The Water Carry 

Because running water is not a reality in many third-world countries, different methods have been developed to ease the burden of transporting water that must sustain families for a given period of time.  We explored four methods; carrying water on your head, a tumpline, the hand carry, and a q-drum roller.  Going into the exercise, we were told that the hand carry was the only method that is not currently employed in a third-world country, so I was expecting it to be the most difficult and least practical method.  Carrying water on my head was without a doubt the most intimidating and the least familiar to someone from the first world; however, with a little practice, I began to convince myself that having water on the top of your head was probably the most secure method and would be attached to the least amount of future physical problems.  The tumpline also seemed very practical, seeing that the weight of the water was spread out over many points of the body.  Additionally, if a waist-strap is added, the tumpline can resemble a hiking backpack where the weight is placed on the hips, one of the strongest parts of the body.  The last method, the q-drum seemed like a first-world solution; pulling something behind you, the least physically taxing, and very easy to take breaks.  When actually performing the exercise, new pros and cons to the different methods arose.

            A course that consisted of slightly uneven pavement and a small trek through wooded terrain can hardly compare to walking miles though “back country,” but it was good enough to get a sense of which methods would be completely impractical and which could stand a chance.  I began the exercise with the head carry.  Needless to say, this was my first time carrying gallons of water on my head, so my form clearly had some flaws; however, I found that in order to be successful, one must have good posture and walk at a constant pace to prevent the water from sloshing around in its container.  Ideally, the head-carry would be a hands-free method and leave a person able to multitask, and because the water (or whatever good someone is carrying) is on top of a person’s head, it is safe from thieves or contamination.  The major cons of the head carry are that it restricts the movement of the carrier, meaning that they must remain upright and change speed/directions at a slower rate.  Next I tried my hand at the q-drum method.  I do not have a dog, but if I did I believe that rolling the q-drum would be similar.  At times when I was moving downhill, the drum would speed up and roll in front of me, then other times, like walking up stairs, I would have to use nearly my entire body weight to get the drum moving.  If all surfaces were paved, flat, smooth and not crowded, the     q-drum would be a very practical method of carrying water; however, this is not the case.  The most disturbing problem that arises is that the opening of the drum, where the water goes in and out, was a centimeter from the ground.  The hygienic aspect of the q-drum was clearly not considered…ew.  The tumpline came next, and with it was the reality that it was probably the most taxing on the body.  Good posture did not make carrying the water any easier, in fact, a slouched position yielded the best results.  Although the weight was easier to distribute, the best tumpline designs required the most materials and thus would prove the most difficult to maintain or replicate.  The last method of water transportation was the 1^st world hand carry.  While making my way around the course, I was constantly trying to find a way to carry the water other than with one hand by my side.  I was putting the handle in my elbow crease, using two hands and even switching hands/arms regularly.  As a result of my movement, the water inside the tub was constantly moving and splashing up along the sides of the container.  Without a lid, a significant portion of the water would not have made it the entire journey. 

            From this experiment, I think that the head carry is the most practical, followed by the tumpline.