GORUCK recently moved most of their backpack production to Vietnam. I bought one of the 25L Ruckers from that first Vietnam batch because I was curious how GORUCK would distinguish it from their USA made packs. It’s confusing enough that the packs don’t have their sizes labeled so I was definitely worried that changing the manufacturing location would add more uncertainty to the mix.
If you’d like to see the unboxing video for the GORUCK Vietnam Ruck then check out the video below.
Don’t worry… there’s a comparison video coming soon as well :)
Distinguishing Features
From the initial inspection there are a few distinguishing features that will help you tell the difference between the USA made GORUCK packs and the ones made in Vietnam.
The Internal Label
Check the internal label. Thankfully many secondary market sellers include the internal label in the post so this one should, for the meantime, be a dead giveaway. The internal label on all previous GORUCK rucks has said BUILT IN THE USA. Obviously the packs made in Vietnam can’t say that so I was curious what they would end up saying. Turns out GORUCK has changed the BUILT IN THE USA label to LIFETIME GUARANTEE.
Only time will tell if the labels on any of the new USA made GORUCK packs sport the lifetime guarantee label or if they get the built in the USA label. Right now this is a distinguishing factor but we’ll see how long that lasts.
New Bottom Label
There’s a brand new label sewn into the bottom of the GORUCK packs that I’m personally very excited about… at least as much as you can get excited about labels. Never before has the size of the GORUCK pack been noted on any label and we finally have it. RUCKER 25L. In addition to the size we also have the country it was built in. If you’re buying a pack on the secondary market ask for a shot of the inside bottom and you should be able to see the tag there.
The USA made packs have very small tags sewn into the bottom but they aren’t nearly as descriptive. This one says “L” which I would imagine means large? A “25” would have made a lot more sense since this is a 25L pack. Needless to say I’m much happier with the newer labels and I hope the USA made rucks get them as well.
Thoughts
There’s been a lot of discussion over in the comments on the YouTube video I shot regarding the labels GORUCK used on the packs. Some people think it’s enough and others wish there were more differences between the packs.
Personally I’m happy with the labels and markings GORUCK chose. There won’t be any confusion on the secondary market which is all I could truly ask for. Could there be a bigger difference? Sure… but I don’t really see the point in that.
PS: The new Ruckers from Vietnam all come with drain holes in them while the USA made ones do not. I did not include this as a distinguishing feature because you can request that SCARS add drain holes to your pack. There are plenty of drain holes on GORUCK rucks that were officially added by GORUCK so that’s not a clear giveaway that the ruck is from Vietnam.
I’d love to hear your thoughts on it either in the comments here or in the discussion over on that YouTube video. It’s always great getting additional opinions even if (and sometimes especially) they don’t mesh with mine.