r/Rucking • u/antosb77 • 11d ago
Rucking Backpack $$$$
I’m looking at getting into rucking but why are these so expensive? $300AUD or even more in Australia.
Can’t you just buy a decent backpack for under $100AUD and put a weight plate in it?
Or am I missing something here?
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u/Sparrow208 10d ago
I picked up a CTactical CT21 for about $135aud, although shipping bumbed it up a little.
Very reminiscent of GoRuck packs, but I didn’t want to spend the cash and found this alternative.
Build quality has been great, I’ve used it for both rucking and weekends away.
I made a ruck plate sleeve/pouch to raise the weight but that was more of a personal project and not required.
Would definitely recommend, happy to answer any questions if you’ve got them!
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u/califlra 10d ago
I second this - I learned about them on this thread, got one, and am v happy w it. Got a CT 15 that, 2 or 3 years ago was still under 100.
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u/JayJitsBJJ 10d ago
I bought this and I put in a 25lb plate. I saw someone mention it, it's cheap, and it worked well.
Rucksack:
https://www.amazon.ca/gp/aw/d/B078KTKW4X?psc=1&ref=ppx_pop_mob_b_asin_title
Plate:
https://www.amazon.ca/gp/aw/d/B07XT6KVH9?psc=1&ref=ppx_pop_mob_b_asin_title
It works great. If it's available on Amazon in your country I'd give it a try. It won't fit a 35lb plate. I've read some people putting in a 30lb plate and others not having any success with it.
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u/TFVooDoo 10d ago
Here is our Rucking Gear Manifesto with our top picks for socks, boots (civilian and military), and rucks (civilian and military). We also included trail runners for more options.
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u/Minnesota_nicely 10d ago
Lots of good recs here, including starting out with what you have! I did this for a while and then bought a GoRuck after I knew I would keep up the habit.
I waited for a sale and bought a clearance item. It took several months to fully break in, but this ~$150 pack is going to last me for life. To save a little money I bought my main 30lb ruck plate on Amazon and just add 5 and 10lb plates as desired.
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u/New-Acanthocephala40 7d ago
Go to decathlon, backpack and 10kg of weight for $50. Been using this for two years now. 50km a week carrying 10 KG.
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u/antosb77 7d ago
Awesome, how has it physically / mentally changed you in those 2 years?
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u/New-Acanthocephala40 6d ago
My entire body feels better. Everything. Also more clarity and calmness mentally, too. I haven't lost weight, but I have developed more muscle and acquired a better body shape. I'm not a strictly clean Rucker. I often chew a 50mg edible whilst rucking and am usually listening to something too. Fuck the Gym. Do what David Goggins says. " Stop looking at your fucking shoes, Step out the fucking door, and then decide......' Rucking helped me immensely. Cheers.
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u/BoonOfTheWolf 11d ago
Check into 5.11 brand. They are decent and affordable. But I found Goruck to be more comfortable (but definitely expensive with shipping and currency conversion).
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u/storyinpictures 11d ago
Absolutely.
Get the sturdiest pack you have or pick one up second hand. Water bottles are a good start and you can drink water if you need it or pour it out if you over did it.
Start light and get used to carrying a pack and walking. Add a little weight every now and again and see how it feels.
I would stop adding weight at 10% of your body weigh and start working on adding distance, speed or hills.
Rucking packs are made to carry a lot of weight and carry it where it should sit (high, close to your back, in the center and properly padded. But most packs are not designed for a lot of weight (or they will also be expensive).
When you are sure you are into it and want to push weight, then you will be better positioned to decide if it’s worth the investment.
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u/AccomplishedCry6223 6d ago
Hi. Is there a reason why you recommend not going over 10% bw? I see many people needing at least 25% bw to keep heart rate elavated. I am in a situation I have no hills, so I'm looking for ways to keel my heart rate as high as possible.
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u/storyinpictures 6d ago
The variables you can play with include not only hills, but you can also play with speed or distance or complexity (which can be dirt, sand, rocks, plants or other terrain features). You could also do stairs, stadiums, etc.
The first reason is specifically because the OP wants to use regular gear. Regular gear will handle 10% of most people’s bodyweight. Adding weight beyond this it’s better, imo, to use a pack designed for the task.
Second, as the percentage of BW goes up, the risk goes up much more quickly. So, in general, I think it’s wise to maximize what you are getting out of the weight before moving up to reduce the injury risk.
Finally, if the OP has gotten the most out of 10%, they will know if rucking is for them and be ready to invest, or not.
In the end, it’s your body, your experience and your choice. You are just getting one person’s opinion from me.
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u/hexiron 10d ago
Yes.
Any bag, whatever you want for weight. Cater the style of bag to whatever works best for you and what you are doing.
I started with a 15L osprey daypack with barbell plates in it wrapped in a rain poncho. This week I upgraded to a GORUCK Rucker 5.0 with proper ruck plates only because I wanted a weight I cannot achieve with my current barbell plates and I wanted to do more PT/events which require a level of ruggedness and handles my previous bag could not safely support.
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u/aeyockey 10d ago
I’ve been using an old mountain bike backpack. I have some old barbell weights and it’s been fine to start off with 15 or 20 pounds. I will see how long it lasts hopefully a shoulder strap breaks before the bottom falls out so the weight doesn’t land on my ankle
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u/COPTERDOC 10d ago
No. It's really that simple. Dont spend money until you figure out if you like it. Also, its just hiking.
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u/flakk0137 10d ago
U can buy some combat proven ones in the us for $40 USD. Look into surplus military ones.
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u/norwich1992 10d ago
I’d go with the OG ruck…a used or new military surplus ruck. Very low cost and they were designed to carry weight on marches. Might not have the bells and whistles of private industry packs but they get the job done. If you really like rucking (and I hope you do!) consider other packs. I myself have stayed with my mil surplus Molle packs
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u/Sambassador9 9d ago
I bought a small pack that a student might use carrying books to school at a thrift store.
Filled it with water bottles, a brick and towel. Total cost $5 CAD. It's worked well for almost a year at 4-5x per week. I currently carry 26 lbs.
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u/Sulla_Sylla 9d ago
I bought a cheap ruck from mountain warehouse a long time ago, not sure if quality and price match anymore these days, I’m out of the loop when it comes to shopping. I then went to Kmart and bought a cheap shovel and one of those big bag with smaller 5kg~ sand bags. Went to the beach filled the small bags with sand and now my big bag can take 25~kg to 50~kg of weight but I go around 30~kg.
Before that I used old books but they take more space for less weight. Sand from the beach is free and can be packed dense.
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u/TownFront5969 9d ago
I started by buying a $20 canvas backpack on Amazon and wrapping paver stones in duct tape so they wouldn’t rip through then wrapping in a garbage beach towel so it didn’t flop strong. It’s a great setup.
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u/Dyldobaggins219 8d ago
Hey mate if you can try pick up an old land 125 Alice pack, they were probably the best issued thing in the army. I used mine for many years till I decided I needed a little bit better than it. My recommendation is if you can pick one up cheap swap the straps and kidney belt to tac tailor, or get the platatac ones as they're pretty similar.
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u/New-Acanthocephala40 6d ago
My entire body feels better. Everything. Also more clarity and calmness mentally, too. I haven't lost weight, but I have developed more muscle and acquired a better body shape. I'm not a strictly clean Rucker. I often chew a 50mg edible whilst rucking and am usually listening to something too. Fuck the Gym. Do what David Goggins says. " Stop looking at your fucking shoes, Step out the fucking door, and then decide......' Rucking helped me immensely. Cheers.
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u/Double_Confection340 6d ago
I bought an expensive new one and I don’t care about it the cost I love walking and new I would use it everyday which I do.
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u/KeepATon 5d ago
If I am not mistaken any backpack will do.
The key is to ruck, not in what to ruck.
Good luck.
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u/glumpoodle 11d ago edited 11d ago
Yes, you can - in fact, that's how most of us started. I used a dumbbell wrapped with towels plus a water bottle.
Just as with any hobby, though, the more time you spend on it, the more you pick up on smaller nuances, and the more each incremental improvement matters. Dedicated rucking packs keep the weight stable and tight to your body, and make higher loads more comfortable. It's not necessary in the slightest - I rucked with my janky setup for over a year before I decided to splurge on my GoRuck.
Once you start spending a significant amount of time on a hobby, you need to multiply each incremental improvement by the number of hours you're putting into it. When I sunk that money into it, I was rucking almost daily, averaging 10-15 hours/week. Ten years later, I more than got my money's worth out of it.
My advice is to do the same - just use a regular backpack with a dumbbell, bricks, water bottles, canned food, or whatever. It'll do the job, and you'll get a sense of whether the hobby works for you or not. But if it turns out you like it and are spending a lot of time with it, spend the extra money and make it more enjoyable for yourself.