why do porters / sherpas carry weight up high?

I worked for outfitters for a number of years selling equipment and teaching and leading backpacking trips. At that time, most backpackers and mountaineers used external frame packs -- the internal frame "soft" packs that are almost universally used today were just starting to come into existence, The simple answer to your question is that if you are using a rigid frame you place most of the weight at the TOP of the pack and the frame cantilevers it down through the harness to distribute it to your shoulders and to your pelvis through the hip belt. For extremely heavy loads it is easier to maintain your balance with the weight high like that because it is over your center of gravity and less stress on lower back and shoulders. Most sherpas/porters are carrying pre-packed loads in rigid containers.

For average backpacking loads in internal frame packs, it seems nowadays that some people prefer to carry the heavy weight lower in the pack, as you say you have been taught. Personally, I would not do that nor would I ever teach anyone to do that. I always pack my Mountainsmith internal frame pack with the dense heavy items high and close to my body. You ought to try it sometime and see how it feels. I think you might be pleasantly surprised at how much easier it is on your shoulders and back muscles.

It's quite an old stereotype of a Sherpa carrying a basket hanging from his head; they've come a long way from the early Himalayan expeditions, and are now routinely equipped with the same equipment as their employers (the climbers).

When it was more common for them to do this, I guess it is just the way they have learnt. If they began carrying smaller loads like that from a young age, they would build up strong neck muscles in the same way that someone who regularly carries a backpack will have strong shoulders.

Another reason for them carrying loads in such a way is that to formulate a rucksack-type shape from a basket is a little tricky, and traditionally they have always used baskets.

carrying weight up high can sometimes be advantageous as it doesn't drag you down so much. Often when carrying a rucksack i put heavier items nearer the top; I know we're advised not to do this, but I find it pulls a lot less.

Hope this helps!

Sherpa Carry

Yes, yes, they put the cargo (even a perfectly good backpack with shoulder and hip straps) in a basket on their back which is supported only by a head strap. A photograph and brief description can be found here: http://www.liebertonline.com/doi/abs/10.1089/15270...

As the text points out, porters regularly carry more than their own body weight this way... on rough terrain... at altitude.

This method of carrying loads has been studied but the best publications on the subject are behind the pay walls of scientific journals. A free summary ( http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15961662 ) does reveal that this technique is more efficient than using a backpack. So there's your answer - as stated in the summary - it requires a smaller metabolic cost.

KK Please note that I am editing and rewriting this post, as I feel that the argument I presented last night was written poorly. The question is a good one and worthy of a well-thought argument, rather than the few random thoughts I came up with last night. Does being published carry any weight anymore? Let me start my pointing out that I had a MS accepted for publication when I was 19 and was eventually published about a month before my 21st birthday. I thrilled about it at the time and definitely consider it to be among my greatest achievements. And I wont pretend that I'm ashamed of being a published author - seeing my book in the window of a bookstore in Adelaide was a wonderful moment for me. Perhaps the biggest moment of my career. (Yeah, I know. Where is Adelaide, exactly?) Of course and am older and wiser and know quite a lot more about the publishing industry at 27 than what I did at 19. Anyone who thinks that getting their first MS accepted is a challenge should try going through the hell of getting a second one published - or the humiliation of having it rejected. I've also come to regard the publishing industry as a funny beast. I live in a country where the industry is limited and extremely competitive. In Australia the publishing industry is based mainly in the wealthier eastern states, and you're far more likely to get published if you have the right contacts. And if the publisher is certain of the book making the top 10 best seller lists. Publishers are also a lot more likely to favour celebrities, such as soap stars, sports people and politicians and offer them obscene amounts of money and the services of a ghost writer in order to make a juicy and controversial best seller. In fact there is even one literary agent in Sydney (Selwa Anthony) who specializes in this genre. And some call self-publishing vanity press. Self-publishing is a strange medium of its own - traditionally self publishers have charged a lot of money and offered very little, apart from the book in published form in return. The author is left to market a book on their own, which no bookstore will stock. Print on Demand has made these services far more affordable. As you have stated, the trailer park queen can now publish a memoir about her days drinking cheap whiskey and smoking cheap cigarettes. That, obviously, does not make the book good. I have used POD myself, but not as a commercial venture. I do not count it as a PUBLISHED work. (I have my reasons and if anyone feels it is an important point, they can email me and ask.) I think POD useful for anyone wanting to publish a family history or a family cookbook, perhaps as a unique and unusual gift. But I think that anyone who uses either medium to brag about being a PUBLISHED author succeeds only in making themselves look ridiculous. So is there any value in being a published writer? Well it's something that I've done and enjoyed doing very much. But when a sports star can get their autobiography published because the also happen to be a controversial media slut, or when the trailer park queen can self publish her memoirs, then no. It is not something that deserves the high esteem that it is often given. I don't think that anyone who is trying to sell a MS that is written to the best of their abilities but cannot find a market needs to feel unworthy as a writer. Also, contrary to what others have said about me on Y!A I do not place less value on the opinions or careers of others because I have published a novel, whereas they have not, or do not want to. I just see someone who has has different circumstances, different choices, different opinions. These are my thoughts on the matter. Excuse the heavy re-editing.

The sherpas and porters carry a huge amount/weight of equipment. They can only fit a given amount on their back. Then they have the option of putting it up high, on the sides, or further away from their back. The best of these options is to place it up high, because it is above their center of gravity.

Carrying big amounts of weight on your head decreases the stress used on the body part that you are carrying it with. Your legs are a strong muscle group that can support the extra weight on the head. Also heard it is more convenient to carry objects on the head, though i never knew about that.

Carrying weight on your head is easier to manage for long periods of time because you are using your legs to support the weight rather than your back. Next time you have a large, heavy box to move, give it a try. You can feel the difference.

Because they are excellent mountain climbers, and mountains are very high