How much are women able to carry?

[Wander]

Blimey.

 

[Erbswurst]

Handbags and especially shopping bags don't count in this thread!

;0)

Here we discuss about long distance trekking...

 

[Nomad64]

You might impress me more if you try to keep up with me logging. Or paperwooding (think of an all day job carying short cabers ..... 5’3” blocks of paper wood weighing anywhere from 50 to 85 pounds to the truck and tossing them up to 7’ high or more to load them onto the truck)
https://www.forestpests.org/tpsp/fig3.jpg
Then we’ll spend our time off humping 100 pound sacks of animal feed and hay bails.

I bet you arm wrestle Chuck Norris until he cries during your lunch break and can urinate all the way to the top of a 5000 year old sequoia but sadly without a video proving it, this is a bit like:

 

[Janne]

Baden Powell had not much experience of females carrying stuff.
No women in the British ( or any) Army in those days that had to perform the same physical work as the males.

As far as I know, the first women doing the same as men were in the WW2 Soviet Army.

But they did not carry much going West.
Going back East, that is a different story!


Peasausage, if you plan to trek with an physically unknown lady, do what I did.
A test run. I had to teach my GF ( now wife of 3 decades) basically everything. Stockholm girl.

 

[GuestD]

Handbags and especially shopping bags don't count in this thread!

;0)

Here we discuss about long distance trekking...

Well I always take my handbag when long distance trecking. One is simply not properly turned out without one.

 

[Janne]

Peasausage, I would not take a lady long trekking unless I knew she was used to that. Would never take anybody, male or female, unless I knew what they could take.

Thankfully those days are over for me. 15km max offroad for me, one way.
Not even a nice handbag would help!

 

[GuestD]

As far as I know, the first women doing the same as men were in the WW2 Soviet Army.

The Soviet army used a high percentage of female snipers during WW2, apparently because they were ideally suited for the task.

 

[Janne]

Plus tank drivers, pilots, drivers ( in general).

Plus the usual medical roles.

Not many people these days know that a front line medic had to carry the wounded back into safety, after securing his wound.

They selected prople for the task. Med and women, just like it should be done today.

Tank drivers should be tiny, so a woman is perfect.
Same with pilots.

Snipers need a steady psyche.

BTW, when I say woman/lady/ female I am using the outdated, archaic meaning..

 

[Erbswurst]

Perhaps it's a good idea to rent a tank instead of walking...

But I was mainly interested in hiking.


Fortunately now a days very lightweight equipment becomes cheaper and cheaper.

It doesn't really help my brother because in the Austrian mountains ultra light trekking equipment would be a bit risky. But that is in my opinion a very good option for solo trekking women , two women, or even the mixed couple.

In the nineties I changed my equipment from old school stuff to lightweight equipment, because it made possible to carry a two persons equipment nearly alone. It had the same weight like my old solo equipment.

Now a days it's possible to buy pretty cheap a summer solo trekking equipment for woodland with a rucksack base weight of round about 6 kg (Without food, water, fuel and soap), so that even young ladies who usually sit around in offices or universities are able to go for trekking without training or donkey.

But now it becomes interesting which weight experienced trekking ladies and her males really recommend for which age and size.

Of course a 20 years old young woman who is 180 tall can carry far more than a 60 years old lady who is only 160 cm small.

 

[Janne]

Outside the Army, before I hit 30, I was happy with 30 kilos. Then progressibly less and less, now I can not take more than 10.

And that only for a few kilometers. I am not a good example of a male though, trauma induced arthritis in my lower back and surgically semi fixed knee ( another trauma) prevents me from carrying much.

Of those youthful 30 kilos, most was food that had to last 2-3 weeks.

 

[GuestD]

There are so many variables affecting this topic is is almost impossible to answer, if an answer is really necessary in the first place. There is no "law" as to what weight you must carry, and in my case, that will greatly vary depending on the environment, climate and terrain, that I am travelling. In areas I know that water may be a problem, then the bulk of weight carried may well be fluid. If I'm "bothying" or using " howffs" then I can cut down on carrying shelter. A fat unfit male, will never carry the same weight over a distance as a physically fit and able female, and Baden Powell comes from an age when women weren't allowed to vote, and he is best left there. The best Cub Scout leader I ever had was a woman, and that was in the 1960's.

 

[Janne]

Why do people bring in political correctness all the time?
Baden Powell was a person that brought incredible amount of knowledge and happiness to generations of young people all over the word, and should certainly not be ‘left there’.
He brought what we call ‘bushcraft’ to hundreds of thousands of city youngsters.

Of course the age, strength, fitness level plus the outside factors ( temp, terrain, time and distance) will affect.

But if you read Erbstwurtses posts you will get more info.
Average woman, long distsnce.
I say between 10 and 12 kilos. With a correctly fitting backpack, proper well worn shoes or better - boots, and in a normally good health.

Of course they can carry more. But will their enjoyment be as great?

 

[GuestD]

Why do people bring in political correctness all the time?

Nothing to do with political correctness. I disposed of my rose tinted spectacles, and instead of looking backwards, started looking forwards positively, and learning from "yesterday's" mistakes.

 

[Woody girl]

Well being of the female variety of human this is my experience.
Years ago, fit healthy and full of life I could carry a big and very heavy rucksack that would make chaps ask me how on earth could I carry all that? as they struggled to lift it. I could lift double my 8 Stone bodyweight. Nowadays, knackered unfit two stone heavier and older I struggle to lift 10kilos. So I'd say lifestyle and fitness have more to do with it than anything else. Back then I had very physical jobs in farming and forestry so I was very fit. If I had had an office job or more sedentary occupation I'm sure I would not have been able to carry such a heavy pack.especially on the cornish coast path.. that was damm hard on the knees with such a heavy pack and must admit to having the wobbles sometimes at the end of the day as I was worn out carting not only full camp set up food and water but wetsuit snorkel flippers and mask for those lovely surfing beaches and rock pool snorkeling days.
I think that formula is a good guide but it's not set in stone.

 

[Janne]

I do not know what your yesterdays misstakes are, Deekin, but I wish I was allowed to continue to do mine today and in the future!


I think we are making a HUGE misstake today.
( no, nothing about politics or sexes...)

That is that we accept backpacks with internal frames.

A well designed external frame/ bag/ external other bits - could be adjusted very finely to suit your body.
Male or female, short or tall, skinny or morbidly obese.
Two different frames, two different hip belts, three different axel straps.

Covered everybody, every body.

 

[Janne]

Well being of the female variety of human this is my experience.
Years ago, fit healthy and full of life I could carry a big and very heavy rucksack that would make chaps ask me how on earth could I carry all that? as they struggled to lift it. I could lift double my 8 Stone bodyweight. Nowadays, knackered unfit two stone heavier and older I struggle to lift 10kilos. So I'd say lifestyle and fitness have more to do with it than anything else. Back then I had very physical jobs in farming and forestry so I was very fit. If I had had an office job or more sedentary occupation I'm sure I would not have been able to carry such a heavy pack.especially on the cornish coast path.. that was damm hard on the knees with such a heavy pack and must admit to having the wobbles sometimes at the end of the day as I was worn out carting not only full camp set up food and water but wetsuit snorkel flippers and mask for those lovely surfing beaches and rock pool snorkeling days.
I think that formula is a good guide but it's not set in stone.

Would you say your previous life has damaged your body?

I am damaged. And when I do carry a backpack, I am very careful with mivements, steps and so on. A misstep 20 years ago was fine, today it can mean my knee replacement has to be brought forward.

 

[santaman2000]

Agreed, not the norm but it highlights my point of hugely differing abilities. Your example of observing soldiers does the same thing but on a bigger scale. Again not representative, obviously young very fit trained soldiers are not your average Joe on the street.

Agreed, GIs are generally younger and healthier than the general population; but the ratios are similar, particularly the in the non-combatant fields.

While their overall abilities are definitely higher than the general population, the gap between the physical ability of male soldiers and female soldiers remains despite the training and relative youth.

 

[Robson Valley]

My BS meter says we need to pay attention to fitness levels for both men and women.
Ranch women are strong enough to tear your arm off (Logger's Sports) and smart enough
to use a pack train. They can tie a diamond hitch in no time flat. Just a phone call away.

I'll guess that UK women, especially country folk, are as tough as they come for bush walking.
I'll guess they are better stock wranglers (goats, mules, etc for long treks, than the guys are.)

We use only exterior frame packs. Off with the bags, each as a supply unit.
Then, we carried outboard motors, mess kit boxes and so on on those frames.
Do 100km by canoe on the Churchill River, no experience needed.
I expect you will need to portage Nistowiak Falls as usual.

 

[Janne]

Erbstworst, the lady in question, has she any experience in the pleasures of the outdoors?

Usually most people can easily tolerate ‘a load’ if they enjoy nature and accept the hardship. If they do not, any weight is to much.

 

[santaman2000]

I asked about carrying weight in a rucksack not about splitting wood, what is mainly a technique and less a question of body force.

The question here is, if the 1/5 recommendation comes from Baden Powell as a jungle war experience and was proofed in the boy scouts, where it fits, and than simply copied to the girl scouts.

I think, that's possible.

I always went for hiking with women who had been smaller and less sporty than me.

But my brother has a really strong wife (they are farmers) and got the impression, that he can't give her the same load in the trekking rucksack like a man in the same size and age. It works in the beginning but he gets problems in the end of the day. He usually hikes in the Austrian Mountains, where he can't construct the tent everywhere, when they get tired.

He came several times in really dangerous situations in the mountains, and so we started once more to think about the problem.

Is that -20% a very rough thumb rule, because women are 20% smaller than men?
Or does it mean, that a woman off the same age, size, weight and training should carry 20% less than a man?

That would mean round about 20% less because she is smaller than the man, and once more 20% less because she is female?

My own experience is, that indeed the women who were trekking with me could walk comfortably in the same speed next to me and the same distance, if they carried round about 60% of my rucksack weight, but got real problems when they got on shorter distances in the evening additional food and water in the rucksack.

I know, that I am compared with other men relatively strong, and off course it's possible, that the women who came with me had been exceptional weak. But I was hiking with several young women, and it always was the same: Compared with boy scouts in the same age and size, they couldn't carry the same load, and I mean young, sporty and motivated people between 15 and 20 years age.

So the question is: Round about -20% or round about -40%???

Yes, of course, there are individual exceptions. Little girls can become stronger than taller men, it's just a question of training.
Once we were sitting in a train, a young girl entered with a violin suitcase and I joked, if there was a Kalashnikow in. She opened the suitcase and took out a sport bow, which nobody of us was able to suspend. Even me, who was a head taller than her.
But this young lady shot with that bow four weeks earlier at the Olympic games!

After she told it us, we had been very glad...

Reread my post. I said women are smaller than men; I did NOT say they were 20% smaller. What I was saying that 20% of a woman’s body weight will be lighter than 20% of a man’s body weight. How much lighter that load was s depends on how much lighter she is. Or how much heavier if one of them differs from the norm.

That rule of thumb was taught by the Boy Scouts and the Girl Scouts at least as far back as when I was,a Scout in the 1970s and as recently as some of my family members still involved. I really don’t know if it went all the way back to BP or not though. Bear in mind too, that figure was not derived as a “working” load, but as a load that could be sustained for days and still be an enjoyable experience. I presume you’re asking so you can calculate what your female companion can carry and still enjoy the shared experience; particularly f you’re just introducing her to this outdoor activity and want her to enjoy it as much as you do.

Soldiers carry much, much heavier loads but that’s a job for them and they usually suffer permanent back problems thereafter.