Thanks for the plug on the book Malcolm. The warriors load has been a major concern of mine for many years. Whether or not you are a fan of SLAM's the book, "The Soldier's Load..." is a good start.

Numerous load studies have been conducted and the powers that be pay lip service to them. Then they make everyone wear full PPE, regardless of the environment.

METT-T should drive the load more than anything else and the warrior should have an appropriate toolbox of equipment to accomplish the mission.

As of late I have been writing in my blog ( www.soldiersystems.net ) about the Ultra Light Weight equipment movement for some at the pointest end of the spear. I have been calling it the "330 revolution" because it is the weight of the fabric. Standard issue items are 1000D cordura. The trade off is performance. The 330D and 500D stuff won't last as long, but the units that will use them have higher budgets. They also have the budget to purchase MCOTS items such as sleep systems tuned to the environment and armor that does not restrict mobility as much as the armor used by general purpose forces. Fortunately, most everything that SOF uses will eventually find its way in the hands of the American Infantryman. It is but a matter of time.