I will never complain that my winter sack is heavy again! Superb photo :)

Super photo.

Very sobering photo, good work. Those large packs look like I could hardly pick them up let alone carry them up a few thousand feet.

And I've just realized the pack on the left has a drinks crate and bottles in it [looks like], words fail me.

If the sack on the right has 22 bottles, each 2 litres...that's 44kg alone. More than I have ever or would ever want to carry. The rate of back problems must be so high. Food (and drink!) for thought really.

My rucksack is a 45+10 litre Deuter sack and I couldn't get the Sherpas' baskets off the ground. !! Probably in the range of 150+ lbs, as well as the bottles of water and coke there was sacks of dhal and rice, and cans of paraffin, chocolate, pringles etc...etc...

Seems rather silly to be carrying bottled water up to 4000+ metres. Heaven forbid the tourists have to drink appropriately treated spring water . Anyone who's trekked in Nepal will understand the scourge that is plastic waste.

No, the spring water is fine to drink, but the coke and water are a way for people to make more money out of trekkers.

tried lifting one on a trek in Nepal years ago, very humbling and I couldn't get more than a few steps far less the miles these guys hump those loads around in a pair of flip flops.