I like to use Aela as a Follower as I'm a stealth archer and her high stealth level means she doesn't alert mobs I'm creeping up on like other Followers can, BUT, I can't get her to carry anything (which is what Followers are best for imho).

I did use the carry glitch where when the follower is carrying their max, you drop something on the floor and tell them to pick it up. I'm assuming the 2 things are connected?

I've tried clearing the meory cache on my Xbox - didn't help. Am I doomed to have my favourite follower unable to carry stuff cos I used one little glitch, just once? Anyone know?

The only cure for such woes is a healthy backlog of save files. I've prevented broken quests, stuck dungeons and glitched characters several times with this method. Something goes awry, go back to a save point before it happened. I highly recommend you use it in the future.

Try using the Wabbajack staff on her after dismissing her as your companion, until she transforms. I'm grasping here, but it has a tendency to reset followers, so you might have some luck with it.

This works if they're non-essential, which Aela only is after you marry her. Even so, it resets their inventories, too, so that's another thing you gotta be careful over.

I remember reading about this issue before. If you use the carry glitch, the weight of the item that they are carrying gets added to their inventory permanently. As Gallarialchiban said, I guess you would have to marry her if you love her that much.

She's non-essential after you collect the three artifacts, and it resets their inventory in the sense that they equip their default armour--they don't lose equipment you gave them (which I suppose means this won't solve your problem anyway).

Ahh, I misunderstood then. But yeah, they totally lose the equipment you gave them. I tried it myself a few days ago on Eola, and she lost track of all the enchanted armor and items I had given her.

Odd, I did it to Lydia yesterday and she merely de-equipped her Wolf Armour--she didn't have anything enchanted though.

That could be a factor, but I just take all the stuff I give my followers anyway, just in case. ><

It does not behave consistently. Sometimes the equipment you gave them disappears from the list after the Wabbajack, but I read somewhere that they may still be carrying it as default gear, which doesn't show on the list. Yet they won't wear it, which stinks.

I have never had these problems with overloaded followers having all that weight permanently added to their carried weight, nor have any items I've told them to pick up in dungeons ever disappeared. I guess I'll be on the lookout for these bugs in the future, just in case.

Maybe she doesn't want to carry anything because shes too caution about her weight? Maybe skyrim women are a lot like the women in the real world.

Instead, just make a save just before using the wabbajack. It's a good idea anyways, since the first attempt I made on Lydia evaporated her into an ash pile. Oops!

Plus, that way you know it works when you see them transform back and they have de-equiped the armor they were wearing.

Yeah, I do that anyway, I just don't like having to wait to put my stuff back and forth a jillion times if only one time is needed. <:

Yeah, I didn't get the extra items I loaded her down with but I guess they're in there somewhere as she can't carry anything else.

Marry her? Hmmm, I'm a female character - but willing to try anything, once! Let's see if I can first - this ain't ME3 after all.

Reloading an aold save isn't an option - it was like 40 hours of gameplay back - can't face repeating myself (til I do my next character).

Loooks like I need to find out what this Wabbajack is, get it, SAVE (lol), and try it.

GRATITUDE for all the replies - as always