and to be clear, lots of “men” today can’t carry 100 pounds for a long time, much less 200. i could do maybe 80 fairly comfortably. but i’d be wiped at end of the day.
The guys I’ve talked to who have been up front in these two wars have told me that when you get all the crap together, they’re up to 100lbs - easily.
Some guys end up getting washed out by the load, but those who don’t are humping 100 easy. The guys who are going spec-ops or long range are humping more than that.
The armor our people are wearing is a big part of the load.