Jason’s 2019 State of GORUCK is a 9,000+ word novel that hit GORUCK’s blog today. If you’ve got the time to read it then here it is. If you want the big bullet points then hopefully this article summarizes it for you.
The Updates
Here’s all the updates! If you’re wondering about the order I’m tackling them in the order Jason addressed them in the post.
GORUCK’s Revenue
Every year Jason post’s GORUCK’s revenue and this year is no different. Before you start thinking that GORUCK is super rich it’s worth noting that revenue is every dollar they’ve brought in and includes none of the expenses.
| Year | Total Revenue | Growth |
| 2008 | $0 | |
| 2009 | $0 | |
| 2010 | $52,356 | |
| 2011 | $1,307,048 | 2396% |
| 2012 | $4,191,950 | 221% |
| 2013 | $8,406,253 | 101% |
| 2014 | $10,828,596 | 29% |
| 2015 | $11,894,628 | 10% |
| 2016 | $12,785,752 | 7% |
| 2017 | $14,960,532 | 17% |
| 2018 | $19,529,753 | 31% |
| Total | $83,956,868 |
Yes, GORUCK has brought a lot of money in but their events cost a lot to produce and their gear is relatively expensive to manufacturer. I’d be curious how much those eat into the numbers.
Overseas Production
I’ve been speculating this would happen since the MACV-1 boots were made in Vietnam and I guess today is the day for that announcement. Standard GR1, GR2, and Rucker colors will be moving to production in Saigon. Limited edition colorways will be produced in the USA. Saigon GR1s will cost $295 while USA made GR1s will run $395.
This is the same plan that Mystery Ranch followed years ago when they outsourced some of their packs to Vietnam. Their ASAP is made in the USA and retails at $275 while their Urban Assault 18 is made in Vietnam and retails for $125. Although those packs aren’t identical they’re close enough can you can really see where the USA manufacturing price comes into play.
Here’s the announcement you won’t want to miss:
We’ll continue to build limited edition GR1’s in the USA; Black GR1’s and a couple other colorways will be built overseas (specifically in Saigon) moving forward. Rucker and GR2: same deal. The price on rucks built overseas will be less, so this is in essence an announcement of some (but not all) overseas manufacturing and a price decrease to our core rucksacks.
For example, GR1’s Built in the USA version has been at $395. The models built in Saigon will be at $295.
The model for us, USA vs overseas is this: where we can provide more value through customization and limited edition colorways and features, we’ll build those in the USA. We’ll build classic versions to scale, at quality, overseas.
In terms of scale rucks, GR1 Black and GR2 Black and the Rucker and a couple other colors have moved to overseas production. The black Built in USA options currently on our site are all that remain from domestic production.
GORUCK
There’s the quote (copy + paste) so I don’t mess anything up. This is a big change but at least maybe, maybe we’ll start to see some cheaper rucking focused packs. The way I look at running shoes (for the most part) are made internationally and retail for around $120. If all running shoes were made in the USA they’d probably retail for $240 and less people would buy them. I’m not against internationally made packs as long as:
- There’s still a USA made alternative for purchase.
- It gets more people rucking.
Your average runner doesn’t care if their shoes are made in the USA or not and your average rucker (at least starting out) probably won’t care either.
Distribution Outside America
If you live outside of the USA you know buying things from GORUCK is expensive. Jason notes that he hopes the Saigon factory will help facilitate better distribution to counties other than the USA sometime in the future. We’ll see where that all leads but I’m glad they’re stilling thinking about it.
Events Get Their Own Website
GORUCK events will (sometime soon) have their own website and be separate from the gear. If you want events you can go to the GORUCK Events website and if you want gear you can go to the GORUCK Gear website.
2020 Events
Less in 2020 than in 2019 (which has been stated before) and GORUCK has been working with ruck clubs to make sure they get the events they want.
Star Course Sprint Series
In addition to the Star Course Endurance Series (50/26.2/12 miler) there will be a new Star Course Sprint Series. The plan is that these events will happen on a Sunday, will have a 3 hour time cap, and will have 5k, 10k, and 15k options.
In addition the Star Course will be the main method of growth into foreign countries. GORUCK is currently looking for international event directors to help lead some of them. The Star Course is a great event and really highlights what rucking is. I’m excited to see GORUCK use these to break into more international events!
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