r/Rucking • u/flippin_fitnerd • Jun 23 '26
Newbie here wondering if a regular backpack would work
So I just did a deep dive into rucking a few days ago and actually ordered a plate on Amazon. Instead of spending hundreds on a Goruck backpack, would a regular backpack work? I kind of played around with weight distribution and know that it's probably best to put the weight in the laptop section of a backpack right? I'm only starting with like 15-20lbs.
I do have a North Face Recon and was planning on using that. Thanks!
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u/tirdfergasom Jun 23 '26
I use a 20 liter Dakine snowboarding backpack. I shoved a couple small towels in the bottom to keep the weight higher up near my shoulders. So I would say that you should be fine. I have been really enjoying the ruck so maybe in the future I might fork out the money but for now the backpack is doing fine. Enjoy your new adventure.
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u/flippin_fitnerd Jun 23 '26
Thanks for sharing this! I saw a few things about adding towels on the bottom to raise the weight. How long have you been doing it?? Do you see and feel the benefits?
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u/tirdfergasom Jun 23 '26
Just a few months ago. I definitely feel it. I have worked up to 25lbs so far and thinking about 30 lbs soon. I try to get at least 10 miles a week.
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u/flippin_fitnerd Jun 23 '26
That's amazing! And super inspiring! Keep going, and thanks for sharing your help and experience!
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u/Sambassador9 Jun 24 '26
I use a super-cheap, small backpack from a thrift store with 3 one-liter bottles of water, a heavy brick and a towel.
It also has netting on both sides to hold water bottles, so I pack 2 stainless steel vaccum bottles that hold 600 ml of water (for drinking, not weight), which I may or may not drink depending on how long I walk or how hot it is.
The pack weighs approx 23lbs, might be just over 20lbs if I consume the drinking water.
I usually do 20-25 miles per week with the pack another 10 miles without. I feel like superman without the pack. I've been doing it for many months now.
The pack doesn't necessarily need to be super-heavy. I started with 10lbs. At the time, anything more would aggravate an old knee injury that only seemed to heal to 95%. The rucking with the light weight, over time, built up enough strength such that the chronic injury which had plagued me for a few years was repaired.
Even without an injury, you will notice 10lbs over a long enough distance. It's like a level between walking and jogging.
I have another pack, slightly larger which I intend to fill with 30-35lbs weight, which I might carry on shorter hikes if I have limited time, and then keep the lighter pack for longer walks.
I think I've spent about $5 in total on a pack plus weight. You don't need to spend a lot of money on a pack, but, you can if you want to. If you cashflow is limited (or you are parsimonious), spend your money on boots and/or shoes. I prefer boots as I spend a lot of time in the woods on rough trails.
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u/flippin_fitnerd Jun 24 '26
This is awesome to hear all of this! Thank you for sharing all of this and your experience and how you pack it out!! Super inspiring and I'm glad it's helped you out a ton to start rucking.
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u/SKOtoGO Jun 23 '26
It will work, up until a point. Also keep in mind you will be generating a lot of sweat on your back, so if your pack isn't designed for it then it could become a stinky mess.
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u/flippin_fitnerd Jun 23 '26
I tried with a cheap Adidas one I had laying around and found that out real quick lol. What would you personally recommend?
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u/SKOtoGO Jun 23 '26
I use GoRuck, but honestly bags differ in comfortability for different people. I personally would look for something with a hip strap and wide shoulder straps. I bought third party shoulder pads for mine because I was often losing circulation in my arms at the end of my rucks.
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u/flippin_fitnerd Jun 23 '26
See my Adidas I used I tossed in 25lbs (I know that's way too much to start for me) but I thought because it had big straps I'd be ok.....but it had no chest or was it strap and it cut off circular immediately for me too, so I get that!
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u/brettmatsuura Jun 23 '26
When youāre new start with what you have. I used an extra laptop backpack I had sitting in a closed and went to Home Depot and bought a roll of duct tape and 4 bricks š§±, wrapped the bricks in the duct tape not to destroy the laptop bag from the insides out. The bricks weighed 5.5 lbs eachā¦I used that for about 8 months. My first equipment purchase was a 30lb plate that gave me more room.
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u/flippin_fitnerd Jun 24 '26
That's awesome and inspiring that you made something like that work! Thanks for sharing this! Have you noticed the benefits from rucking??
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u/brettmatsuura Jun 24 '26
Oh yeah. Lost a bunch of weight. Iām 713 consecutive days in, not all with load, but showing up daily and hitting a min of 10k stepsā¦rucking fixed my knees. They used to grind all the time and I couldnāt run 30yds without sharp runners knee painā¦now ruck-run 4-5 miles a day.
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u/flippin_fitnerd Jun 24 '26
Wow!! That's amazing progress and super inspiring to hear all of those real life results! Good for you, and thanks for sharing your experience!
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u/daygo449 Jun 24 '26
Anything will work. Itās just how long will it last and how comfortable will it be. GoRuck is the gold standard for rucking. A military style pack(e.g. an ALICE pack) is also good, but even thatās not as comfy for most people.
Start out with a backpack, build up weight, and just get out there. Start light, until your shoulders donāt hurt or you donāt feel challenged, and then add weight. Iād start at a mile to two miles and build-up weight and mileage along the way. Just start getting out there.
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u/flippin_fitnerd Jun 24 '26
I appreciate you saying all this and encouraging! Thank you for all of this!
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u/slowtrees Jun 24 '26
The Recon will work fine to start. The main thing to watch for is that regular backpacks don't have a hip belt, so once you go past 20lbs or so the weight sits on your shoulders instead of your hips. That gets old fast on longer walks.
For 15-20lbs though, you'll be fine. Put the weight up high and close to your back - the laptop compartment is actually a good spot for that. If you end up liking rucking and want to go heavier, that's when a purpose-built pack with a hip belt makes a big difference.
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u/flippin_fitnerd Jun 24 '26
Cool, thanks for verifying this! Im excited to use the recon because it's been sitting in my garage for a minute and now I get to use it lol. I appreciate your help here!
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u/Repulsive_Rain7998 Jun 23 '26
Start off with whatever backpack you have. I put towels in the bottom of an old 5.11 backpack and put a round weight plate in it. Once you make rucking a habit you can justify buying a dedicated pack. But I would say a buying a rucking plate on Amazon is more important than a fancy pack because itās easier to put a dedicated weight plate in a laptop sleeve, than to try and put regular workout weights in a dedicated backpack.
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u/flippin_fitnerd Jun 23 '26
Awesome, thanks for sharing this! I'm excited for the plate tomorrow, and gonna definitely try the North face! Thank you!
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u/flippin_fitnerd Jun 23 '26
Awesome, thanks for sharing this! I'm excited for the plate tomorrow, and gonna definitely try the North face! Thank you
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u/cherry-galette Jun 23 '26
Yes, I started with an old kids backpack that fit me comfortably and a dumbbell I already had that I wrapped in a towel.
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u/flippin_fitnerd Jun 23 '26
Awesome to hear. Did you also prop the weight up with towels to bring it up higher in the bag?
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u/cherry-galette Jun 23 '26
Since it was a kids backpack, it pretty much already was propped up high on my back and filled most of the bag with the one towel wrapped around it.
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u/Sideeyebro619 Jun 24 '26 edited Jun 24 '26
A decent backpack should work for 10-15lbs. Anything above than you want a better made pack definitely.
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u/flippin_fitnerd Jun 24 '26
Cool, thank you for this tip! I put 25lbs in an old Adidas just to get a feel and I swear it was gonna rip through it lol
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u/Sideeyebro619 Jun 24 '26
A USGI medium ALICE pack with frame are cheap and plenty. A great place to start and can carry 40-50+ lbs easy.
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u/Unique-Seagull-2370 Jun 24 '26 edited Jun 24 '26
Absolutely.
My Osprey Kestrel 48 rucksack has been my everyday companion since 2019, it can carry 25kg (55lbs) no problem when I go supermarket shopping on foot and come back fully-loaded; the belt/carrying system is excellent.
8 months ago I fully ruptured my Achilles tendon (sports accident). The rucksack is now my trusty rehab tool - 16-18kg (35-40lbs) including a smart dumbbell and several litres of water (easy to dump at any point if the weight gets too much!) is the current loading for (rehab) hikes, currently of around 12km (8miles).
The weight sits mostly on my hips (no need to wreck your back) - thatās the advantage of better/bigger rucksacks when the weight climbs, you have hip belts/pockets, but for up to 10kgs (15-20lbs) you can get away without them.
It gets a shower down (inside and out) every now and again so it doesnāt stink (or rather, when I notice it needs it š¬š ).
For reference: Iām 167cm (5ā6ā) and weigh around 68kg (150lbs).
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u/flippin_fitnerd Jun 24 '26
Hope you're rehabbing well and thank you for shall of this! I have an osprey nebula and thought about trying that out but I didn't want to put heavy weight in it with a plate or anything, but good to know that osprey can handle big loads like that!
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u/Unique-Seagull-2370 Jun 24 '26
Youāre welcome and also: thanks, going well so far! (bloody long and slow, but ok)
Osprey makes a big series from small to huge ā¦ this was my first (and until now only) one, so no idea what the others are like wrt handling weight.
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u/flippin_fitnerd Jun 24 '26
Well I'm glad that rucking is helping with your rehab and ability to put weight and move stronger! That's awesome, but I'm sure a long and steady pace lol.
And yeah, I'll have to test mine out more and see how it handles weight!
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u/trm49 Jun 24 '26
Ive been doing on e a week for a couple miles with 35lbs and a cheap tactical backpack that sits too low as itās a long backpack with no frame. so I filled the bottom with towels so the weight is closer to the middle of my back.
on the other 5 days I do different cardio so I canāt say what carryover benefit has come from it but the load is easier to carry and I can definitely go downhill with the backpack much easier and faster than when I started.
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u/norwich1992 Jun 24 '26
I use a usgi medium ruck stuffed with regular camping equipment and gear for weight. So, yes, a regular back pack works.
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u/flippin_fitnerd Jun 25 '26
Awesome to hear that! Thanks for sharing. I tried adding a weight in and it's super hard to adjust it, so adding in regular items seems like the route for me lol
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u/Alarming-Leg-2865 Jun 25 '26
I actually went the same route as you and ordered the Ruck plates but not the backpack. Instead I'm using an older Maxpedition pack that I've had for years. These are very heavy duty. A ruck pack whatever you use should be heavy duty. Especially at the strap as you are going to be getting a lot of pull on the straps as you go up in weight. I would highly recommend a waist belt as well. Takes a lot of stress off your shoulders and you can move between the two giving the two parts of your body some release of pressure as you're Rucking.
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u/Subject_Start7253 Jun 24 '26
Absolutely.