The Beginner’s Guide to Military Rucking: Choosing the Right Rucking Gear
Rucking is a true test of grit and fitness. From Navy SEALs, Green Berets, Army Rangers, all the way to MARSOC, there’s a reason why the world’s most elite special operators must prove themselves to be proficient at rucking during their selection courses. Rucking 50 to 100lbs of gear over long distances unprepared can break down your body, mind, and spirit.
This is why virtually every special operations community integrates some sort of military rucking test and exercise into their training pipeline. A core part of every operator’s job is to be proficient at carrying lots of weight for long distances, and the best way to prepare them for the rigors ahead is by improving and building on their rucking ability.
Your ability to ruck effectively can not only make or break your ambitions in the military, but it’s also great for your overall health and wellness. In fact, it’s one of the greatest measurable standards of functional fitness.
This article will discuss everything from the gear you’ll need, the steps you’ll have to take to make sure you’re good to start rucking, how to improve and progress your rucking, tips and techniques for rucking, and how to stay healthy and prevent injury. No matter your skill level or expertise with rucking, there’s something to learn for you here.
TABLE OF CONTENTS (CLICK HERE TO NAVIGATE)
CHOOSING THE RIGHT RUCKSACK FOR YOU
PICKING THE RIGHT WEIGHT FOR YOUR RUCKSACK
CHOOSING THE PROPER FOOTWEAR FOR RUCKING
CHOOSING THE RIGHT SOCKS FOR RUCKING
WHAT IS THE BEST CLOTHING TO WEAR WHILE RUCKING?
THE BEST WATER SOURCE FOR RUCKING
ENERGY SOURCE & MISCELLANEOUS GEAR FOR RUCKING
WHAT IS RUCKING?
You might know it as rucking, ruck running, or marching, but they’re all one in the same. Rucking is defined as “the action of walking with weight on your back.” Simple definition, complicated execution. There’s a whole lot that goes into the preparation and mechanics of rucking to make sure that you’re doing it safely and effectively.
And why is that? For starters, you expend a lot more energy rucking than you would lifting at the gym or going on a run. Rucking requires your body to use different muscles, adapt to the weight used, and is overall very taxing on your body.
Think of it this way… if you’re a brand-new runner, you’re not going to start with a marathon fresh out the gate. The same principle applies to rucking. If you try to cut corners and skip the fundamentals, you could slowly damage your body over time or get severely injured.
This is why you’ll see experienced ruckers carefully choose appropriate gear, monitor their progress, take injury preventive measures, and learn the tricks of the trade.
While this guide is mainly targeted at those who want to improve their rucking abilities in pursuit of some sort of military or special operations job, don’t think that the areas we cover won’t apply to you if you have no military aspirations.
Rucking is rucking, so tips we provide you will fundamentally be the same no matter your goals. However, just keep in mind that you may be limited in what gear and “quality of life” equipment you can use depending on your respective military or special operations training pipelines.
Before you start rucking, you gotta make sure all your ducks are in a row. As a friendly reminder, we are not offering any specific rucking regimen or guidelines. We’re simply giving you the tools and information to jumpstart your rucking journey. It’s up to you what you do with it, but our intent is to help you succeed with whatever individual goals you may have.
Now that you have the overall picture of what rucking is and why it’s important, if you’re ready to ruck, where do you start? You can’t ruck without some quality, essential gear!
ESSENTIAL RUCKING GEAR
There’s a lot of necessary gear required to ruck safely and effectively. From rucks, footwear, clothing, and accessories, things can start to add up. However, gearing up for rucking can be as cheap or as expensive as you want to make it. It all comes down to your goals with rucking. If you’re doing this casually, don’t burn a hole in your wallet. If you’re making rucking a part of your regular routine, you might want to invest in some higher-quality gear. You might have heard of the saying “Buy nice, or buy twice.” If you haven’t, it means that buying one higher priced, quality item is better than buying ten cheap items that keep breaking or don’t get the job done.
With that in mind, don’t go into this thinking that if you spend $1,000 on your gear, you’re going to be better off than if you only spent $500. While common sense might tell you more money = higher quality, it’s not always that black and white. At the very least, don’t be one of those people who grabs a school bookbag and throws some dumbbells in it to go rucking. Take the time and research to get some solid gear at the budget you can afford.
The following is a list of the gear you will need if you plan taking your rucking to the next level, such as preparing for a military or special operations career, along with a few optional quality of life items.
The basic gear you’ll need to begin rucking is:
- A Ruck (or a weight vest if you so desire)
- Weight for the ruck
- Proper Footwear
- Quality pairs of Socks
- Water Source
- Energy Source,
- And a few miscellaneous quality of life items, such as a watch, etc.
We will break down each essential item for you a bit further.
CHOOSING THE RIGHT RUCKSACK FOR YOU
You can’t ruck… without a ruck!
An External Framed Ruck: the ALICE Style Military Ruck.
Example of an Internal Frame Ruck.
Rucksacks come in two different styles: External Frame, and Internal Frame. External Frames come in two main components: The ruck sack, and the ruck frame. External frames are more robust and handle more weight. On the other hand, Internal Frames are lightweight, fiberglass or aluminum frames integrated into the main compartment of the pack, which allows for more padding between the main pack and the body. Most recreational rucks are internal frames.
For those who are going to join or are already in the military, don’t expect to use internal frames in your training. At the end of the day, there are various types of frames and rucksacks out there, such as:
- ALICE Style Military Ruck Sack. This is the tried and true ruck used for decades by the military. If you’re rucking on a budget, this is definitely a great starter ruck. We offer these on our storefront with free shipping, and you can use code MOTIVATED10 to grab yourself one for an extra 10% off. Click here to grab yourself one.
- GORUCK has a decent selection of rucks, but they tend to be on the higher price range. Click here to check out their availability.
- Mystery Ranch is another option for you. Click here to check out their rucks.
- Eberlestock also has rucks, click here to check out their website.
Don’t get lost in analysis paralysis with all the options, but do your research and pick what’s best for you!
Now that you have chosen, or have an idea of the rucksack you want, you’re gonna need some weight to ruck with.
PICKING THE RIGHT WEIGHT FOR YOUR RUCK
Rucksack next to two Pig Eggs/Pills.
A rucksack needs weight like peanut butter needs jelly. It’s also important to note that you should make sure the weight and anything else you plan on rucking fits in your ruck. That might sound like common sense, but you would be surprised to see how often someone underestimates the size of their gear or the carrying capacity of their ruck!
If you’re just rucking to get a workout in, don’t overthink what you should use for the weight. You can buy weight plates, plates made specifically for rucks, or you can create a weight using sand and duct tape, which is called a "Pill" or "Pig Egg" in the military community. If you need some weights or want to make a pig egg, we sell a Pig Egg Kit on our website – all you need to do is add sand! Click here to grab yourself one, and make sure to use code “MOTIVATED10” to save yourself an extra 10%.
So now that you have your ruck and your weight, are you good to hit the trails and start rucking? Not quite. You’ll want to make sure you have the proper footwear.
CHOOSING THE PROPER FOOTWEAR FOR RUCKING
Salomon Hiking Boots.
Having the proper footwear for your rucks is of the utmost importance. Out of all of the areas, we highly recommend that you don’t cheap yourself out here. Taking care of your feet is paramount, so make sure to invest in a good pair of running shoes or boots. Sure, you can save some money by rucking in a pair of $20 Walmart shoes, but you’ll pay the price in blisters, discomfort, and compounding injuries.
There’s a lot of variables you’ll have to consider before choosing what footwear you’re going to ruck in, such as terrain, skill level, running form, personal preference, and comfortability. Regardless, you’re either looking at rucking with a solid pair of boots or running shoes. If you’re doing this recreationally, find what works best for you. If you’re training for a military pipeline, consider purchasing and slowly integrating whatever boots you’ll be expected to ruck in throughout training.
For example, in Navy SEAL training you use the Nike SFB 2 Boot, for the Rangers or Special Forces, look into the Garmont T8 NFS’s. For the Marines, consider some Bates Lites or Danners. And if it doesn’t matter, look into Salomons, Merrells, or Lowas. Click the links to see which of these footwear is best for you.
Regardless of what brand or type of footwear you choose, aim to get a pair of boots or shoes that are a half size larger than you normally wear. This will allow room for your feet when they swell up, or for a nice thick pair of socks to take care of your feet. Which conveniently brings us to our next essential gear, socks.
CHOOSING THE RIGHT SOCKS FOR RUCKING
Merino Wool Socks (from Fox River)
You can have the best footwear in the world, but if you have a crappy pair of socks, you might as well go run in those $20 Walmart shoes we referenced earlier. Socks are the one area in gear where the more you spend, the higher the quality you should expect. Taking good care of your feet is super important, especially in military selection, so you’ll want to make sure you get a quality brand. The best type of rock we recommend you use for rucking is a pair of merino wool socks.
Merino wool is a natural, anti-bacterial, moisture-wicking material that will help keep your feet dry, when they do get sweaty they dry out quickly. They don’t wear out and develop holes as much as their cotton sock counterparts. They’re well worth the money because they last a long time. Again, it is highly recommended to NOT use cotton socks for rucking. Cotton socks retain moisture and contribute to blisters, which you do NOT want. We recommend brands such as Fox River, Darn Tough, or Fits. Feel free to check them out by clicking on their links. Later in the article we’ll show you some good practices if you run into any blisters.
Now that you got your feet covered, let’s cover the rest of your body. What clothing should you wear on a ruck?
WHAT IS THE BEST CLOTHING TO WEAR WHILE RUCKING?
The answer to that question is: It depends! Base your clothing choices on the environment you will be rucking in. If you’re going to be rucking on trails, you can probably get away with some shorts. If you’re going to be in some dense forest, you’re better off with some pants. If it's cold out, it's better to wear extra layers so you can strip layers as needed, and if it's hot out, wear stuff that protects you from the sun but allows for ventilation. If you’re rucking for the military, don’t expect a high level of flexibility for your clothing selection once you’re in selection.
THE BEST WATER SOURCE FOR RUCKING
Camelbak water source, a very popular piece of gear for military members.
Rucking expends a LOT of energy and can quickly dehydrate you, so it’s vital that you have an easy-to-access, convenient water source you can use during your rucks. The longer the rucks, the more you will need to consider.
You can keep things simple and bring a water bottle, canteen, or a hydro flask. But we’d recommend taking things up a notch and investing in a Camelbak, which is a device that can fit into your ruck, giving you a water line that you can drink from without much thought or effort. Click here to check the availability of them on Amazon. And if you’re really feelin’ fancy, there are collapsible water bottles you can use to save space if need be. Hydrapak and Platypus are some pretty solid brands for that.
ENERGY SOURCE & MISCELLANEOUS GEAR
Clif Energy Bloks, a popular energy source for long distance events and rucks.
Our last two recommendations for your rucking gear are to get an effective energy source, which will be dependent on the length of your rucks, and a watch for keeping time and distance.
As we’ve said before, rucking taxes your body differently than running does. If you’re doing long distance rucks, you should definitely bring some food to keep you energized along the way. Aim for foods with simple carbs, such as candy, gummies, energy squares, Gu, sour patch kids, there’s plenty of options out there.
It might seem counterintuitive to eat candy during a workout, but the simple carbs break down quickly and can be used for energy to prevent you from “hitting the wall.” Click here for our recommended energy sources to help elevate your rucking training.
As far as the watch goes, just keep in mind that if your goal is for military training, you won’t be afforded the opportunity to use one once you arrive at selection. If you decide to buy one for your own benefit, use this time now to develop a decent pace so you have an idea of where you’re at when stuff gets real. There is a variety of watches ranging from simple stopwatches to super fancy smart watches. Use a watch that will meet your individual needs during training. If you need to track time, distance, and speed, opt for a better watch like a Garmin or a Suunto. If all you need is time tracking, or your pipeline doesn’t allow smart watches, consider using a simple, durable G-shock watch.
CONCLUSION
Ensuring you pick the proper gear for rucking is just as important as the rucking workout itself. Having the rucking gear essentials will optimize your chances of making the most out of each ruck, and will set you up for success for your goals.
We threw a lot of information at you in this article! If you're feeling overwhelmed, we took the time and put together a carefully curated rucking essentials kit. Our Rucking Essentials Starter Kit provides you with the basics so you can jump start your rucking training. Use code "MOTIVATED10" to get an extra 10% off!
Click here to grab yourself one of our Rucking Essentials Starter Kits.
As a friendly disclaimer, some of the links provided in this article may be affiliate links, so if you decide to invest in any of the gear we recommended to you, just know that you will also be supporting us at no extra cost to you. Thank you for your time and support! We hope that you will be well on your way in your rucking journey. But this is just the beginning!
Now that you have all of your essential rucking gear, you should be ready to take your first step, both figuratively and literally. But hold your horses, don’t go put 50lbs in your pack and ruck 10 miles just yet. Every rucking regimen should incorporate some sort of logical, safe, and effective Progression.
General Discharge is a veteran owned, veteran operated organization that is dedicated to providing the best U.S. Military and Law Enforcement information. With over 250 YouTube videos, over 45 million views, and hundreds of thousands of followers, we have contributed to the success and knowledge of both the current and future generation of service members.
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