This project attempted to determine the physiological and biomechanical effects of varying the centre of gravity of a load in a backpack in a short duration activity. Experienced soldiers (n-22) carried a 36.0 kg modified US Army ALICE backpack on a treadmill at 5.6 km/h for 15 minutes at 0° elevation. The subjects carried the load in three locations in a backpack (a high, middle and low distribution) and employed a load carriage vest as an 'alternative' distribution. This 'alternative' distribution balanced the load on the front and back of the subject. Oxygen consumption results showed no statistically significant difference between load locations (P = 0.621). Biomechanical analysis of the trunk lean and minimum included hip angles indicated significant differences between all 'alternative' comparisons as well as between the low and high load locations (P < 0.05). Maximum knee flexion angles were also shown to be significantly different between the low and alternate conditions. Cadence, stride length and displacement of the body COG did not show significant differences between conditions. Subjective evaluation indicated a strong preference for the alternative load condition due to the overall increased mobility and decreased feeling of discomfort. Under the conditions tested in this study it was concluded that load location does not significantly affect oxygen consumption but had a large impact on the perception of each load trial. A longer duration activity that imposes a larger strain on the subjects would be required to confirm this oxygen cost finding. The effect that trunk lean and the flexion angles will have on fatigue and energy consumption in a long-term exercise scenario has not been determined but should be undertaken in future studies. The subjective impact on the subjects should be considered as highly important and should therefore have an impact on the future design of load carriage systems.