Walking with a messenger bag rather than a backpack

[david marquez]

I have a pacemaker on my left upper chest, right where a backpack strap goes. I am considering using a large messenger bag, approximately 20 litres, and a small hip pack, less than 5 litres rather than a backpack.
Note, I will not be using a transport to move my luggage from place to place.
I am planning to carry all my stuff with me the entire way in these 2 bags, as well as a very lightweight shopping bag for stuff along the way, groceries, food items, water, etc.

Has anyone done caminos with a messenger/crossbody bag rather than a backpack?

 

[Kirkie]

Hi David. I have not done what you plan to do, but since when did that stop any of us members from making a noise?
Something you may not have considered: a kind of trolley that you harness to yourself. One member in particular, @David, knows a lot about that as he has made his own, plus a couple for other people...
Let's see what other responses you will get.

 

[david marquez]

I saw a couple of those pull behind trailers on the portion of the Frances I did in 2018. I also am familiar with monowalkers, 1 wheel and attaches via a hip harness. However I am not interested in such a contraption and my total gear weight will be under 12 kg easily

 

[J Willhaus]

Maybe consider what was called a "butt pack" when I was in the military? It is a bigger pack that fastens around the waist. You can also use gear suspenders to help support the weight although theymight not work for you with the pacemaker. I think your shoulder would get pretty tired with a messenger bag and the strap might also rub against your neck.

 

[trecile]

This backpack is made for women who have had a mastectomy, but perhaps it would work for you too.

Woman'sBack® Backpacks

Designed and adapted in Barcelona for you 📍🌻

womansback.com

 

[K_Lynn]

My sister has an Implantable Loop Recorder and did not have any noticeable discomfort with her pack.

I would be concerned about using the messenger bag as all the weight will be on one shoulder and be more painful.

Have you tried taping some sort of padding over the pacemaker, or attaching some sort of additional padding to the chest strap to avoid too much pressure?

 

[Frankybaby66]

I have a pacemaker on my left upper chest, right where a backpack strap goes. I am considering using a large messenger bag, approximately 20 litres, and a small hip pack, less than 5 litres rather than a backpack.
Note, I will not be using a transport to move my luggage from place to place.
I am planning to carry all my stuff with me the entire way in these 2 bags, as well as a very lightweight shopping bag for stuff along the way, groceries, food items, water, etc.

Has anyone done caminos with a messenger/crossbody bag rather than a backpack?

No, can't say I have. I have walked four caminos with a pacemaker/ defib implant though. Back packed worked for me and I carried all my gear. Might be worth giving it a go on a few training walks before you discount totally.
Buen Camino

 

[t2andreo]

Hi David. I have not done what you plan to do, but since when did that stop any of us members from making a noise?
Something you may not have considered: a kind of trolley that you harness to yourself. One member in particular, @David, knows a lot about that as he has made his own, plus a couple for other people...
Let's see what other responses you will get.

Try HipStar.net. They make a range of excellent trailers and ship to 30 countries. Home is in Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA.

Hope this helps,

Tom

 

[MinaKamina]

Perhaps a pacemaker protection device could be of use to you? This will allow you to carry your backpack without trouble.

https://www.vitalbeat.com/pacemaker-protection/

 

[Felice]

How good at sewing are you? Could you buy a larger messenger bag and then attach a waist strap to it to take some of the weight? The hip bag could be worn to the front rather than the rear.

 

[OCHAR]

Load it up and go on a 4 hour walk somewhere.... you'll quickly have your answer.

 

[Pilgrim9]

Has anyone done caminos with a messenger/crossbody bag rather than a backpack?

I have not done exactly that but have used a largish cross-body courier bag for day-long explorations, day after day, during many travels to foreign countries. This was to keep my bag in front of me for security reasons. It worked, and was convenient, but every few hours I needed to shift the bag to my other shoulder to avoid shoulder fatigue. So shoulder fatigue should be considered.

On camino I use a particular model of external frame backpack that has a plethora of adjustments for e.g. pack height, waist belt vertical position, shoulder strap vertical and sideways positions, trampoline belt vertical position, ... I cannot remember all the adjustments but they are plentiful.

The ability to tailor the sideways positions of the attachment positions of the tops of the shoulder straps is beneficial for my physiology. That also enables me to adjust where the shoulder straps cross my chest area. Perhaps an ability to shift the position of the shoulder straps sideways would help you too.

FYI my pack is a Kelty Trekker 65. There are pictures on the web.

FYI #2 I have used a "drop-leg" bag that hung below the waist but found it uncomfortable; also its attachment point wore a hole in my trousers.

 

[ArleneLaskey]

I wouldn't recommend a typical crossbody bag, that weighs very much. I used one for a day or two when I sent my backpack ahead. It made me feel lopsided, and was annoyingly rubbing against my arm and bumping on my hip. Perhaps with something holding it in place at your waist? Or maybe a well constructed sling bag if you are sending the pack ahead? Or try this: This guy walks Caminos with a lumbar pack:

 

[david marquez]

I am not interested in a trailer or pull behind or push in front device. I saw both types in 2019 and I am not interested.
I have done a LOT of cycling using small and medium courier bags with the waist strap to minimize sway and movement. They stay pretty well centered on my back.
My plan is to wear a smallish lumbar pack worn on the front. Good spot for cellular, passport, money, etc.
I think by using a good quality guitar strap pad, a sheepskin or neoprene pad on the shoulder strap I would be fine. Total weight will be under 10 Kg in the courier bag.
I guess maybe nobody here has tried this

 

[ArleneLaskey]

I am not interested in a trailer or pull behind or push in front device. I saw both types in 2019 and I am not interested.
I have done a LOT of cycling using small and medium courier bags with the waist strap to minimize sway and movement. They stay pretty well centered on my back.
My plan is to wear a smallish lumbar pack worn on the front. Good spot for cellular, passport, money, etc.
I think by using a good quality guitar strap pad, a sheepskin or neoprene pad on the shoulder strap I would be fine. Total weight will be under 10 Kg in the courier bag.
I guess maybe nobody here has tried this

Sounds like a good plan. Test it out at home Buen Camino!

 

[BrianLCrabtree]

I have a pacemaker on my left upper chest, right where a backpack strap goes. I am considering using a large messenger bag, approximately 20 litres, and a small hip pack, less than 5 litres rather than a backpack.
Note, I will not be using a transport to move my luggage from place to place.
I am planning to carry all my stuff with me the entire way in these 2 bags, as well as a very lightweight shopping bag for stuff along the way, groceries, food items, water, etc.

Has anyone done caminos with a messenger/crossbody bag rather than a backpack?

I have a pacemaker and walked Aug-Oct 2023 from Le Puy to Santiago via the Norte, Olvidado, and Invierno, over 1,800 km. I had no problem at all with discomfort around the pacemaker. My pack was a 36 L Osprey and weighed about 7 kg with all my gear, water, and a little food.

 

[bks]

I have a pacemaker on my left upper chest, right where a backpack strap goes. I am considering using a large messenger bag, approximately 20 litres, and a small hip pack, less than 5 litres rather than a backpack.
Note, I will not be using a transport to move my luggage from place to place.
I am planning to carry all my stuff with me the entire way in these 2 bags, as well as a very lightweight shopping bag for stuff along the way, groceries, food items, water, etc.

Has anyone done caminos with a messenger/crossbody bag rather than a backpack?

I believe that the key to carrying a backpack effortlessly is to arrange it so that all the weight, in the pack, is carried on your hips, not above your hips but "attached" to your hips with the pack hip belt. The straps on your pack are only used to ensure that the pack doesn't fall backwards. I don't know much about how pacemakers are positioned, however, by carrying a pack as I mentioned, the straps shouldn't put any undo pressure on your chest.
To ensure that this happens make sure that the pack you are carrying is long or extra long. Your pack would probably have hold more than 20 liters but that shouldn't be an issue as there is no need to fill it up. The key is to carry an ultralight pack. My pack was advertised as holding 48 liters, however it only weights about 900 grams, which is probably close to what an average 20 liter pack weighs.
Try this and when you walking it's like your hardly carrying anything. It's also great for stability and you walk with your head up and not hunched over.
I hope this helps and Good Luck with your search!!

 

[david marquez]

I have an extremely light dyneema frameless top loading pack built by Hyperlight which I used in 2018. Its by far the best backpack I have ever used…but I have tried several shorter hikes and walks and no matter how I adjust it, it still rubs over the pacemaker.
It might be just fine, it might not, but my history of Bradycardia prior to getting my pacemaker leads me to err on the side of caution.
For me, if the pacemaker leads should become damaged it could be extremely serious! so for my own peace of mind I am going to explore the courier bag.
Hell, Granny Gatewood walked the Appalachian trail 3 times staring in her mid 60’s using a cotton laundry bag.
So I guess I can manage!

 

[J Willhaus]

Maybe do a trial run of walking 4-6 hours with it loaded as you plan to take it first.

 

[david marquez]

I plan to do several long walks/hikes to field trial it. I won’t be down into ultralight territory, but I am pretty confident that if I carry my water in the lumbar pack I can keep the messenger bag at 15-18 lbs. with another 5-6 in the lumbar pack. Thats actually a bit less total than what my Hyperlight weighed when I arrived in Fisterra in 2018

 

[YMMV]

I have an extremely light dyneema frameless top loading pack built by Hyperlight which I used in 2018. Its by far the best backpack I have ever used…but I have tried several shorter hikes and walks and no matter how I adjust it, it still rubs over the pacemaker.
It might be just fine, it might not, but my history of Bradycardia prior to getting my pacemaker leads me to err on the side of caution.
For me, if the pacemaker leads should become damaged it could be extremely serious! so for my own peace of mind I am going to explore the courier bag.
Hell, Granny Gatewood walked the Appalachian trail 3 times staring in her mid 60’s using a cotton laundry bag.
So I guess I can manage!

David,

I too have a pacemaker and was diagnosed with Bradycardia.

This past winter, after testing several backpacks on long multi-day hikes, I found that the most comfortable for me was not the lightest, but the one the fit me best and transferred the weight off my shoulders and onto my hips.

I'll echo and expand on what others here have already stated. Pack whatever you are planning to use on your Camino and go for a multi-day hike. it's quite another to walk 20 km one day after then next, and then again.

Whatever you decide on, it needs to be right for you, and only you will know what that is.

Hope to see you out there. Buen Camino!

Santé,
Robert

 

[Hugh Larkin]

My better half has a pacemaker and uses an Osprey Stratos 36. We pinned a folded wash cloth over the spot where her unit is placed in her upper rt chest, and that seemed to ‘remove some of the pressure. I would recommend trial runs with a pack, remembering to carry 90% of the weight on your hips and 10% on your shoulders. Having a frame also helps transfer the weight from the sack to the hips. Just my 2-cents worth for using a pack instead of a messenger bag.
Hugh

 

[BRSmith13]

I have a pacemaker on my left upper chest, right where a backpack strap goes. I am considering using a large messenger bag, approximately 20 litres, and a small hip pack, less than 5 litres rather than a backpack.
Note, I will not be using a transport to move my luggage from place to place.
I am planning to carry all my stuff with me the entire way in these 2 bags, as well as a very lightweight shopping bag for stuff along the way, groceries, food items, water, etc.

Has anyone done caminos with a messenger/crossbody bag rather than a backpack?

They have good sized hip belts and use a transport company for a majority of your stuff. And a sling for water and wallet Just my two cents

 

[David Tallan]

I can't speak to pacemaker experience and how that fits or doesn't fit with backpacks. But as to whether it is possible to walk with a messenger bag instead of a backpack, I think if you look at all of the iconography of pre-20th century pilgrims, you'll see that for many centuries pilgrims were making it successfully to Santiago with something that looks a lot more like a messenger bag than it does a backpack.

 

[Sminn]

I reckon you will be ok. It may get a little uncomfortable at times but for ease of mind that’s ok. I have done a few walks with a messenger bag, not the Camino though. As long as you keep it light and balanced that will be good. Shoulder and neck are the main issues, so keep it well padded and swap shoulders as needed. If you can get a bag with loops on the bottom, you may be able to hook the swinging side to your hip for stability. It won’t be as comfortable as a backpack but doable. Worst case scenario you may have to send the bag ahead on a few stages. But it’s the journey and finding out how you can get to the end that counts.

 

[Lurch]

Maybe consider what was called a "butt pack" when I was in the military? It is a bigger pack that fastens around the waist. You can also use gear suspenders to help support the weight although theymight not work for you with the pacemaker. I think your shoulder would get pretty tired with a messenger bag and the strap might also rub against your neck.

From experience, a buttpack is not a large pack, maybe 12x14, at least the ones we used in the Nam. Used with the military suspenders, which are comfortable, the H suspenders may be able to accommodate a secondary pack, but not the Y suspenders. Civilian packs may be larger.

 

[David]

Have you seen this Camino designed cross over bag by Shelltoucher? Looks like a very good design to me.

Shell Toucher All Weather Camino Sling Bag | Your Best Friend On The T

WWIJU or What Would Indiana Jones Use if he were a Pilgrim? Not a "bum bag" or "fanny pack" I can say with certainty. No sir/ma'am, he'd be swinging a Shell Toucher All Weather Sling Bag, the first ever trail rated and trail ready hiking sling bag on the market! Keep your frequently handled...

shelltoucher.com

 

[TheRealPixie]

I wouldn't recommend a typical crossbody bag, that weighs very much. I used one for a day or two when I sent my backpack ahead. It made me feel lopsided, and was annoyingly rubbing against my arm and bumping on my hip. Perhaps with something holding it in place at your waist? Or maybe a well constructed sling bag if you are sending the pack ahead? Or try this: This guy walks Caminos with a lumbar pack:

I was thinking of this video too. He uses Sierra Design. Mountainsmith has a couple too. The largest is 13L. I used to backpack with a gal who used a lumbar pack. She used a hammock and her things fit in a Mountainsmith.