Abstract
Standardized military mission oriented obstacle courses are being used to assess the impact of clothing and individual equipment on Warfighter performance. While the role of and sensitivity of weight has been investigated, the role and sensitivity of the course to bulk has not. Bulk was varied using lightweight foam inserts, with limited variation in weight at 0% (duty uniform), 25%, 50%, 75% and 100% (based on encumbered measurements of a body armor vest with grenadier load configuration). Bulk had minimal impact on total completion time until the largest bulk configuration was added. Individual obstacle completion time findings were similar, although the sprint and agility may have been less sensitive and the walls and windows may have been more sensitive. Chest depth was the most predictive anthropometric measure for completion time. This information will aid equipment designers in understanding how their design impacts performance.
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