 kg	75%	9 kg
16 kg	100%	16 kg

The training pack weight is your total pack weight for the session, not extra weight added on top of your normal load.

Base and Summit

On the Base track, pack work builds carrying tolerance alongside hiking endurance and controlled movement. On the Summit track it progresses capacity further and may include shorter, heavier loaded sessions above your intended trekking load where your starting capacity and recovery support it. Above-target loading is not mandatory for everyone.

Safe progression and pack set-up

Fit your pack properly and use the hip and shoulder straps. The hips should carry most of the load.
Pack stable and balanced, with heavier items close to your back.
Increase pack weight, duration, elevation and terrain difficulty one at a time, not all together.
Watch fatigue, and choose terrain that matches your current capacity, not just your target.
Never remove essential water, food, clothing or safety equipment to hit a percentage. Use extra weight such as books or plates instead.

Build the legs that carry it

Loaded walking is helped by stronger legs, hips and calves. See Strength Training for Hikers, and practise the load on real terrain in your Mountain Day.

A worked example

A 70 kg trekker has a target pack weight of 12 kg, including water, food and gear. On the percentage plan, 50% is 6 kg, 75% is 9 kg and 100% is 12 kg. That target is about 17% of their body weight, a manageable range for most people. The calculator above does the same sums for your numbers.

Myth versus evidence

Common belief	What the evidence suggests
The heavier I train, the better I will trek.	Heavier loads raise the demand and the injury risk. Train to your target weight and progress gradually, with above-target work only where it is prescribed and you recover well.
Weight belongs on the shoulders.	A well-fitted pack puts most of the load on the hips.

Coach’s tip: weigh your full trek pack (with water and food) on bathroom scales the week before you fly. Many people carry more than they planned.

Frequently asked questions

Does water count toward pack weight?

Yes. Your target and training pack weights are totals, including water, food and safety equipment.

Should I train with a vest instead of my pack?

Train with the pack you will carry. Fit and balance matter as much as weight.

What if my target is very heavy?

Check it against your body weight and consider lightening it. If it is still heavy, build up more slowly and ask a coach.

Last updated September 2026. General education, not medical advice or a personalised prescription. Stop and seek qualified advice if you have sharp, increasing or persistent pain, or a health condition that may affect exercise.

Keep exploring

Research behind the advice

Apply this to Annapurna Base Camp

Your ABC pack target depends on whether a porter carries your main bag. Practise the load you will actually carry through the Sanctuary, and build it gradually. See the Annapurna Base Camp route demands.

About the author

Nathan Gee is Peaksted’s founder: a sport scientist (BSc Sports Science) with a strength and conditioning background and eight years of coaching experience, focused on hiking and trekking performance. Meet the Peaksted team.