Due to a close business relationship I have with the USMC 4th Recon Battalion here, I get to "play" with them from time to time - the occasional Blackhawk flight, hi-tech weapons simulation training (really fun!), C-130 trips to other bases, and the like. As of 3-4 weeks ago, I can attest that those pack weights are absolutely accurate. Being Recon Marines, of course, they just shrug when I flip out over the cumulative weight of their gear. They have to be very careful how they distribute the load between their frontal packs and back packs so that their balance isn't dramatically impaired.
And a number of these Recon guys tend to be smaller than your average jarhead Marine, so in some cases they're hauling as much as 85% of their body weight - often in brutal temps and conditions. I've tried to sell the unit's Major on Steve C's glorified grocery-sack pack for ultra-lighters, but he's having none of it
The kicker, to me, is when they do airborne drills. They have all of that gear's weight added to their own at the landing, not to mention even more weight for oxygen equipment when they drop from 12K' or above. Advil is very popular with the Recon guys.
