Hiking

Hi folks, I have a question for all of you. Prior to August 2019 and my heart attack, pacemaker was implanted in September 2019. I was a pretty avid hiker. I plan on getting back into it this summer, so my question is about the pack. Do any of you hike with packs, if so, how do you handle the strap over the shoulder? Do you have extra padding over pacemaker site? My cardiologist also said to stay below 10,000 feet because I have two stents. I will not go above 7000 so no worries there. Appreciate any help. Thank you 


3 Comments

try them out

by Tracey_E - 2021-01-22 10:45:37

The only way to really know is to try it out. We are all built differently and packs vary. You could put extra padding but if the pack has nice straps you shouldn't need it. One of my packs doesn't touch it, the other sits on the edge of the pacer but it's never bothered me.

Do you have REI nearby? They have  weights so you can load a pack and try it out in the store. 

Hiking

by Kettlebell man - 2021-01-22 11:19:04

Thank you for the response. I have a couple different packs, when the weather gets a little nicer, I will toss in some weight and try them out. I'm actually located in Germany..No REI here, but there are others. 

Packs

by runpacer - 2021-01-29 17:22:47

Hi!

I responded to another posting recently about running/hiking packs and vests. I frequently run along the beach bike path and local mountain trails wearing a fanny pack. I used to wear a running vest which most people prefer these days. They are comfortable and they keep everything including water, phone, food and jacket within reach. However, when I returned to wearing my running vest post surgery I was stopped immediately by my doctors and placed on antibiotics. I started to developed an infection because running and hiking vests irritate the incision area. The strap runs right over the incision and device. If you cover long distance you will be at high risk for these types of infections and may rip open the area where you have the incision. My doctor (who died recently from covid) said, never wear a running vest again. That is my advice as someone who likes to spend hours on my feet in the mountains. Never wear a running or hiking vest. It is too risky. This will probably include most backpacks. You may want to wear Fanny Packs from now on. They come in various sizes depended on what distance you want to cover. Probably the best place online to search is with Ultimate Direction. Skip the running vests which is their speciality and go straight to fanny packs. I wish you the best. 

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