
GORUCK put a ton of their USA made gear on sale following the announcement about moving some manufacturing to Saigon. The idea (as far as I could tell) was that when things sold out they’d be replaced with the Saigon-made alternatives. I was wondering which item would sell out first and be replaced and I think we’ve finally got the answer.

The Rucker 25L was the first to completely sell out and has now been reintroduced on the website at a reduced price. Before the sale the Rucker 25L sold at $265 for the USA made version. The new Saigon built price is $195.

The only color currently available is black however GORUCK did mention they’ll be moving some of their more popular colors to Saigon for manufacturing. Custom colors and limited runs will still be done through the US so if you had your heart set on a USA made pack not all is lost.

Although the packs are supposed to be identical I’m curious to see how the internal tags are handled. The USA made packs state BUILT IN THE USA… what will the Saigon packs say?
As of posting this there’s roughly 237 in stock and it will be interesting to see just how long these last. If you’re interested in seeing the pack in GORUCK’s store for yourself you can do so here. Will the demand for the non-USA made packs be equal to the USA made versions? It should be really interesting to see how everything plays out in the coming months in respect to that. I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments!
Hi guys,
As an advocate of quality American made goods, I’m also interested to see what the Saigon made products will perform like. Within the last year and a half I have ordered a Bullet 10, Radio Ruck, GR1 26l, and a GR2, etc. Nonetheless, I suspect that the Saigon products will continue perform at the highest starndard we are used to. Although the product itself will be made elsewhere, I am confident that Goruck s commitment to its family of costumers will continue to be the same, and their passion will not be compromised.
Mine should come in today and I plan to lay it next to my GR1 and just see what the baseline fit and finish look like between the two. I don’t doubt GO RUCK will be stringent on QC and the the fact that even these Vietnam made bags will carry the SCARS guarantee helps diminish any hesitation in purchasing one.
Any news on when they’ll have colors specifically coyote/tan/FDE…brownish in these new bags? I bought one in black but if it will be soon on colors I may send it back for one of those. I’m one of those weird dudes who can’t stand black.
I’m a bit apprehensive as to what the quality will be with the new bags coming out of Saigon. I’m a gear head and it seems that when these companies that produce a fantastic product switch to overseas production or it is always with the downfall of quality. I’m also very surprised and to some extent disappointed GORUCK made this transition given the patriotic ties they tout. I own a GR1 and it’s my favorite bag for EDC and rucking and a huge selling point is that it was made stateside.
I agree that it will be interesting. I’m glad they’re at least giving us options though. As long as we can buy either a USA made or Vietnamese made bag then I’ll be a little more okay with it. If it’s internationally made or bust then I’ll have a bit more of a problem.
As far as quality goes I’ve got one on order and will be doing a comparison between it and the USA made 25L Rucker to see if there actually are any differences. I’m hoping there’s not but we’ll see when it shows up.
I must have misunderstood. I thought they were phasing out all US made products as they sell out. If they’re basing this foreign line from a standpoint of affordability to encourage new members to the sport I can get behind that sentiment.
According to the website these will still carry the SCARS guarantee. Have you heard differently?
I should confirm with Jason on it but I’m under the impression that there will still be USA made packs which will be sold through the Workshop portion of the website. The USA made packs will be at regular (expensive) prices and the foreign-made packs will be at the cheaper (but still relatively expensive) prices. People who care about USA made packs should still be able to buy them and people who just want to save money can save money. If that doesn’t end up being the case then I’ll definitely be more unhappy than I am now.
I agree that at some point if GORUCK wants to make rucking more accessible to the general population prices need to come down somewhere. I think a lot less people would be running if every time you went into a running shoe store the cheapest pair of shoes was $295 but they were made in the USA.
I decided to go ahead and order one of these Ruckers. I’ve been wanting a Rucker anyway because I use maybe GR1 as my primary EDC and I want one as a dedicated Rucker and event bag. I look forward to beating the hound out of it and seeeing how it stacks up. Wish they had it in a coyote but it’ll do.
Mine just showed up!