Individual Soldier Packing Load

Many studies have shown soldiers mustn't carry more than about 48lbs "assault load" and 72lbs "march load." However it seems there is no sane loading list for soldiers and leaders to use as a model of what to pack and not get overloaded by unnecessary items. Here is an overloaded soldier, apparently of the 173rd Airborne Brigade, from the eXtremeSoldieringCombatLihghtWorkingGroup Yahoo! Group:

... and I've seen WORSE, rucks that looked the size of the soldiers carrying them! Anyway, here is my proposed loading list for 1-battle/3-day (not including water) supplies so that soldiers and their leaders can figure out what they should take with them:

This may seem heavy at 97.5lbs, but it is quite light by most standards, and includes over 20lbs of body armor, 4qrts of water, 39rds of ammo and 8 hand grenades. Note that Assault Load gear is carried on IBA mounting straps, not LCEs, because of better loading options (more than just across waist and up 2 vertical accesses) and to reduce stuff needed to be put on; just the IBA+gear instead of separate IBA and LCE+gear. Also note soldier carries only 180 ready rounds, he dose not need 300+ because he only, for the most part, needs to fire his weapon on semi-auto, leaving fully-auto fire to specialists like 'auto rifleman' and machine gunners. Soldier probably carries 1 AT-4, despite the fact that I hate this weapon due to it's heft, to equalize his load with 'specialists' like auto rifleman, pushing it to about 110lbs. Smoke is critical for signaling, screening ect. so I include as many smoke as frag grenades per solider. Soldier is expected to drop ruck/buttpack at first committed contact with enemy.

Here is a graphic I have created from an IBA promotional picture showing where all the soldier's gear is located (so much for low crawling!):

UPDATE: I have developed a new load plan in order to meet strict requirment for 42lbs assault-load and 68-72lbs march load:

Notice no hard body armor or MREs, simply ways too much.

On a related note, I've compiled by own weight table of individual-pack items. If you don't know the acronyms, don't ask.

Issues

Issue one: Because of the weight of "specialty weapons" such as the SAW and Carl Gustav hand grenades have become specialty weapons, weilded only by "rifleman". Current issue is 6 HGs per rifleman (1 per mag!), 8 is not unthinkable.

Issue two: Carl Gustav has 19 or 20 (depending on how you count) rounds in each squad, with two CGs per squad. Most popular types are APERS (future development), dual-fuzed HEDP and WP, depending on the mission requirments. It is generally accepted to minimized number of types carried on each mission as this reduced "volley effect" I am so partial to. tandum-HEAT can probably defeat a T-72, but it's iffy, MBTs are best delt with with the (not usually carried) Javelin ATGM.