When participating in a road race or fun run, you can generally expect to find a water point every couple of miles.

Even if you’re just exercising in the city or suburbs, you can pretty much find a snack or a drink at any time you feel like it (assuming that you’ve taken some cash along), but what about when you’re heading off the beaten track?

The CamelBak as well as its numerous copies has certainly made life easier. These offer limited cargo space for anything other than water, though, so they’re not ideal for jogging a long nature trial or training for an arduous multi-day marathon, especially one that requires you to carry your own food with you.

Another problem runners face is that traditional, static backpacks are far from kind to your spine and knees. Every time you come down on your heel, their weight is amplified to a point where it can crush cartilage. Do this a couple of thousand times in a row, and you might be looking at real problems.

The solution Lightning Packs came up with is so simple, it’s genius: just don’t allow the rucksack to bounce.

Riding smoothly on a pair of rails, the payload stays at roughly the same height above ground even while your shoulders are bobbing up and down, reducing the impact on your joints considerably.

Some more expensive models even generate electricity as you run, so you won’t be left with a dead phone when it’s time to announce your victory (or, more realistically, call your mom to come and get you because you’re too tired to continue).

Experienced runners know that training isn’t just about improving your capabilities and fitness, but doing so in a way that keeps your chances of injury to a minimum.

If you’re willing to spend two hours picking the right pair of shoes but still use an old-fashioned backpack, you’re only fooling yourself.