How much are women able to carry?

santaman2000

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Jan 15, 2011
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There is some useful info here, which is pretty much what I do.
http://www.outdoorsfather.com/2016/05/walk-40-km-day/

Over the years I have organised (successfully) long distance trecks, and motorcycle journeys. Just as important as the physical aspect, is the psychological aspect, travelling long distances with someone you don't get on with is just as tiring as carrying too much weight.
Agreed. It’s also safe to say that on pleasure hikes such as we’re discussing, the psychological aspect is a great deal of the reason we’re there at all. That in itself is a reason n nobody should be overloaded.
 
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Erbswurst

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I read this article about the female soldier, but @SaraR brought me to see a point, that I didn't really think before:

The measured walking distance isn't identic for a person of 185cm and a person of only 165 cm.

The smaller person has to walk a longer distance from an individual point of view!

20km aren't 20km.

And that explaines the problems my brother got several times in the evening.

He is round about 185cm tall, she 165cm, and in the beginning of the day everything is fine, because his rucksack is much heavier than her rucksack.

But a few times they had to walk longer than expected to reach a place to put up the camp, they couldn't stay over night in the rocks around. And than in the late evening she reached her borders, the battery was empty, she got problems to follow him, even if he carried her rucksack on top of his own.

I think, the main reason was the individual distance, the amount of steps!

If he walks objectively 30 km, she walks next to him 20% more. She didn't walk only 30 km, she walked subjectivly round about 36 km. And probably that's the point!

Everybody knows, that he gets problems at the last kilometers, if he walked all the day.
I don't know the reason, but that's for sure.

And that might be the reason, why 1/5 of the body weight is recommended to boy scouts as well as to girl scouts, who usually do not hike in mixed groups.

But hiking couples usually get the experience, that it works only well, if he takes a much heavier part! And I think the reason is, that we have to count the different body size to calculate the weight, but we have to lighten the load of the smaller hiking partner once more, because over the day he has to walk a lot more steps.

And than might come on top of this different muscle structure or whatever are the usual or individual differences.
 
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SaraR

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Mar 25, 2017
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With your points regarding stride n mind, it might be worth noting that when marching to in formation we normally had the shortest person in the guide spot setting the pace.
Makes sense.

And of course, there seems to be plenty of squaddies that are short enough to match your average woman in height. ;)
 
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Jul 30, 2012
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Yes. And they’re tired, hungry, and grouchy the whole time. And sick a great deal of it.
Yep, but they carry the equipment all there lives, so the must add up to carrying an extra half stone on a smaller frame from the start ? Not even women accept that they have this disadvantage, this is pretty obvious really.
 

GuestD

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Feb 10, 2019
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I read this article about the female soldier, but @SaraR brought me to see a point, that I didn't really think before:

The measured walking distance isn't identic for a person of 185cm and a person of only 165 cm.

The smaller person has to walk a longer distance from an individual point of view!

20km aren't 20km.

And that explaines the problems my brother got several times in the evening.

He is round about 185cm tall, she 165cm, and in the beginning of the day everything is fine, because his rucksack is much heavier than her rucksack.

But a few times they had to walk longer than expected to reach a place to put up the camp, they couldn't stay over night in the rocks around. And than in the late evening she reached her borders, the battery was empty, she got problems to follow him, even if he carried her rucksack on top of his own.

I think, the main reason was the individual distance, the amount of steps!

If he walks objectively 30 km, she walks next to him 20% more. She didn't walk only 30 km, she walked subjectivly round about 36 km. And probably that's the point!

Everybody knows, that he gets problems at the last kilometers, if he walked all the day.
I don't know the reason, but that's for sure.

And that might be the reason, why 1/5 of the body weight is recommended to boy scouts as well as to girl scouts, who usually do not hike in mixed groups.

But hiking couples usually get the experience, that it works only well, if he takes a much heavier part! And I think the reason is, that we have to count the different body size to calculate the weight, but we have to lighten the load of the smaller hiking partner once more, because over the day he has to walk a lot more steps.

And than may come on top of this different muscle structure or whatever.

As part of preparation for a long trek, it's a good idea for those participating to walk a measured distance together with full kit, each using step counters, then compare at the end. This highlights the differences between the group. I always adjust the pace to suit the slowest member. This all comes under "planning". Also having a plan B,.should you fall behind with your proposed targets, is a good idea, as it helps reduce the potential for mishaps as a result of fatigue. The other thing worth mentioning is that trekking is something to enjoy, the Army is a job.
 

Erbswurst

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And most people who go for trekking do not walk all the day in theyr jobs. They usually work in offices.

People who walk all the day like gardeners or shepherds usually don't walk in theyr holidays.

We shouldn't try to learn to much from soldiers about civil trekking. Civil hikers usually don't have the fitness of soldiers.

(By the way, I walk in the job. 20 to 40 km every day. I hang up posters for classic concerts in shops all over Europe, every town, every village.
It doesn't make any sense to ask me for pictures from my last 400 km. I have no time to make pictures, even if most places are worth to do it.
And if I am hiking privately and enjoy wild camping, I usually don't take pictures as well.
In Germany and France,where I live, wild camping in the bivvy bag is tolerated but not really allowed like in Sweden.
I avoid to show in public where I have been and on top of it I am not really interested in photography. I am far to often out to take a picture everywhere.
I have of course a few nice pictures, but no idea, how to integrate them here in the forum.)
 

santaman2000

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Jan 15, 2011
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Yep, but they carry the equipment all there lives, so the must add up to carrying an extra half stone on a smaller frame from the start ? Not even women accept that they have this disadvantage, this is pretty obvious really.
SOME women don’t admit it. That’s not the same as accepting it. SOME women don’t accept it. It’s also true that some people don’t accept that the world is round and that vaccines are safe. That doesn’t change reality. THAT is what’s pretty obvious.

And women hardly spend most of their lives pregnant (carrying the load you originally referenced)
 
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Tengu

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Jan 10, 2006
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Commuting these days is a grand way to people watch.

How do I justify the logic in some woman with FOUR small bags of varying intent (Not shopping bags which is excusable) AND a small dog to manage?

I got a nice little laptop rucksack (North face Surge) as reccomended by Cotwold outdoors. I took my expected kit and told them where I was going.

Sometimes I need more and have a standard side pouch lashed on top.
 
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Woody girl

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Women can carry a baby on their back one in the womb and two bags of shopping all at the same time. I'd love to see a chap doing that!:) :) :)
 
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Nomad64

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Nov 21, 2015
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And most people who go for trekking do not walk all the day in theyr jobs. They usually work in offices.

People who walk all the day like gardeners or shepherds usually don't walk in theyr holidays.

We shouldn't try to learn to much from soldiers about civil trekking. Civil hikers usually don't have the fitness of soldiers.

(By the way, I walk in the job. 20 to 40 km every day. I hang up posters for classic concerts in shops all over Europe, every town, every village.
It doesn't make any sense to ask me for pictures from my last 400 km. I have no time to make pictures, even if most places are worth to do it.
And if I am hiking privately and enjoy wild camping, I usually don't take pictures as well.
In Germany and France,where I live, wild camping in the bivvy bag is tolerated but not really allowed like in Sweden.
I avoid to show in public where I have been and on top of it I am not really interested in photography. I am far to often out to take a picture everywhere.
I have of course a few nice pictures, but no idea, how to integrate them here in the forum.)

May be I’m an outlier on this but personally, I think that this forum would be a far more interesting place if there were more posts from people (ideally with pictures but words will do) from people actually out and about doing things.

AFAIK, I’ve never met an itinerant classic concert poster hanger, let alone one who plies his trade over long distances on foot through the French countryside. So many questions! Sounds like the basis for a French arthouse cinema project but certainly worthy of a thread on BCUK.

Of course there is no guarantee that people who have never hung a classic poster or walked anywhere in decades won’t rush to tell you how you’ve been doing it all wrong for years, how much bigger and better the posters are where they come from or try to steer the thread onto the subject of concealed firearms but I for one would be very interested. :)
 
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Erbswurst

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You don't know professional posterers, because they are seldom. And they will not tell theyr secrets in public how to do that.

I agree, that trip reports would be interesting, but as I wrote in another thread, so long users have to pay to upload pictures here, the majority will not do it.
And that's the main reason, why you don't find trip reports in this forum.

Back on track, please!

It is a difference between carrying a child and a shopping bag in a flat town to the bus or carrying a hiking rucksack over 25 kilometers in forest and field.
 

Woody girl

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It is a difference between carrying a child and a shopping bag in a flat town to the bus or carrying a hiking rucksack over 25 kilometers in forest and field.[/QUOTE]

I was gently jokingly taking your post literally. And it's not a flat town where I live. What inspired me to post that was seeing my German friend sabina who lives here struggle almost a mile home on foot so encumbered. I was impressed as she was obviously very tired and carrying a toddler on her back while 6 and a half months pregnant and all the shopping. It put me in mind of what you posted.
 
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Erbswurst

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The German Olympic female sport mainly became so succesless, because since the late eighties carrying shopping bags and children became in fashion in Germany.

While the old generation went for swimming or skiing in the Saturday afternoons, the new generation goes for carrying shopping bags in the city centres.

Our women surely would become world champions if that would become Olympic.
 

Janne

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I used to watch the Olympics when I was young.
About a quarter of the ladies in the East German team could carry at least 4 children on one arm, a couple on the back, all this while they were using a pickaxe at the brown coal face.

In Sweden, we are lazy.
We invented the Baby Björn carrying system. Baby placed in that, free hands and arms!
Made it easier to carry the flatpack furniture from IKEA from the trolley stop to furthest reaches of the car park!
 

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