Are Helium Balloons Backpacking’s Answer to Sore Shoulders? One Man Investigated

Anyone who’s backpacked knows the feeling. After a long day on the trail, those loaded packs start to feel heavier and heavier as your shoulders cry out for relief. The pain is part of the journey and part of what makes completing a long trip so rewarding. But what if it didn’t have to be that way?

In the latest episode of Outside TV’s series “Failure Is an Option,” hosted by mountain biker/engineer/product designer Brendan Carberry, the host puts a wild theory to the test: What if helium balloons could be leveraged to, among other things, make backpacking more enjoyable by – literally – lifting that weight off your shoulders. He fills up several huge weather balloons with helium, ties them to his backpack, and gives it a shot. 

Comically, the plan actually works in a way. Carberry reports the pack weight coming right off his shoulders. Of course, there are a million other problems created when one has large balloons attached to them in the backcountry, but I admire where Carberry is going with this line of thinking. 

“My proposal to use helium to aid in your outdoor adventures: not a serious one,” Carberry concludes after the experiment. “However, in shooting this episode there were some things that really surprised me. I did think helium would make me run uphill faster, but instead it slowed me down…a lot. And I now want a floating backpack. That would be awesome. Not having that weight on your shoulders while you are backpacking would be the nicest hiking trip ever.”

However silly the proposed solution, the problem is a real one. Imagine how much farther and faster one could travel with a lighter (or weightless) backpack. Ok, gigantic balloons aren’t the answer, but maybe in the future a solution along the same lines could become a reality. I encourage creatives to keep at it. Hopefully they come up with something soon. My shoulders are sore.

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