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Why were portable goods more valuable than heavy possessions to steppe nomads?

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Map showing the extent of the Eurasian steppes, highlighted in green, stretching from eastern Europe through Ukraine and southern Russia, across Kazakhstan, and into Mongolia and northern China. The map labels the Western Steppe and Eastern Steppe regions and includes major geographic features, countries, and ancient sites within the steppe zone. — the Steppe Extent of the Eurasian steppes.

Steppe nomads prioritized portable goods because their lifestyle required frequent movement to sustain their herds. To ensure their animals had sufficient grazing, these pastoralists moved their camps every few days or weeks, traveling long distances across the Eurasian Steppe.

Because of this constant mobility, heavy or fragile items—such as the pottery used by settled populations—were impractical. Instead, nomads favored lightweight, durable, and collapsible items like tents and leather containers, which were easier to transport. While their animals allowed them to carry heavier loads than they could manage alone, the necessity of frequent travel made portability a fundamental requirement for their material culture.1

Similarly, other nomadic groups, such as those on the Great Plains, also abandoned practices like pottery making because the resulting vessels were too fragile for transport via travois. Consequently, the nomadic way of life inherently favored goods that could withstand the rigors of a migratory existence.21