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Tumpline ?

Penns Woods

Penns Woods

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Recently I've been watching a lot of videos on packers carrying their gear using a tumpline. The video makes it sound like you could carry a Buick with no trouble.
My portage days are over and I've never used one but how good are they? Are they difficult to use? Does anyone here still use a tumpline? Just wondering.
 
I used a tumpline not an hour ago!
They are NOT for carrying significant weight by people unaccustomed to using them. I've made several, the fanciest a fifty-hour plant-to-product project out of agave, and they are a lot of fun. I have a WWII-era haversack with what's essentially a tumpline as a shoulder strap, and it's very fun with five or six pounds of daytrip gear in it. They sit on top of the skull, rather than on the forehead. Piano-carrying Sherpa I am not.
Your classic "Indian canoe" drawing will show a tump attached to the center thwart, and I gather they were more for balancing the load rather than supporting 100% of it, but I have no firsthand experience in that regard.
They are a frequent debate subject among the bushcraft crowd, who tend to argue primitive solutions being more salubrious than modern, market-driven solutions. I enjoy the debate but have no physiological education to bring to bear.
 
My wife and I have been fans for almost 35 years. Using a tumpline spreads the load between your shoulders, head and your back. Leaning forward with the tump helps get the load over your center of gravity so it's not pulling back on your shoulders and it's not on your hips like with a waist belt.

They take a little trial and error to get adjusted right but when you do it's the most comfortable way to carry heavy weight. They could be hard to use if you plan to hand carry items. They work best with both hands free.

From two years ago:

IMG_8387.jpegIMG_7490.jpeg
 
I've always found them intriguing but never tried them. Now that I'm experiencing some slight neck issues that are probably due to disc degeneration I don't think I'll be giving them a shot.

Alan
 
I think there is a potential possibility to hurt your neck and I have tweaked mine. That being said my wife has had a bad neck for longer than she's been using a tump. Her chiropractor won't even adjust it, and at one time she was scheduled for surgery. I've always been surprised it works for her and I don't recall her ever complaining that the tump aggravated it. If used properly I think there is a potential to strengthen your neck over time. At one point I was able to use it without the shoulder straps.
 
Tumplines are remarkably effective and absolutely increase the amount that you can feasibly carry.

I’ve mostly used them on wannigans and coolers that aren’t otherwise equipped with backpack straps.

The key is to place the tump on the top of your head, so that the load can be transferred inline with your neck and spine.
 
lowangle al said:
My wife and I have been fans for almost 35 years. Using a tumpline spreads the load between your shoulders, head and your back. Leaning forward with the tump helps get the load over your center of gravity so it's not pulling back on your shoulders and it's not on your hips like with a waist belt.

They take a little trial and error to get adjusted right but when you do it's the most comfortable way to carry heavy weight. They could be hard to use if you plan to hand carry items. They work best with both hands free.

From two years ago:

View attachment 148817View attachment 148818
Click to expand...

Seeing is believing. I'm amazed at what both of you are carrying.

This sounds very interesting, I think I'd like to try it but only with someone that knows what he's doing.
 
Robin said:
I’ve seen him do it live, probably the strongest guy I have ever had the pleasure of tripping with. (although Memaquay is right up there too!)
Click to expand...
Thanks Robin, I hope I still have it. I let myself go this past winter. I was eating crappy, gained weight and got lazy, at one point I was up to two naps a day. I've turned things around and got some strength back but still lack stamina.

Penns Woods said:
Seeing is believing. I'm amazed at what both of you are carrying.

This sounds very interesting, I think I'd like to try it but only with someone that knows what he's doing.
Click to expand...
It is a real helpful tool PW, and I think it can help at any age but it can also cause problems. I tweaked my neck last May and it's still not right, especially when I look left. I'd be up for a get together, remind me of where in Pa. you are.
 
Maybe I am not using them correctly, but have tried them with several of my packs and just don't find them to be comfortable due to neck pain. A year or so ago I found out I have arthritis in my cervical spine so I think I know why they don't work for me. But I have been humping some big packs for more than 50 years without them so at this point I will continue to do what has been working for me.
 
Sorry to hear that jdeerfoot. The advice I would give to someone trying out a tump is to adjust it on the long side and shorten it as needed. If it's too short it will put too much weight on your head at first Have it loose enough that you can barely get any weight on it. As you lean forward, with some added pressure from your hands it will tighten up the slack. When done right it just pulls the load forward without putting too much weight on your neck. The leaning forward also helps spread the weight out and friction helps keep it from pulling too hard on your shoulders and neck.
 
That’s good advice @lowangle al

I would also offer that with especially heavy loads, I bend far forward at the hips: maybe 35 or 40 degrees.

My neck and back still stay straight (which is very important) but most of the load is actually carried on the flat of my back, rather than hanging down on my neck and head. The tumpline keeps the load in place but isn’t the primary load support. With the right posture, my forward leaning torso offsets a substantial portion of the load’s pull to the rearward, and the whole assembly balances pretty nicely above my hips and legs.

Sure the tumpline hurts a little on my head but when it’s all nicely balanced, I notice that my legs are actually working the hardest and then you know you’re doing it right.
 
Last edited:
Old ways are the best ways.
Ease into gradually. Just like using snow shoes. There are few small muscles that you do not want to overwork at first.
 
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