As the M60 gunner on my team (because I wasn't present when they decided who would carry it), I carried a lot more ammo. Weight was shifted, and others picked

As the M60 gunner on my team (because I wasn't present when they decided who would carry it), I carried a lot more ammo. Weight was shifted, and others picked up batteries and radios that I might have carried otherwise. sa46 addresses it a little bit above that there are different loadouts depending on how you're operating. It wasn't uncommon to move from one place to another with 100 pounds, then drop gear and patrol with a far smaller loadout. Then again, sometimes your vehicle breaks down and you're now "man packable", which means you do need to be ready to carry a lot. This is really one of the sticking points for women in the military. It's nice to imagine that a specific job will always have a vehicle, but it is doctrine to be prepared to step into the role of infantryman.