Help Required

[binidj]

So I'm working on this game, it's a sci-fi tabletop RPG based on the RuneQuest rules (where physical statistics generally have a numerical value between 3 and 18) and I'm trying to figure out a means of deriving the carrying capacity of a human; ie. how much weight a human can reasonably carry for a day's hike. The calculation I'm using for maximum lifting weight (derived from weight-lifting world records) is as follows:

Lift

(STR + (CON / 2)) x 10
This figure determines the absolute maximum weight (in Kg) a character can lift above their head.

Sadly my Google and Wikipedia-fu are not strong and I've found no figures for how much a human can carry for a day. Can anyone point me in a helpful direction? Or tell me how much an extremely fit person can tote over a long period?

Comments

[kneeshooter]

Part of Royal Marine training is apparently "30-mile yomp in 8 hours carrying 35lb pack and SA80 rifle".

Does that help at all?

[nattydreadi.livejournal.com]

You can strip down to 30lb of clothes, food and cooking utensils for a 4 day hike and keep it going at a steady 6k/h clip on roads and 4k/h on offroad.

At least that was what i used to do for DoE expeditions. I would say that is a fair estimation of an averagely fit person's carrying capacity, though I did have a tendancy to strip out any extras or luxuries (spare clothes, bah, I'll just dry em overnight!)

[jfs.livejournal.com]

A soldier's kit has been c. 70lbs (roughly 35kg) from Roman times through to modern infantry soldiers.

I'd add that carrying capacity for a day is far more based on Con than it is on Str because of the muscles used; if it's in a properly hung rucsac or pack, your stamina is far more important than your strength at that point.

[misthawk.livejournal.com]

::blush::

Sorry, hon...I read that as "how much human weight could be carried for a day's hike"....

::hides from images of PCs carrying their friends out of death & destruction::

[oldnick.livejournal.com]

I'd agree with John in general terms. although I'd have put 60lb rather than 70lb as the standard load for a fit adult male. 'SAS stories' and similar nonsense seem to have a fetish about telling people how much they carried, and regularly top out at range of about twice that, so 120-140lb for the super-fit, and I would expect anyone capable of walking the distance to be able to take 20lb-30lb without it making a significant difference.

Lifting above the head is another matter (and sounds like the old D&D strength description wording). I, back in my walking days, used to on occasions carry a pack which I could (just about) heave onto my back, using arm strength, but which I could much more easily put on sitting, or rather, squatting down, and lift by standing using my leg strength. There is no way I could have lifted it above my head, but once on I could carry it for a good while on my back.

[binidj.livejournal.com]

Thanks so much for your comments, the rules I've settled on for the time being are:

Endurance
10 + (Athletics skill / 10) + (CON - SIZ)
This determines how many seconds (rounds) of strenuous activity (eg. sprinting, carrying maximum lifting weight, etc.); how many minutes of moderate activity (eg. melee combat, running, etc.); or how many thirty-minute spans of light activity (eg. walking, etc.) a character can undertake before suffering penalties to abilities. For each additional number of rounds/minutes/half-hours of activity beyond the character’s Endurance, the character must subtract 1 each from STR, CON and DEX (though not from any bonuses associated with those characteristics) and 10% from all physical skills. If, at any point, a characteristic is reduced to zero by the effects of fatigue, the character must make a percentage roll of POW x 3 or less or collapse and be unable to undertake any activity at all for one hour. Characteristic and skill points lost through the effects of fatigue are regained at a rate of one per hour of rest.

Lift
(STR + (CON / 2)) x 10
This figure determines the absolute maximum weight (in Kg) a character can lift above their head.

Carry
SIZ + CON
This figure determines the amount of weight (in Kg) that a character can carry before any manoeuvre (eg. walking, running, lifting) is considered one step more strenuous (see Endurance). A strenuous activity increased in this way begins immediately as though Endurance had been exhausted.

Please feel free to feedback with any comments or suggestions.