COMPARISON OF TWO BACKPACK DESIGNS USING BIOMECHANICAL AND METABOLIC ASPECTS OF LOAD CARRIAGE

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to compare the compartmentalized backpack to a control backpack using metabolic and biomechanical parameters. Thirteen apparently healthy female subjects were asked to carry a load while walking on a treadmill at 1.3 m/s for 27 minutes with both the compartmentalized backpack and a control backpack. Parameters for comparison were oxygen consumption (VO2), respiratory exchange ratio (RER), mean head and trunk angles, stride length, and stride rate. There were no significant differences in parameters between the compartmentalized pack and the control pack, but differences were found in VO2 and RER with fatigue. These results suggest that the load distribution of the compartmentalized pack was comparable to the control pack.