Apparatus consisting of a carrying pole and related equipment capable of releasable attachment on the one hand to frame members of at least two backpack frames worn by human bearers and on the other hand either directly to a load or to a portable carrier in which a patient or goods may be transported. The design affords a high degree of flexibility in carrying loads over difficult terrain with the use of the body's strongest carrying muscles. In different embodiments it may be used with either specialized or standard backpack frames.