Why dont riders wear rucksacks?

annareeves0

annareeves0

Active Member
Dec 18, 2007
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Bournemouth, Dorset
I am always wondering where to put my stuff and i have various bags - a bum bag, some saddle bags, various pockets, and shove phone and money down bras/socks etc and I thought the other day why dont I just wear a back pack? But no one seems to do it and Im wondering why?

I guess if you were to fall off you wouldnt want to land on it and it might chaff on a long ride but if mountain bikers, walkers, climbers etc wear them - why dont we?
 
I always wondered that too. Rucksacks tend to bounce though, might be annoying? And could catch on the saddle?

I guess that falling off and landing on it thing goes with everything except saddle bags really. I had my phone shoved down my bra and fell off chest first (no, I know, only freaks fall off like that ;)). That made an interesting bruise :eek:
 
I always just put my phone in my jodhpurs pocket, but when I rode in Mongolia I had a bum bag and it was great for things like a camera and water. The only trouble is I think any type of bag is going to bounce around when you are going fast and it is quite annoying.
 
I get the bounce thing but loads of rucksacks have the straps that go around the front to keep it down. And to be fair, its not like Im going trekking in Mongolia (would sell one of my children for the chance though :p) I just want to take a jacket and some sarnies!!! I have never ever seen it done though!
 
Could you not get some sort of saddle bag? I'm sure you can bit can't say I have ever seen one.
I went to Mongolila with the BHS and had to raise a set amount of sponsorship and then just pay for flight taxes and a visa so it didn't cost me too much. You probably wouldn't have to sell a child!
 
I have saddle bags (huge ones!!!!) that I am getting Rosie used to - we are currently riding around with a wellie in each one :)rolleyes:as you do!) and I wear a bumbag for keys/phone/horse treats :D I was just wondering more than anything - it would be so much more convenient to chuck my lunch and stuff in a backpack, sling it over my shoulder and go out for the day.
 
Aniseed said:
I went to Mongolila with the BHS and had to raise a set amount of sponsorship and then just pay for flight taxes and a visa so it didn't cost me too much. You probably wouldn't have to sell a child?
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Damn, does that mean I have to keep them then? ;)

I have seen sponsered rides and stuff but Im a pretty novice rider and not sure i am up to it - yet!
 
Maybe because the weight of the rucksack would unbalance you, and in turn unbalance the horse?? Just a thought :)

Also like somebody else posted about getting their 'hoodie' stuck on a branch I suppose the same could happen with a rucksack, just more straps and buckles to get caught up :p
 
Coco91 said:
... stuck on a branch I suppose the same could happen with a rucksack, just more straps and buckles to get caught up :p
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OK you've got me there. That is a really good reason not to do it - its bad enough getting my shoelaces caught in the barbed wire trying to open our gate! The loss of balance from even snagging a branch could easily have you off.

Ho hum, back to practising with the saddlebags :D
 
Also the higher the weight off the horse/rider the more unbalancing it becomes and therefore also more likely to become a problem when it moves. The lower the centre of balance the more stable. However it must be possible to carry a small backpack, it would be more stable. I use a very good pommel bag on day trips with lots of pockets and it is pretty stable, more so than some cantle bags. I bought it from performance horse on the web, they do lots of endurance kit.:)
 
if you want to wear a back pack - wear one! Who cares if no one else does?! We used small back packs to carry first aid kits when going on trail rides at the summer camp I worked at. They were a bit bouncy and I got out of wearing one most of the summer because I have weak shoulders and it hurt (lame but true!) But the worst part of them was that after a few days the straps absolutely STANK where they went underneath your arm pits! Well they were used up to 7 times a day in 100F heat!

In all seriousness, if you're a competant rider not worried about balance then a lightly filled back pack will make very little difference to your over all balance and weight distribution. Equally, it is just as likely to get caught on a tree and your jumper or jacket is... surely we're not going to ride out naked to avoid getting things snagged on trees?! hehe

I imagine the reason back packs arent widely used is because they bounce around and are uncomfortable over long distances. Much better to get the horse to do the carrying for you!
 
I sometimes wear one:D. I sometimes ride to the local shop on a sunday morning (about 4 miles away) and I take my rucksack because I got fed up trying to keep the sunday papers and the rolls and sausages from falling out the front of my jacket.

I didnt notice it once it was on:D

I was always a bit worried and didnt put anything in it that was likely to do me an injury if I fell off and landed on it - how much damage can you do with a "News of the World":D:D
 
Skippys Mum said:
I sometimes wear one:D. I sometimes ride to the local shop on a sunday morning (about 4 miles away) and I take my rucksack because I got fed up trying to keep the sunday papers and the rolls and sausages from falling out the front of my jacket.

I":D:D
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How splendid! Fancy being confident / able enough to horse ride to your local shop!:D Brilliant. Are you not tempted to stop en route on the way home for a quick nibble on a sausage?! (lol, presume they are cooked sausage butties?!) What a brilliant horsey you must have, does he just stand quietly whilst you go into the shop?
 
I've worn a back pack, only a little one too.
Normally though I only take what I can carry on my person!
I used to do the pony rides at the local fete, rode pony down but needed something to put all the stuff for the day in!
 
Skippys Mum said:
I sometimes wear one:D. I sometimes ride to the local shop on a sunday morning (about 4 miles away) and I take my rucksack because I got fed up trying to keep the sunday papers and the rolls and sausages from falling out the front of my jacket.

I didnt notice it once it was on:D

I was always a bit worried and didnt put anything in it that was likely to do me an injury if I fell off and landed on it - how much damage can you do with a "News of the World":D:D
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How fab would that be :D I often think when i get the saddlechariot up and running, we need to get some sort of trailer and we could drive to the tack shop (only about a mile) to pick up the hay in winter. How cool would that be?
 
Picture the scene, picnic ride, several of us with rucksacks, (which bounce alarmingly at a fast canter, you need a calm horse) several glasses of robust red, and then try to mount. Just as you go to throw your leg over, the ruck sack slides up and hits you on the back of the head catapulting you straight over the other side.
 
When I had my share horse and used to go on a lot of long hacks, I used to take a rucksack for lunch, drink, snacks, a jumper, her headcollar, something to sit on, that sort of thing. The bounce can be annoying but I just tied the ends of the straps around my stomach to hold it down :)

But for hacking in general I prefer to take a bumbag, because it is easier to get to, with a rucksack you often have to get off to take out what you need. I escort hacks and keep a bumbag of essentials in the tack room - phone, hoof pick, small bottle of water, a snack bar, loose change, lead rope, lip balm etc. I have had problems with bumbags too - sometimes cantering uphill they turn around so they're under my bottom and I can't sit down without taking a hand off the reins :rolleyes:
 
Wally said:
Picture the scene, picnic ride, several of us with rucksacks, (which bounce alarmingly at a fast canter, you need a calm horse) several glasses of robust red, and then try to mount. Just as you go to throw your leg over, the ruck sack slides up and hits you on the back of the head catapulting you straight over the other side.
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I can picture this scene perfectly and am still chuckling ....... :p
 
joosie said:
But for hacking in general I prefer to take a bumbag, because it is easier to get to, with a rucksack you often have to get off to take out what you need. I escort hacks and keep a bumbag of essentials in the tack room - phone, hoof pick, small bottle of water, a snack bar, loose change, lead rope, lip balm etc. I have had problems with bumbags too - sometimes cantering uphill they turn around so they're under my bottom and I can't sit down without taking a hand off the reins :rolleyes:
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I think the answer is to get a bigger bumbag maybe? (and hope it doesnt slide around - I have plenty of tummy to maintain good tension so shouldnt be a problem ;)) The bumbag I use is stuffed to the gills with treats (Rosie has me well trained) so i am trying to stuff my phone and keys in the tiny front pocket :eek:

Thanks for the signpost to http://www.performance-equestrian.com/html/cat020100x.html - some really nice ones on there, and it is nearly xmas .......
 
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