Is it harder to sneak when carrying a heavy load?

In Skyrim, does the weight I carry (other than armour worn) affect sneaking?

From the Skyrim manual:

How stealthy you are is affected by many factors:

• Your Sneak skill only helps you when you are crouching The higher your Sneak skill, the easier it is to remain undetected. Increase your Sneak skill by staging successful stealth attacks, or by sneaking within range of a target. There are a number of Sneak perks that grant additional stealth bonuses.

• Line of sight: An enemy is much less likely to detect you if he can’t see you.

• Darkness: You are harder to see in darker areas.

• Movement: You are hardest to detect when motionless, and easiest to detect when running.

• Sound: Two-handed weapons make the most noise. One-handed weapons are quieter; daggers and bows are silent. Casting spells makes both sound and light. Heavier armor makes more noise when moving.

So, the amount you're carrying doesn't make a difference, the stuff you have equipped does make a difference.

it does not. the only thing it would affect would be the amount of loot you can steal from people.

keep in mind, how fast you are moving while sneaking does affect how well you can go undetected