Just a quick, probably stupid, question, but when you have armor that has the gel packs modification, how many of you out there count the 1/1 bonus it gives as an encumbrance modifier.

In more specific example. A body 4 person can wear a 8/6 camo suit with no problems. Can they wear a 9/7 gel packed camo suit though?

I'm semi-inclined to think that gel packs don't add to encumbrance since they have their own drawback of adding to knockdown chance, but what do you rules gurus think?

Well, they add to the knockdown chance. Knockdown is nasty. It's a -2 to everything you do til you get up.

IMO that's disadvantage enough; but i also think that halving encumberance for FFBA is perfectly balanced too.

But knockdown chance is a disadvantage. Sounds nice to me.

Going specifically by the rules, they're just as if the armor had the +1/+1 built into it. So, in your example, yes, he can wear it, but yes, he will suffer the encumbrance penalties for doing so.

Every point of armor counts for encumbrance, unless the rules say it doesn't. The only place where it doesn't is form fitting body armor. So yes, gel packs count.

Should they is another question. I say yes, because if they didn't, everyone would wear them, and everyone would look like a dork covered in bubble wrap. Part of Shadowrun is style -- people should be able to wear cool looking clothes without taking a disadvantage to do so.

To verify it experimentally, I tried duct-taping a dozen refrigerant packs to my torso and limbs. I would say that yes, they are cumbersome.

Wow, this was weird to see:
http://nybb.hs.columbia.edu/pathologist.htm