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visitonair · 5 years

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Why The Best Vacations Are Active Travel Vacations – Forbes

Active vacations combine, travel, fitness and beautiful landscapes. One way to experience it is at … [+] luxury all-inclusive adventure lodges like those operated by Explora. This hike is at Explora’s resort in Chile’s Atacama Desert.

Explora

There are a lot of different styles of travel and reasons to travel, from laying by the pool relaxing to visiting art museums. I’ve experienced just about every kind of vacation imaginable during twenty-plus years as a travel-focused journalist, and I have become increasingly convinced that the best are active vacations. A lot of people seem to agree, as this sector of the leisure travel industry has been booming.

Traditionally, active travel meant sport-specific kinds of trips, primarily cycling, hiking and skiing, along with watersports such as scuba diving and surfing. But in recent years the options have expanded greatly, and today people also go on yoga or wellness vacations, to running camps, or on the many variations of “multi-sport” trips combining permutations of cycling, mountain biking, hiking, kayaking, rafting and other pursuits.

Active travel is different from the often-hyped category of “Adventure Travel,” which in many cases involves no more effort than sleeping in a yurt or standing on the deck of an icebreaker and observing glaciers. There is nothing wrong with that, but it is not active.

One benefit of active travel is burning enough calories to feel good about great local cuisine. … [+] Butterfield & Robinson, the gold standard for luxury cycling vacations, treats guests to dinners like this in Japan – and everywhere.

Larry Olmsted

There are several reasons why active vacations are so appealing. One is the feeling of accomplishment you get when you challenge yourself physically. For example, to hike every day for a week in mountainous terrain, perhaps at altitude, is exertion most of us would not do at home. Then there is the health benefit of active travel, especially given that on vacation, many tend to overindulge in food and drink. Personally, I am going to have gelato anytime I visit Italy, regardless, so it’s better if I’ve burned a few hundred calories first! Meals are sweeter, cold beer more refreshing, and generally you feel better about yourself after a day of physical effort. In addition, just the knowledge that you have a trip like this scheduled often promotes preparation and training, fitness benefits that span months for a week or two on vacation.

But these trips also self-select some of the most beautiful places to visit, active or not. For instance, the most popular classic biking vacation destinations are Tuscany, Provence and California’s wine country. Hiking hotspots include the Alps, New Zealand, and the Himalayas. Top surfing and scuba diving destinations are almost always in tropical paradises.

View of Torres del Paine National Park, in Magallanes southern region of Chile, on April 16, 2019. – … [+] Created in 1959, this UNESCO World Biosphere Reserve since 1978, has 242,242 protected hectares. Known for the Paine hill complex, a group of rock formations in which the Torres and Cuernos del Paine stand out, whose highest summit rises to 3,050 mt, is a paradise for nature lovers, hiking and climbing. (Photo by Ana FERNANDEZ / AFP) (Photo credit should read ANA FERNANDEZ/AFP/Getty Images)

AFP/Getty Images

These types of vacations are in gorgeous scenery, and often destinations you might not otherwise visit except to be active, such as Patagonia, Norway or Chile’s awesome Atacama Desert. But seeing them by foot or paddle or pedal also allows you to explore them at a pace that lets you enjoy the locales far more intimately than you can from a car or train window. One of the world’s oldest and most established active travel companies, Butterfield & Robinson, after half a century of cycling and hiking trips, has long made its motto, “Slow Down to See the World.” There is a lot of truth to that (read my in-depth piece about B&R here).

There is also a good reason why the active trips offered by companies specializing in these draw such a high level of repeat clientele, and when I have traveled with leading companies in any of these niches, many of my compatriots were on their third, fifth or tenth such trip, and are always looking forward to the next new destination to explore actively.

I could go on virtually forever describing all the options and ins and outs of active travel, but instead I am going to recap a few major categories and the highlights of the best trips and best tour operators specializing in them. I’m intentionally skipping skiing and snowboarding, because while certainly active, these are trips you are already either going to do or not do because it’s your passion or annual ritual. However, I have written for years on ski travel here at Forbes, and if you want to learn more, just look.

Cycling trips have long been one of the most popular active vacation options – on or off road.

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Cycling: Cycling trips are near and dear to me and I’ve done many, in Europe, Asia and the United States, with a variety of tour operators, good and bad, as well as self-guided. But the biggest misconception about cycling vacations is that they are only for avid cyclists. The truth is that I have been on trips with people who do not cycle at all regularly at home, but they know how to ride a bike, are interested in fitness, and love travel. That’s really all you need, because the good tour operators offer multiple routes of multiple difficulty daily, and each itinerary is rated for difficulty from easy to strenuous, and you can choose trips and destinations accordingly. Typically, there is also the omnipresent option to cut your ride short and get a ride in the guide van. Further, the top tour operators all now offer an E-bike option, bicycles with electric assistance to augment your pedaling. These greatly reduce effort for less experienced riders.

Backroads is America’s oldest cycling tour operator, celebrating 50 years of guided vacations.

Backroads

You cover more ground and see more daily by bike than on foot, but still get to stop and smell the roses and see the scenery and culture at a leisurely, immersive pace. The luxury 5-Star gold standard for the industry is Canada’s Butterfield & Robinson, the company that pioneered the category since 1966 and has won many industry and consumer awards. Gray & Company is an award-winning ultra-luxury operator that skips the catalogs and does nothing but one of a kind, bespoke private trips for the most demanding clientele (read more about luxury bespoke travel outfitters like Gray & Co. here).

Other top choices with great track records that I can personally vouch for are Backroads, America’s longtime leader in the space since 1979 (learn more here), and Trek Travel, originally a division of the famous Wisconsin-based bicycle maker, Trek. All have trips to all the top destinations such as Italy and France, as well as all over the world, from Cuba to Vietnam. Spain is a great but less high-profile cycling destination, and South America, especially Argentina, has been on the rise. At a lower price point, Tourissimo is a Boston-based specialist in cycling and active travel to Italy, with less fancy hotels and bells and whistles, but great bikes, guides and in-depth local expertise, as well-as food-centric cycling trips led by famous chefs (which I have written about here).

Active travelers with National Geographic Expeditions on the Tour du Mont Blanc. This 8-12 day trip … [+] through the Swiss, French and Italian Alps is considered by many to be the world’s greatest hike of this length.

Larry Olmsted

Hiking: The appeal of hiking is its accessibility: if you can walk, you can hike, and not a lot of special expertise is needed. However, if you plan to tackle one of the more challenging trips, such as the iconic Tour du Mont Blanc, an 8-12 day circumnavigation of Western Europe’s highest peak through three countries (Switzerland, France and Italy) or trek to Everest Base Camp in Nepal, you will definitely want to get some real hiking under your belt first.

Just like cycling, trips are rated by exertion level, and they usually also detail daily mileages, hours and altitude gain and loss. Choosing the right trip for your abilities is important, but there is no more elemental way to explore beautiful landscapes than on foot, and hiking takes you where roads cannot. Some of the most desirable other destinations include the South Island of New Zealand, Peru, the American Southwest with its jaw-dropping red rock landscapes, and Italy’s Dolomites.

National Geographic Expeditions is a leader in high-end trips to some of the more challenging destinations, from the Inca Trail to Patagonia, Machu Picchu to the Himalayas, and is especially known as the gold-standard for the famed Tour du Mont Blanc. Other well-regarded companies include REI Adventures, a division of the eponymous outdoor sports gear retailer, and the top cycling companies, especially Backroads and Butterfield & Robinson, also offer a wide slate of topnotch hiking trips.

Wildlife safaris are great, but many cannot be classified as active travel. One notable exception is … [+] trekking to see the mountain gorillas, which requires several hours of hiking in very rough terrain – but it is worth it!

Larry Olmsted

Safaris: Wildlife safaris have surged in popularity in recent years, and for good reason, and I’ve written at length about the topic here at Forbes (see “Why an African Safari is the Trip of a Lifetime”). I think the African safari is the pinnacle of the so-called Bucket List, a true (at least) once in a lifetime trip you simple cannot miss. But for most safari-goers, the experience is anything but active, pampered in luxury camps with great food and wine while viewing animals from four-wheel drive vehicles.

However, there are a few options to really up the ante physically. Almost all the top safari camps include early morning and late afternoon game drives, between which most guests lay by the pool, read or nap. But almost all also offer the option for midday ranger guided walks in the bush, which can be fairly active, yet in my experience (about ten African safari trips), surprisingly few guests opt for these. Try it, because you will get some exercise and you might also see something amazing.

More and more lodges now offer midday mountain biking excursions as well – I did one last year in Kenya and it was awesome. Specialty safari tour operators also offer specifically active trips, such as safaris by foot or canoe, and some destinations like the Kalahari Desert (read more here) and Victoria Falls offer more active options.

But the pinnacle of combining wildlife viewing and exertion is gorilla trekking, which requires you to hike, typically for two to four hours, often uphill and in rugged terrain, always on foot, to see the majestic mountain gorillas. This is a one of a kind, unforgettable experience that requires a level of fitness, and is best done in Rwanda, with the second choice being Uganda, while some trips visit both.

There are a lot of topnotch safari companies, but more than in any other niche of travel, based on my numerous experiences, I firmly believe the very best is Micato Safaris, which is what I unequivocally recommend to my family and closest friends, and if you can afford it, you cannot do better, regardless of your destination in Africa (or India, if you want to see tigers). Micato has been the safari choice of everyone from Warren Buffet to Hillary Clinton to British royalty. You can read more about what makes Micato so great here. But specifically for gorillas, National Geographic Expeditions is also a great choice, particularly because they have departures hosted by acclaimed scientific experts, and a local partnership with the Diane Fossey Gorilla Fund, so guests visit the organization’s museum and headquarters and meet with researchers. Nat Geo also offers active good gorilla trips for photography buffs.

Miraval, one of the best known operators of luxury destination fitness spas, recently added a … [+] location in Austin, Texas.

James Baigrie/Miraval

Destination Fitness Resorts: There is an entire category of resorts dedicated to working out, and these places typically combine a vast slate of classes (stationary cycling, yoga, aerobics, Pilates, cardio-boxing, strength training, etc.) with outdoor activities such as hiking, and healthy food the entire time. Some people go to lose weight, some to kickstart a new fitness regimen, and some just go over and over to get stronger. This kind of vacation is different from other active travel in the sense that you are not going to explore a region or culture or reward your day’s efforts with gelato, but they are definitely active vacations, and many of the top spots are excellent facilities.

Some of the best regarded include the Ranch Malibu, with satellite locations at the Four Seasons Westlake Village and in Italy’s Dolomites; Miraval, in Tucson, Austin and Massachusetts’s Berkshires; Canyon Ranch (Tucson, Berkshires, Woodside, CA); and Rancho la Puerta in Tecate, Mexico.

Multi-sport trips typically combine cycling or hiking with lots of other active pursuits, and one … [+] leading tour operator, Backroads, recently added yoga to many of its departures around the world, such as this one on Hawaii’s Maui.

Backroads

Multi-Sport: While cycling and hiking trips tend to draw people who are already fans of those activities, the multi-sport trip is a mixed bag of variety for those who want to be active on a great vacation to a great destination without being wedded to a full week of one pursuit. These trips typically mix a few days each of cycling and hiking with other activities as varied as sea kayaking, dog sledding, horseback riding, caneing, snowshoeing, and even spelunking. It’s a great choice for a first active vacation, or for families with diverse interests, as there is something for everyone and the constantly changing mix makes every day a new adventure.

Multi-sport trips are offered all over the world, but classic spots include Costa Rica and Belize in Central America, New Zealand, Italy’s Dolomites, and South America, especially Chile and Argentina. Not surprisingly, the companies specializing in cycling and hiking trips like Butterfield & Robinson, Backroads and Trek Travel also offer multi-sport options, and because they often have trips focused on all three activities in the same areas, they have the best guides and infrastructure.

South America is home to several luxury all-inclusive adventure lodges across Chile Argentina, and … [+] Peru. Explora operates five excellent ones, and at their Atacama Desert location in Chile, you can ride horses one day…

Explora

Adventure Lodges: This is an especially great way to combine the exploration of a local culture and natural setting with physical activity, yet one that fewer American travelers I speak to really know much about. The best of these are in iconic outdoor destinations such as Patagonia, and combine first rate lodging, food and wine with a stable of in-house guides who are expert in the region, and a vast slate of daily activities all of which are included in the price. Basically, these are luxury boutique resorts that exist simply to offer one-stop shopping for adventures in the great outdoors, and the variety is enormous.

Ride mountain bikes through slot canyons the next…

Larry Olmsted

Unlike a multi-sport trip, which still has a daily itinerary, each day you can choose from a number of hikes of different lengths, bike rides, horseback trips, watersports and more – all from one comfortable home base without packing and unpacking. The model is growing but is primarily based in South America, where the pioneer of the genre is Explora, a Chilean family-owned chain that was created to showcase the natural wonders, culture, food and wine of the nation. Explora is exceptional, I have been to three of their properties and cannot wait to go to a fourth, and they have grown into Peru and Argentina, and also offer organized moving trips across the Andes. Explora has a lock on the absolute best way to visit what I personally consider one of the most fascinating places in the entire world, Easter Island, and I cannot recommend visiting this property enough (read more here).

And hike to vast Salt Flats the next…

Explora

Their model has inspired other South American luxury adventure lodge groups, most notably Tierra, which I have also been to and found excellent (Chile’s Patagonia, Atacama Desert, and Chiloe, in an island archipelago) and the even more upscale Relais & Chateaux member Awasi, with private guides and four wheel drive vehicles for each guest (Atacama, Patagonia, and Iguazu Falls Argentina). The model is very similar to that of a luxury all-inclusive African safari camp, and not surprisingly, one of the most well-regarded safari lodge operators, &Beyond, just moved into this arena with its first South American property, Vira Vira, on an organic farm in Chile’s lake district.

There are lots more active travel options, but if you try even one of the suggestions above, there is a good chance you will get the bug and you can start working your way through the genre.

The post Why The Best Vacations Are Active Travel Vacations – Forbes appeared first on Visit onair.

source https://visitonair.com/why-the-best-vacations-are-active-travel-vacations-forbes/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=why-the-best-vacations-are-active-travel-vacations-forbes

#travel #visit #holiday #vacation #trip #journey #traveldestinations #traveltips #travelpacking #trav

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walktohimalayas · 5 years

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5 Expert tips for your first trek to the Indian Himalayas

The most extensive of all mountain ranges, the Himalayas stretches across the lands of Pakistan, India, Bhutan, Nepal and eastern China. Home to the highest peaks on the planet, it represents the courageous and vivacious spirit of these countries’ nomadic tribes. If you’re planning a Himalaya tour, these are the things you need to keep in mind.

1. DIY OR OUTFITTER?

Choosing whether or not to arrange a trek through associate degree clothing store or “do-it-yourself” ought to be a call created supported your expertise and luxury within the mountains. The spectrum ranges from a visit organized with a Western company (who can typically offer certified guides, excellent logistics, satellite communication, extensive medical kits, and staff with the knowledge to use them) to a visit organized with a neighborhood company (standards of guides, logistics, and emergency preparedness vary) to you trekking solo with your backpack.

All can be enjoyable and appropriate ways to experience the Himalaya. Just be sure your choice matches your experience and ability to make decisions when things go wrong. If you choose an outfitter, don’t choose based solely on price. Do some research, and ask for recommendations of companies with whom others have had positive experiences.

2. UNDERSTAND THE BASICS OF ALTITUDE.

Treks within the Himalaya typically visit extreme high altitudes, all without touching snow, ropes, or crampons. Both the Annapurna Circuit and the Everest Base Camp trek take you to over 18,000 feet. In the U.S., solely the 2 tallest peaks in American state reach this high. These altitudes combined with trekkers’ lack of preparedness lead to multiple deaths each year. Every traveller ought to perceive the way to acknowledge, avoid, and treat high-altitude diseases. For safe and secure tour walktohimalayas.com is one of the best site to book your Himalaya tour packages. On your trek don’t miss attending one of the Himalayan Rescue Association’s free daily altitude clinics located on Nepal’s most popular trekking routes.

3. WEATHER FORECASTS.

Guide corporations like mine, pay high thousand bucks a year for daily forecasts and analysis from meteorologists whenever we've teams high within the Himalaya. This cost will be out of reach for most trekkers. Alternative free forecasts on the net currently do an honest job at predicting major weather shifts and massive storms.

4. BE CONSERVATIVE.

Along with all of these considerations, the most important factor in safety in the mountains is still your personal decision making. After some days of trekking in stunning weather soaking in unimaginable mountain scenery and Nepali culture, it's simple to forget however really dangerous the high mountains ar. Be conservative in your decisions! If weather, acclimatization, or health are not what they should be for you or your teammates, play it safe and descend, turn around, or take a rest day. The mountains are entirely unforgiving of mistakes.

5.STAY HYDRATED

Another basic yet extremely important tip to highlight on your trip to the Himalayas, stay hydrated.

MUST CARRY (MEDICINE KIT)

Chances are that you might not be able to find urgent medical help on your travels at unexplored sites, so pack your go-to antibiotics and medicines.

Thank you so much for reading and for more info related to Himalayan tours and travels, Click here

#himalaya tour packages #himalaya tour #himalaya tourism #himalayan tours and travels #Himalaya Travel #Himalaya Travels

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obi-s-closet · 5 years

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I just added this listing on Poshmark: Himalaya Outfitters flannel shirt, size 3X. #poshmark #fashion #shopping #shopmycloset

#poshmark #fashion #shopping #shopmycloset

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tinblossomsboutique · 1 year

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Check out this listing I just added to my Poshmark closet: Himalaya Outfitters Men’s Flannel Plaid Long Sleeved Shirt XXL.

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emaxi-bond0098 · 2 years

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Rafting in India

With world-class rafting potential, cultural and geographical diversity, easy access to most rivers, a plethora of international-standard river-running outfitters (with state-of-the-art equipment), an ethos steeped in hospitality, and – conveniently – no permit requirements for river running (except in the 'inner line,' close to the border areas), India is quickly establishing itself as the world's 'river-running destination.' Rafting is on its way to becoming the country's most popular adventure sport, and India is a paradise for river runners. The Indian Himalayas are a fantastic destination for hard-core rafters, with numerous rivers rushing through its heart, unspoiled surroundings, riverine flora and fauna, and the region's rich and historic culture. While commercial rafting has matured throughout the country, there are still certain challenges. Rafting, the high-octane activity of navigating a river in an inflatable raft, has multiple levels of difficulty depending on the river's choppyness. These 'difficulty levels' are determined by the presence of rapids, which form as a result of dramatic drops in the river's height, as well as the presence of small or large boulders in the water. Rafting is a difficult but extremely enjoyable exercise; just remember to follow the instructor's safety instructions! While whitewater (rapids) can be frightening, river running done properly – under professional supervision, with the proper training, using the appropriate equipment, taking all necessary safety precautions, and adhering to a set of international safety and environmental standards – can be a very safe, enjoyable, and exciting soft-adventure sport.

Read More -https://www.shivaenterprisesonline.com/

#boats #crafts #rivercrafts #portable #kayak #kayaking #tumblrpictures #tumblr

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ionecoffman · 7 years

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Why It’s Better to Carry Weight on Your Head

A young girl stands alongside a wood-canvas canoe. She wraps the tails of a long, leather strap around one of the canoe’s horizontal struts in preparation for a two-mile portage to the next lake. She swings the 100-pound, waterlogged canoe up over her head in a single fluid motion, resting it upside down on her shoulders, one end pointed toward the sky. Then she pulls the leather strap behind her hairline like a bandanna, adjusts her stance so the weight of the canoe is channeled smoothly down her neck and spine, and starts walking the rocky trail.

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Methods of “head carry,” or weighting a load on top of the head, are standard across the developing world. The best-known images of the technique show African women trekking miles to and from water sources. Despite 10-gallon buckets balanced precariously above them, their backs are straight as a rod and their chins lifted. Often, heavy loads aren’t only carried on the heads, but suspended from it by a strap, called a tumpline. Light, internal-frame backpacks have largely replaced tumplines among modern folk who carry loads outdoors. But when done properly, head carry can be safer, more efficient, and more functional than supposedly better, newer technologies.

* * *

Looking for the inventor of head-carry devices and techniques is like asking who invented shoes. No single origin story exists for a piece of leather, fabric, or rope that is knotted, looped, or buckled around a load and worn across the top of the head. The tumpline precedes even the backpack. It has been used across every populated continent. Congolese women use tumplines to carry charcoal and firewood. Sherpas, perhaps the most famous tumpline users today, have been known to eschew modern packs even when they are offered, preferring the simple strap when carrying gear in the Himalayas. They call tumplines namlo and carry up to their own body weight in baskets called doko.

The English word “tumpline” is thought to be a shortening of the Algonquian words mattump or metump, and it entered the Western lexicon alongside trade. Fur-trapping voyageurs and coureurs de bois learned the method from their Native allies in the 17th and early-18th centuries. It was the only feasible way to carry large bundles of furs and gear through the dense forests between navigable bodies of water in what is now Canada and the northernmost United States.

In 1882, the French Canadian shoemaker Camille Poirier brought the tumpline to the North American masses when he created the Duluth pack. This pack kept the familiar shape of the backpack, with shoulder straps and a fixed volume storage compartment, but added a tumpline attachment that allowed for the pack to be weighted on the shoulders, the neck, or both. The Duluth pack quickly became a classic; it is still manufactured in Duluth, Minnesota, and imitated by outdoor outfitters around the world.

By the early 20th century, the tumpline’s influence had spread from outfitters to the military. During World War I, in the trenches of the Somme, Staff Captain F.R. Phelan formed the 11th Canadian Brigade Tumpline Company after showing how much manpower and time could be saved if resupplies of the muddy trenches were conducted by tumpline. Phelan had learned the technique while hunting and fishing in the wilderness of Quebec, mirroring the journeys and challenges of the voyageurs.

Phelan’s men were issued an oiled leather tumpline with two long tails. The tails could be tied around larger loads than would fit in a backpack or in the hands. It also could be worn without interfering with their helmets. The men were trained in knots and proper posture, and they slowly increased the weight of their loads until they were carrying twice what had previously been possible, and with equal or greater efficiency. The tumpline made the dangerous process of resupplying the trenches faster and safer.

By 1944, tumpline companies had become standard across the Canadian ground forces. A Popular Mechanics article from that year shows Canadian soldiers using tumplines to carry medical supplies, machine guns, and even to pull sled-style stretchers designed for moving casualties while under fire during World War II.

* * *

In the second half of the 20th century, the rise of performance outdoor gear threatened to extinguish the tumpline outside of traditional communities. Backpacks are not a modern creation, but the internal-frame pack, invented by Greg Lowe in 1967, was a watershed moment in modern outdoorsmanship. Tumplines had never been ubiquitous on packs, but the creation of a less bulky pack that comfortably loaded weight on the hips rather than the shoulders made it easy to justify removing tumpline attachments from backpack designs.

Advances in padding made packs more comfortable. Improved textiles increased waterproofness. And better design made them more space efficient. In the process, backpacks became commodities—mass-produced, but also one-size-fits-most. By contrast, tumplines are precision tools that need to be adjusted carefully to fit each user. Wearers need to be trained in proper posture and technique. They must carefully ease into heavier loads as they build up muscles in their necks and backs. Backpacks can be treated as precision tools as well, but the barrier to entry is much lower. Shoulder straps are simple and intuitive; they slip right on. Hip belts are equally self-explanatory, and the flaws of the modern backpack have mostly been overlooked in favor of convenience and fashion.

This state of affairs makes Yvon Chouinard an outlier. He is the founder of Patagonia, a company that makes some of the fanciest gear in the outdoor sports world. And even though he built an empire on $900 parkas and $500 sleeping bags, Chouinard still swears by the tumpline. His company sells a simple nylon version of the product for under $20.

Chouinard took up the tumpline in 1968, after sustaining a neck injury in the jungles of Columbia that resulted in severe recurring back pain. A decade later, during an expedition to Nepal, he saw that the porters were carrying twice as much as the climbers with much simpler gear. Chouinard began training with the tumpline, and it proved an effective a solution. To this day, the founder of a company some critics have nicknamed “Patagucci” makes use of an ancient tool, claiming that he’d never go back to using a conventional pack without adding on a tumpline.

Despite the advocacy of industry leaders like Chouinard, the proven efficacy by some of the world’s strongest athletes and Sherpas, and hundreds of years of documented use, the most common argument against tumplines is that they aren’t safe. The claim is not without merit, but impatience is more to blame than intrinsic risk. If a runner were suddenly to run barefoot on a dirt trail, they’d likely get injured. Feet accustomed to structured cocoons of cushioned safety do not take well to the shock of having to work in new ways. Likewise, hoisting 50 pounds atop an unstrengthened spine without training guidance can also lead to harm.

Numerous studies show that tumplines and other head-carry techniques are more metabolically efficient and physically healthy than the supposedly high-tech successors that fill today’s gear shops. African women have been found to carry loads of up to 60 percent of their body weight on their heads more economically than army recruits with a backpack of an equivalent weight. Nepalese porters with a tumpline have been found to be 60 percent faster and 39 percent more powerful than their clients carrying modern packs.

Method rather than fitness level explains why. When used properly, tumplines evenly channel weight down the strongest part of the body. They require good posture and don’t allow for the sloppiness that can be hidden with a hip belt and shoulder straps. They also don’t restrict lung expansion in the way that pack straps can, allowing for deeper and more even breathing, something that is especially important at high altitudes where climbers are at risk of hypoxia.

In 2007, the Outside magazine contributor Eric Hansen wrote about how he had tested out the economy of the tumpline for himself. After convincing a team of Nepalese porters to let him into their ranks, he was fitted with a rope tumpline and loaded up. The experience wasn’t fun or comfortable, but it did question prevailing norms in the world of outdoor sports. Whereas a client might struggle with a 55-pound load, that was the absolute minimum that a porter would carry for the same distance.

* * *

Back in Northern Ontario, a group of kids from Keewaydin sets out on a canoe trip. Their camp is committed to preserving “the old ways”: They are portaging a month’s worth of gear, food, and the canoes needed to carry it all by tumpline. It’s not just for the sake of nostalgia or grit-building, either. The old technology makes efficient use of the limited space inside of a canoe, for one thing. For another, it’s more logical than the complicated contraptions people have dreamt up for portaging boats. There are rolling carts, backpack-style frames, and yokes—but a simple strap still suffices.

The wilderness canoe guide and writer Cliff Jacobson recommends that backpackers and canoe trippers take a piece from each tradition—a hip belt for added support when going downhill, shoulder straps for stability, and a tumpline modification for uphill climbs. Like Chouinard, he claims that he’d never own a pack without a tumpline. “Everest Sherpas use tumplines,” he writes, “but Americans still insist on backpacks with hip belts. You tell me: Who’s the professional?”

With simple technologies staging heroic comebacks, maybe the tumpline will enjoy a 21st-century resurgence. In the meantime, native communities and passionate advocates who choose function over fashion and long-term safety over short-term comfort keep this traditional method of carrying things on the head from going extinct.

This article appears courtesy of Object Lessons.

Article source here:The Atlantic

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