Not to intrude . . . I've discovered a marvelous way to lose weight and toughen up. I've got a fifty pound bag of sand (Alan's post about the sandbag brought it to mind), duct-taped into submission and stuffed into my large ALICE pack. Three or four times a week I'll hike three miles with that on. It is grand stuff indeed to be out walking about in nature in a kilt with a pack on!