Past studies have showed mixed evidence regarding the effects of load carriage on stride length. Some studies have observed a decrease while others noticed no change in average stride length. Past studies have also been inconsistent with the usage of hip straps that are meant to transfer weight onto the larger muscles groups of the legs, which might lower metabolic cost. Our experiment considers both flat and inclined surfaces when determining whether backpack loads and the usage of hip and chest straps affect a walker's step length and post-exercise heartrate. The degree of increase of the post-exercise heartrate from the resting heartrate was used as a measure for fatigue in the subjects. Sixteen college students underwent eight walking trials on a treadmill on which the speed and distance traveled was fixed. Our data indicates that load carriage decreases average step length when the walker is on an...