The invention relates to a carrier frame for a load in the form of a rucksack or equivalent comprising a hip frame which is more rigid in the vertical direction than in the horizontal direction and a pair of chest frames. The hip frame is designed to be applied around the user's hips in order to transfer loads to the carrier's hip region. The chest frames extend from the hip frame upwards in front of the user's body and are fully or partially in contact with the user's chest area, below the user's collar bone but above the user's waist. The chest frames are each provided with a chest plate in order to distribute the pressure over a greater area when applied to the user's chest area and to reduce the pressure per unit area on the user's chest.