When the COVID-19 lock down started fitness equipment started flying off the shelves. I talked with local bike and fitness stores and they all said their stores were beating out previous Christmas seasons. With so many products moving it didn’t take long for workout equipment to become scarce. When GORUCK launched their SRT (Sandbag & Ruck Training) program I figured there was a sandbag restock coming soon (Jason hinted about it on the podcast) and here they are!
Right now the 20 lb, 40 lb, and 60 lb sandbags are back in stock with 80 lb and 120 lb sandbags scheduled for the end of June. Each sandbag comes with a filler bag (the 80 lb and 120 lb sandbags come with two) so the only thing you need to supply is the sand.
What’s more GORUCK as brought back the 40 lb and 60 lb sandbags in Coyote marking the first time in (what feels like) ages since they’ve been available. The bags are priced at $85 for the 20 lb, $135 for the 40 lb, $145 for the 60 lb, $155 for the 80 lb, and $165 for the 120 lb. Although they are pricey they do come with the filler bag which used to retail for roughly $29. The last time I bought sandbags was in 2017 when I bought a 40 lb sandbag ($85), 40 lb filler bag ($29), 60 lb sandbag ($95), and 60 lb filler bag ($34). I don’t remember if either of those were sale prices but either way that’s $114 to $135 for the 40 lb combo and $129 to $145 for the 60 lb combo. Not a huge increase considering it has been three years since those prices were active.
Here’s my quick take on the sandbag sizes and I’d love to hear your feedback in the comments:
- 20 lb Sandbag: Too small for nearly every use case except a light sandbag carry. 20 lbs in a 40 lb sandbag is more usable and comfortable. This is my least favorite sandbag size.
- 40 lb Sandbag: Great size that can be used for pretty much every sandbag workout. Easy to scale down in weight but if you want to go much larger than 40 lbs you’ll probably want a bigger bag. I love this sandbag size.
- 60 lb Sandbag: Another great size that can be used for pretty much every sandbag workout. Can easily put down to 40 lbs in it for a lighter weight and more sand shifting or load it up with 60 lbs for heavier workouts. This is probably my most used sandbag size.
- 80 lb Sandbag: A long sandbag that’s great for dead lifts, cleans, squats, and sandbags carries. Feels too large for sandbag sit-ups and other, similar, exercises. This is a nice to have sandbag but sees less use in my workouts than the 60 lb and 40 lb sandbags just because of the size.
- 120 lb Sandbag: A beast of a bag. Good for dead lifts, partner carries, and making two people work together. The difficulty isn’t all in the weight… the sandbag is long and the size makes working with it a challenge. This feels like working out with a team weight. It can be a great addition to your sandbag collection but I have a hard time recommending it if you only have money for one sandbag.
If you don’t have a sandbag I’d recommend the 60 lb if you want heavier workouts and the 40 lb if you want lighter workouts. If you have a 40 and want to go heavier I’d recommend the 60 and if you have the 60 and want to go heavier I’d recommend the 80. I have a hard time recommending the 120 for single person workouts… I’d recommend wearing a ruck and using an 80 lb sandbag to add weight over going to the 120 lb sandbag without ruck. Again, that recommendation is for “most” people and I’m well aware there are people crushing it with 120 lb sandbags + ruck. Those are just my thoughts on this and, again, if you have experience with sandbag and ruck workouts let me know if you agree or disagree in the comments. You can check out all of the sandbags (and sign up for the wait lists) at GORUCK’s online store.