GREAT NORTHERN PHYSICAL THERAPY P: 406-586-4678

How to pack your backpack

Now that summer is here, getting into the mountains is high on all of our lists. Getting out into the wilderness is a top priority for a lot of us but carrying a 40 lb pack on our backs can be hard on your body! Here we’ll give you some suggestions on how to pack your backpack most efficiently.


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First of all there is no right way to pack a backpack; but a well packed backpack should be well balanced and the bulk of the weight should rest on your hips. We can think of packing by breaking the pack down into 4 zones:

  1. Bottom Zone

    • Good for bulkier items that aren’t needed during the day

      • Ex: sleeping bags, sleeping pad

    • These soft squishy items help add to your pack’s shock absorption

  1. Core Zone

    • Good for heavy bulkier items

      • Ex: Meals, tent, fuel canisters

    • Packing heavy items here helps to create a good center of gravity

      • If you pack heavy items too low the back will sag and too high will make you feel tippy.

  1. Top Zone

    1. Good for bulky items you may need during the day

      • Ex: Lunch items, rain jacket/fleece, water filter

      • Packing items that are too heavy here will make your pack feel tippy

  1. Accessory Zone

    • Good for small items you need frequently

      • Ex: Snacks, sunscreen, maps

You should also visualize stacking your items like you would firewood; laying down rows not columns and then filing all the nooks and crannies until it feels stable and the weight is even. You can play around with your own gear and find what works best for your pack but keeping these things in mind will help to optimize your load and your hike!

– Kate Dolan, DPT

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The pelvic floor is certainly a hot topic of conversation for many men and women. Specifically, people begin to focus on their pelvic floor when they are having incontinence, urgency/frequency, prolapse, or pain associated with going to the bathroom or having sex. These are all issues related to pelvic floor dysfunction. But, what many don’t realize, is that your pelvic floor is also integral in one of our most basic functions: breath.

The diaphragm, our respiratory muscle, is located at the bottom of the ribcage. At rest, the diaphragm is a domelike shape, and with inhalation the diaphragm muscle contracts and drops downward toward your pelvis. This downward motion is followed by a shifting downward of internal organs, into the pelvic bowl. The pelvic floor muscles and fascia make up the bottom of the pelvic bowl. So, with this downward force during inhalation, the pelvic floor muscles also descend or stretch slightly downward. Immediately following inhalation and pelvic floor descent, is exhalation, and similarly, the pelvic floor follows the diaphragm as it rises upward to a resting position. This synchronous rising and falling of the diaphragm and pelvic floor is often referred to as the “piston effect”.

Not to be left out, the lower abdominal muscles (transverse abdominis) also contribute to this synchronous movement pattern. Working together by relaxing and stretching with inhalation and a “belly breath”, and tightening and drawing inward slightly with exhalation. In this way, the diaphragm, abdominals, and pelvic floor make up an abdominal cylinder that modulates intra-abdominal forces and pressure changes.

When this cylinder isn’t coordinating well together, or if there is tightness or weakness within the system, we see common musculoskeletal complaints: low back pain, SIJ pain, poor stability through the back and pelvis, hip pain, pelvic pain, incontinence, urgency/frequency of urine or stool, prolapse, poor posture, balance issues, and intolerance to exercise.

Our pelvic floor physical therapists can help evaluate these movement patterns and coordination of these systems, and create a treatment approach specific to you and your individual challenges.