Got rid of back pain with the VORN backpack

For years, long days in the field left bird hunter Dag Leirdal with back pain that lasted well beyond the hunt. In 2018, he bought his first VORN backpack. After his first trip with it, he noticed something unexpected: the pain he had come to expect never arrived.

Dag Leirdal is an active and passionate bird hunter who spends a large part of the year hunting in the forests of Finnemarka with his dog Odin by his side: a 7-year-old Kleiner Münsterländer. When asked how many days he spends hunting each year, he pauses for a moment before answering:

“I’m probably well above 100 hunting days every year.”

He also spends considerable time preparing, scouting terrain and planning outside the hunting season. Dag is, without question, a dedicated hunter.

‍

Tried almost everything

Leirdal enjoys covering long distances on foot and often spends entire days moving through mountain and forest terrain. Carrying his equipment comfortably matters when he spends so much time outdoors.

Over the years, the 44-year-old hunter has tested a wide range of carrying solutions: large backpacks, small backpacks, chair packs and hip packs.

“I would say I’ve tested pretty much everything.”

He could barely get up from the sofa

Despite being physically active and in good shape, Dag struggled with severe back pain during the first six years of his hunting career. After long days hunting grouse and ptarmigan, the pain would remain for days.

“For the first three to four days after a hunt, I walked bent over and struggled to get up from the sofa. The best way to describe it is like the soreness you get in your legs after a hard workout at the gym — except in your back.”

For years, he searched for a backpack that would let him hunt without the pain he experienced afterwards. He spent considerable time and money trying different options, but nothing seemed to work. Then, in 2018, he bought his first VORN backpack: the VORN Deer.

“That changed everything.”

The solution was VORN

Dag needed a larger hunting backpack. After researching different options and getting recommendations from fellow hunters, he chose the VORN Deer in 2018.

A few days later, he headed into the mountains on a bird hunt with his new backpack. When he returned home, he did what he always did after a long day in the field: took a shower and sat down on the sofa.

“The sofa was usually what I dreaded, because I knew what was coming. I waited for my back pain to start, but it never did.”

Dag initially thought it was a coincidence and expected the pain to return after his next hunt. But as he spent more time in the field with his VORN Deer, the back pain he had experienced after hunting did not return.

“I finally found the right solution for my back pain — and it was VORN.”

Full score

Dag used his VORN Deer from 2018 until 2022. When he received a backpack from VORN’s new generation in 2022, he doubted it could be better than the one he already owned.

After testing the VORN EV45 in both mountain and forest terrain, he gave us the following feedback:

“Incredible backpack. With the new EV frame, the backpack fits perfectly on the back and is a dream to carry, both with heavy and light loads. I also really like the compression straps, which let me compress the pack when I don’t need to carry much gear. You said everything had been improved on this backpack — and I completely agree. A full score from me.”

‍