When I'm a class/race combo that focuses on dodge, I watch what I carry pretty strictly when going up through the ranks. I do this because I do notice a bit of a difference when fighting higher level ranking mobs and higher level PKs. Once I hit hero PK, I stop caring about carry weight.

Carrying the stuff you need and the equipment you need is vastly more important than a few extra percentage points in dodge, in my opinion. And I figure by the time you're level 51, most of the mobs you fight routinely will be well below your level, which offers a defensive advantage itself (think: cabal raiding, regearing, prep gathering).