Science

Walking with weights is not just exercise, it's a foundational to human behavior. The science also supports its benefits towards living a healthier life:

• According to the US Army, walking with a weighted backpack can burn up to 3X the number of calories as walking without a weight. The more weight you add, the more calories you'll burn. For example, walking 6 km usually burns about 300-400 calories, but doing so with a 35 lbs. backpack will burn 680 calories and doing so with a 70 lbs. backpack will burn 820 calories. To baseline the multiplier math below we used a Harvard Health study that found a 185 lbs. person will burn approximately 95 calories walking a 15-minute mile without a weight (roughly 1.6 km). 6 km equals 3.7 miles, so walking without a weight would burn approximately 350 calories over 6 km. 

• Walking with a weighted backpack improves muscle power and cardio health. A study where volunteers carried a weighted backpack during a 10-week programresulted in significant increases in squat jump maximal force, push-ups, sit-ups (p < 0.05), and estimated maximal oxygen uptake (p < 0.05).
• Weighted steps increase functional fitness. This study found that adding resistance to step exercises increased lower limb output by approximately 10% and corresponded to a 9% improvement in stair climb time.
• Better than running. Walking with a weighted backpack provides high caloric expenditure with low impact compared to running and will be easier on your joints.