Zimhunter,

Compairing these two very differant situations doesn't quite float! When guys are young and in uniform, they do what has to be done, like it or not. I had the "pleasure" of carring a MG-3 for long periods of time years ago, weighing about 25 pounds bare, plus all the other gear, backpack, ammo and so on. And I can honostly say that lots of the knee, ankle and back problems I have are thanks to that period of time. Hunting on the otherhand is for the fun of it, and although a hard hunt is good fun in my book, there is no need to go overboard and sustain permanent damage to ones body! JMHO.