A B737-700 FLT CREW ALLOWS BAGGAGE TO BE PLACED IN THE AFT CABIN ON A CHARTER FLT.

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WE DEPARTED OAK FOR A 3-HOP WITH THE MAIN MISSION BEING TO DELIVER MARINES FROM DEN TO NZY ON THE SECOND LEG. THE ONLY THING SIGNIFICANT ABOUT THE FIRST LEG WAS THAT WE TANKERED FUEL FOR THE SECOND LEG. THE WX IN DEN WAS WORSE THAN DISPATCH EXPECTED (WHICH BECOMES A FACTOR LATER); BUT WE ARRIVED ON TIME UNEVENTFULLY WITH ABOUT XA LBS OF FUEL. THE MARINES WE WERE TAKING TO NZY WERE WAITING FOR US AS WE TAXIED IN; AND THE LOADING BEGAN SMOOTHLY. SOON; HOWEVER; IT BECAME APPARENT THAT ALL THE BAGS WOULD NOT FIT IN THE BELLY OF THE B737-700. ALL THE CARGO CONSISTED OF THE MEN AND THEIR BACK PACKS. A DISCUSSION BTWN MYSELF AND THE COMPANY COMMANDER AS TO WHO WAS RESPONSIBLE IF WE COULD NOT GET ALL THE BAGS ABOARD. QUICKLY; WE REALIZED IT DIDN'T MATTER SO MUCH WHO WAS RIGHT AND WHO WAS WRONG; BUT DID WE EXHAUST EVERY POSSIBLE SOLUTION; BECAUSE THEIR PACKS WERE VERY MISSION ESSENTIAL; AND THEY ARE ABOUT TO BE SHIPPED OVERSEAS (THE MIDDLE EAST) -- VERY SOON. WE DECIDED TO TRY AND LOAD THE PACKS IN THE ACFT; AND HIS MEN STARTED THE TASK IMMEDIATELY. THE GOOD NEWS IS -- THEY ALL FIT! ONLY; THEY LOADED THEM IN THE BACK; WHEN WE SHOULD HAVE PUT THEM IN THE FRONT. THIS DID NOT OCCUR TO ME UNTIL WE WERE AIRBORNE BECAUSE OF OTHER PROBS OCCURRING. NAMELY; OUR WT; IF AND WHERE WE COULD GET DEICED; AND THE GAS WE WOULD NEED. BOTTOM LINE; WE PUSHED WITH ALL THE GAS WE BROUGHT; WHICH PUT US ABOUT 1400 LBS OVER ATOG (FOR LNDG). THE ONLY OPTIONS WERE TO TRY AND DEFUEL OR LEAVE PEOPLE/BAGS BEHIND. I FELT THAT WE WERE JUSTIFIED TAKING THE EXTRA GAS WITH THE UNCERTAINTY OF TIME IT WOULD TAKE FOR TAXIING; AND THE FACT THAT WORST CASE TKOF DATA WAS USED; AND WE WERE STILL WELL WITHIN TKOF LIMITS; AND THAT WE COULD BURN THE EXTRA FUEL AIRBORNE -- IF WE HAD ANY. (WE DID SPEND ROUGHLY 40 MINS DEALING WITH THE ISSUES OF TRYING TO GET SNOW REMOVED AT X000; BUT THE TKOF; FLT; AND LNDG WERE UNEVENTFUL.) THERE IS NO EXCUSE FOR MY FORGETTING TO PUT ALL THE CARGO INSIDE THE ACFT UP FRONT AND SECURING IT SO THAT IT WOULD HAVE BEEN LESS OF A THREAT TO THE PAX. NO EXCUSE. THE WORLD EVENTS; TRYING TO HELP SOLDIERS DEPLOYING TO A POSSIBLE WAR; DEALING WITH A STRANGE FIELD; MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT; AND TERRIBLE WX BLOCKED MY VISION; I GUESS; AND MADE ME SLOW TO REALIZE I ALLOWED SOMETHING RIGHT UNDER MY NOSE TO HAPPEN WITHOUT REALIZING IT -- UNTIL IT WAS TOO LATE. LUCKILY; NOTHING HAPPENED; AND NO ONE GOT HURT; BUT COMPANY PROCS STILL WERE NOT FOLLOWED. AGAIN; NO EXCUSE.