High Sierra Topix

A thread on the Mt. Whitney & vicinity BB pointed me to this web page: http://www.lightningpacks.com/. They're working on a backpack that generates electricity and eases pain on the joints by having the load move up and down on springs -- essentially like hanging your load off a packframe on bungi cords. Cool, eh? Here's the picture:

Interesting...
Nothing like carrying a few extra pounds of backpack (frame), in order to charge what? Plus, it looks like the backpack itself moves...throwing off any center of gravity...an accident waiting to happen...just what I need on a class 3 traverse.

Maybe in the future (or maybe for some special needs of certain others), but the only electronics I usually carry are a tiny Garmin Geko GPS and a head flashlight (LED), and the total weight of all these toys, including the batteries, is minimal compared to what this must add in poundage to the general load.

I can see some advantages to the military; they carry a whole lot more communication gear...but for general backpacking...well, let us just say... you get one, and tell me how it goes.

I bet it squeaks too..lol...just the thing for steath.

No matter how you suspend it, you're still carrying all that weight around with you. It may make it easier if the weight shifts from your hips to your shoulders and then back again, but your legs are still doing the same amount of work.
And like the other poster said....it looks like the center of gravity will shift.

The Other Tom wrote:No matter how you suspend it, you're still carrying all that weight around with you. It may make it easier if the weight shifts from your hips to your shoulders and then back again, but your legs are still doing the same amount of work.

...mind you, I'm not promoting these things (I can't imagine actually wearing one), but apparently it actually is a bit less work to carry a load with a little spring to it. Normally, the load goes up and down with every step, but with the springs the load tends to remain more or less in the same place vertically, so you're not constantly lifting it and putting it down with each step.

Markskor, you're absolutely right about the class-3 traverse bit -- egad, it would be awful Nice post over in the 'first peak' thread, by the way.