I would be most grateful for your help and advice.
I am a serious walker who needs to walk free to feel sane and content. I mean at least 10 miles- up to 25. Not “dog walks” , hobbling slowly around a crowded park- but up in wild places feeling free.
Although there is a good company in Spain (“This is us: WomansBack”) that makes rucksacks specifically for people with lymphoedema, in UK I can see nothing. What a sad country where cancer patients are supposed to be curled up invisible and miserable at home, rather than enjoying real walks and wildness…
Conventional rucksacks exacerbate swelling and pain with lymphedema in my left arm, left shoulder and left side after full lymph node clearance in 2023.
Please can you advise?
Please do not suggest bum bags. I need at least 20-25 LITRES of gear in wilderness places alone.
Many thanks indeed.
I haven’t even thought about this even though I’m an avid backpacker and due to have a mastectomy in 3 weeks. Maybe you could try to contact Alpkit? They do custom packs and all sorts of customisations for outdoor gear so I’m sure they could do something based on the WomansBack pack that would work for you.
https://alpkit.com/pages/custom-made-bikepacking-bags I know the link says bikepacking but there’s more information about custom stuff at the top of the page.
Thank you. I will take a look. And good luck with th e mastectomy. If you are not having a full lymph node clearance - which is what I had and which is the tough thing-- you should be ok with a conventional rucksack after you have received from surgery.
I mean “after you have recovered from surgery”!
I’ve looked for the same thing and was hoping to buy a rucksack off the woman’s back website as I’m keen to avoid lymphoedema. I haven’t found any where UK based who sells them either. The only thing which might be worth a try is to join HER spirit (app) and ask on their global community board? Also might be worth asking Carolyn garritt as she is very knowledgeable.