Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire Could you pass a Wildland Firefighter "Pack Test"?

Cash;
Top of the morning to you my cyber friend, I hope the first week of May behaved for you all.

I'm cognizant you asked for a "yes" or "no", but as you know about me, I struggle with brevity and answering anything simply... sorry.

I shall then answer - yes I believe so for the following reasons.

About 7 years back now my good wife and I started to walk every weekday morning at 5:00. The loop we do is about 2 miles - 3.25km - which takes us 37 minutes on average, but nothing in our part of BC is level, so there is that.

That said then, I'm fairly sure I could knock off another mile in 9 minutes, especially if it was level.

The walking routine has helped immensely in how far and how long I can hunt in the fall, I noticed it the first year but for sure as I've aged it's been extremely useful. My daypack is way too heavy, likely pushing 20lb when the Mystery Ranch frame is on first and the day pack strapped to it and then there's the rifle too.

As an aside it's been a good way for us to start the day as a couple - no devices, no details of the day to mess with yet, just us and the local wildlife up at that hour for the most part.

Thanks for making me think this morning Cash and for allowing me to encourage folks to walk as it's been literally life changing for us.

All the best and God bless.

Dwayne

Don't go back to freebasing cocaine, don't let it be a part of your life.

The Canadian version of the "pack test" seems lame....but it's apparently just as arduous or maybe more so.

You walk up an down some steps.

Yes

Oh yeah!
1990-2014, for some reason had a tough time with the stress test. But when the pack test came along, easy peasy. I realized pretty quickly that the test was a little physical and a bunch mental. I AD'ed for a couple of years then ended up working for DOC. Blessed with starting and running a program using the inmates on fed and state fires. Not only rake technicians but we also put them thru the same fed training for urban interface, pumps, and chainsaws, had several C fallers over the years. We did Rx prep, Rx fire, and wild. We stayed pretty busy year round. I had no co workers that enjoyed it like I did, do their 8 and hit the gate. They all thought we were crazy. Had several inmates that got jobs in fire once they were released. Wouldn't have traded it for anything.

R.D.

Did it annually 1990 -2000 as a fire crew supervisor. Usually an hour and five minutes or so. The course was up and down the coastal hills near San Luis Obispo CA.

No way can I do that anymore.

We quit the step test in the US around 1997 or so.

A resounding yes and with more weight and in much less time.

My first year on a U.S. Forest Service fire crew was 1969 at the age of 19. That was before the pack test or the step test or Nomex clothing. Fought a lot of fire in cotton clothing. I worked on 25 man helicopter "helitack" fire crews in the 1970s. I remember taking the step test in 1976. The guy taking my pulse after I performed the test didn't know what he was doing and came up with a pulse rate of about about two times the actual rate, causing me to fail the test. An option at that time was to run 1.5 miles in under 12 minutes. So I immediately ran that test and easily passed it. One crew boss we had was a stickler for physical condition and led us on a 20 mile hike through mountainous terrain. I was glad I had a good set of Whites boots at the time. From 1990 through 2008, I had a side business as a contractor with a water tender and a Type 6 wildland fire engine. I worked on wildland fires in Washington, Idaho, Montana, Oregon and California during that time. In 2010 at the age of 60, I started having trouble passing the pack test which wasn't surprising, since I had had serious smoke exposure on a fire in 2007. Also, with a 30 inch inseam, 5' 8" height and 200 lb. body weight, the pack test became a problem. If I had lost about 40 pounds, it probably would have been much easier. Could I pass a pack test today at age 71? No.

Easily.

I used to do a lot of backpacking and keeping the pack in the under 50 pound range was the sweet spot for being able to stay nimble and not feel it much for an all day hike at a fast pace. 45 pounds for three hours isn’t asking much. Sinch most of that weight down on your hips near center of gravity and you’ll hardly feel 45 pounds.

LEVEL ground? Where do you find wildfires with level ground? A good share of them are 45 degree ground.

Why do I suspect that the training standards have been lowered to accommodate women?

*Probably maybe*

Standards are the same for all...

Flat and level is a standard as well...

NOT really a complex test.

The topic was offered as a basic... Yes or No... do you maintain basic MINIMAL level fitness?

War is here...

Minimum fitness is a reasonable consideration... IMHO.

We need a "Like" button.

Not really

we use J8 Bombadiers with 500 gallon water tanks with a pump to refill tanks with water at ponds and streams . we leave the shovel diggin and crap jobs to the younger fire fighters when we unload those big J8 Bombadiers they are happy to see us , we work right with the fire helicopters when we fill up at a pond they drop down right next to us it is a heck of a experience . we also fill the tanks for the ground fire fighters with their tanks on their backs and other bombadiers . our old J8 Bombadiers are on call most of the spring and some falls too. at my age and health carrying a pack is no longer what i care to do but i can drive and load anything on the ground no matter the size.

Doing stuff like that gave me several lower back surgeries.