GORUCK Light events are incredibly fun but the mood can turn quick if you don’t bring the right gear. You’re in the right place because there’s a printable PDF, an extensive gear guide, and a packing video. Have a question? Leave a comment and I’ll do my best to help you out.
GORUCK Light Packing List PDF
I’ve put together a downloadable GORUCK Light packing list with check boxes so you can download it, print it off, and make sure you don’t forget anything at your GORUCK Light. I do this before every Light and I recommend that you do as well.
GORUCK Light Packing List Video
If you prefer videos then check out the video above. You might want to print off the PDF packing list from above and follow along.
The GORUCK Light Gear
There are two types of gear for GORUCK Light events: team gear and individual gear. For team gear you need to work with your team in advance to put it together and get it to the start point. If you aren’t sure who’s on your team don’t worry… it’s everyone else signed up for the event. For individual gear you are in charge of getting it together yourself and bringing it to the start point.
Team Gear
As a team you will need to show up with the following items. Failure to do so will earn your team some serious punishment.
- 25 lb Team Weight: A team weight can be anything… we’ve seen change to be donated to charity, canned food for a food drive, beer, weight plates, etc. Be creative.
- American Flag: This American Flag from Annin is inexpensive, made in the USA, and extremely high quality.
- Flag Pole: You’ll need a flag pole for your flag to attach to. You can find one at your local hardware store pretty easily.
Work with your team through the Facebook event page (link can be found on the event page for your GORUCK Light) to ensure you will have the required items. Showing up with the above gear is the first step to prove yourself as a team… the cadre will make you pay if you fail this.
Individual Gear
Individual gear is stuff that you need to bring for yourself and falls into three categories:
- Required Gear: Items that GORUCK requires you to bring.
- Recommended Gear: Gear we always bring with us to events.
- Optional Gear: Stuff that we see others bring to events.
GORUCK has their own packing list on the GORUCK Light event page which is worth checking out as well.
Required Individual Gear
According to GORUCK the following gear is required for you to participate at your GORUCK Light event. Do not show up without it or you, and your team, will end up in trouble.
- Backpack (aka Rucksack): A GORUCK pack (preferably the Rucker) is recommended however the Rush 12 and Tactical Tailor Removable Operator Pack have received good reviews as well.
- Weight: Choose your weight and don’t forget it at home. Ruck Plates are great!
- Water (2L+): Bring at least 2L of water. We recommend the Source hydration bladder because they’re durable, easy to refill, and fairly cheap.
- Nalgene Bottle (1L) or equivalent (electrolytes recommended): Straight from the GORUCK event pages the Nalgene bottle is now on the list.
- Cab Fare: Bring $20 in cash. Put it in a plastic bag inside of a dry bag or a Pelican Case.
- PT Belt/Reflective Band: Attach one of these to your pack and make sure it’s on there securely. We recommend either the Reflective Ruck Band or HVS-V.
- Photo ID: Drivers license or other ID with your picture and name on it.
- First Aid & Foot Care Kit: Something small… think for little cuts and blisters.
- NEW: Masks (2 minimum) Something that will not repeatedly fall off (scarves not recommended, N95’s not required — save them for healthcare workers)
- NEW: Gloves (1 Pair): Not medical gloves, working gloves. Bring gloves. You will be carrying logs, heavy weird-shaped stuff, and doing push ups in dirty places. You will want to protect your hands. I always bring Mechanix gloves and they haven’t let me down yet. Pro tip: Bring a second pair for use in the event your original pair fills up with sand/gravel or a teammate forgets to bring some.
- NEW: Hand Sanitizer/Wipes – 1 bottle Purell, 1 package of baby wipes (or equivalent)
- NEW: Oral Rehydration Salts (or comparable) in case water resupply is harder
Show up with the above or there’s a large chance that you’ll end up doing a bit of extra PT. In addition make sure to check out your GORUCK Light’s Facebook Event page. Cadre can add extra required gear there so make sure you keep an eye on the page so you won’t show up unprepared.
Highly Recommended Individual Gear
The following gear is stuff that I always bring to GORUCK Light events. It’s not required but it will make the event less miserable and you can help out your team members with them.
- Bladder Hose Retention System: Both the ITW Grimloc and ITW Web Dominator are great for securing the hose of your water bladder to the shoulder strap of your ruck. The choice between the two is personal preference however I feel the Grimloc is better.
- Windbreaker: There’s a good chance you’ll end up in the water during the event. If the temps outside are cold it can be nice to put on a windbreaker afterwards. Packable windbreakers are nice because they generally take up less room and weigh less as well. GORUCK now sells their own packable wind breaker.
- Secondary Handle (Reflective Version): Great for overhead presses and other exercises. Strap privileges gone? Easily carry your ruck with two hands.
- Dry Bag: A dry bag will keep all of your gear dry. Dry bags which expel air are a lifesaver… the USMC Dry Bag is awesome.
- Pelican Case: Pelican cases are great for making sure your essentials (phone/keys) stay completely dry and safe. The 1120 Pelican Case is waterproof but it’s also large and Heavy. Pelican now has a Ruck 20 case that’s a little lighter and a bit smaller..
- Food: Your event will last 4 – 6 (or maybe more) hours and there’s a 90% chance you will not be stopping for food. Bring what you need to survive and we have a great guide on what that is.
Clothing/Apparel
You are going to want to dress yourself for the GORUCK Light. Although some people can show up in ranger panties and a smile if you’re reading this then that’s probably not you.
- Shirt: We currently use the GORUCK Tough Tee since it’s being actively reviewed. So far so good.
- Pants: We currently use the GORUCK Challenge Pants and have a review of them available.
- Socks: Current favorite right now are the Darn Tough Socks.
- Shoes: The Merrell Moab Ventilator (Mid) (our review) is one of our favorites. Otherwise just some beater running shoes.
- Underwear: Chaffing sucks so find something that works well for you. Ex Officio for us but the important part is you find some that work for you.
The important part is that you train in the gear that you wear to the event. Some gear that works great for many might not work out for you which is why this is so important.
Optional Individual Gear
- Hat: Keep that sun out of your eyes and use it to soak up some sweat.
- Spare Socks: If you’re prone to blisters or foot issues then a dry pair of socks and save your feet.
- Spare Shirt: Sometimes your shirt gets wet and you might want a dry one.
- Sunblock: If you’re in a sunny setting then some small travel sunblock might be useful.
Final Thoughts
Hopefully this helps you to better prepare for your next GORUCK Light! Am I missing something that you love to bring to a GORUCK Light? Post it in the comments and help out your fellow ruckers!
What’s Next?
Looking for more GORUCK Light training resources? Check out the following resources to round out your GORUCK Light preparation:
- GORUCK Light training
- GORUCK Light food & nutrition
- GORUCK Light training plans
- GORUCK Light Post Challenge Bag
There’s enough information here to keep you going through your event and right to your patch!
Brian-can you link up to the two silver carabiners you use to hold your secondary handle? Want to get the size right. TIA.
Here they are! I’ve been using these same silver ones since 2015.
Thx!
I love the pelican case and it might be better to get a smaller one like a 1050 or 1060.
They have a new line of waterproof cases that I’ll hopefully be reviewing soon! I’ve had issues with the 1050/1060 and that “clear” line of cases leaking in the past. I’ve finished events with them and there has been water in the bottom 😬 Although I do know they work for some people my experiences make me hesitant to recommend them 😕
Can anyone tell me what is the service component i don’t see anything about this thanks
Here’s some info on the service action component of the GORUCK Light / Tough / Heavy events. That post has links back to the GORUCK site as well as a few ideas for service actions. Hope that helps!
Just a quick question, that for some reason I can’t seem to get an answer for, I posted in several forums. Are ALICE packs with frames ok to bring instead of a $200+ pack. Although the site says any pack, the ALICE pack and frame is not a typical pack. Thanks
There are no rules that say you can’t show up with an ALICE pack so you definitely won’t be turned away. In general I would shy away from a framed pack because you’ll be doing more than just rucking with it. Some of them can be a little unwieldy for bear crawls, crab walks, etc. I’ve seen people complete events with ALICE packs in the past. Hopefully that helps!
Awesome thanks for the help.. Understand.. They were not designed for bearcrawls etc.. I’ll look for a tighter bag with less movement.. Thanks
No problem! People have seen good results with the 5.11 Tactical Rush backpacks but those are still pretty expensive. I’ve taken a Tactical Trailer Removable Operator Pack through a GORUCK Light which I picked up for $70(ish) on Amazon. Any decently made backpack should work great… the things to avoid are “budget bags” from discount stores.
I’ve seen Jansport backpacks make it through events and I’ve also seen Jansport backpacks have both shoulder straps tear (same pack) at an event. Things are slightly less fun when you have farmers carry your pack through the remainder of the event :)
Going with a CANNAE Legion 20L,,let’s see how that holds up..thanks for the info, the pack seems pretty sturdy, suppose to be in tomorrow, so that gives me a few days to test it and see how it feels…
I did an Air Force Light with 50+ military and there 20+ Alice packs of different generations. During our welcome party we partnered up and took turns farmer carrying both bags and I regretted my partners Alice pack immediately as it was awkward to run with and kept hit my legs.
Yeah I wouldn’t recommend bringing one to an event but if that’s all you got you won’t be turned away. I can only imagine having one of those just smacking into your legs over and over and over. That couldn’t have been a good time!
Always bring what is on the listed minimum packing list! We had to show everything on the list to Cadre Monty! Two people didn’t have ID’s, two didn’t have headlamps which equaled “4gigs” against us (which we would pay for later in the day) and we hadn’t even left the starting point!! Also make sure you can get all your gear in it’s place in under 30sec from an empty ruck. 45sec from empty ruck to on your back and standing in place ready to go!
1000x this! Bring what is on the Required Gear section above. It’s called REQUIRED GEAR for a reason… it’s required. Your Light during a day? Doesn’t matter… bring a headlamp. This info is in so many places it’s crazy… bring the required gear or your teammates, like Joe here, will pay for your mistakes.
I am doing my first GRT in DC on June 30th for the July 4th event. I am pretty excited and been training for this. I am trying to find a good pair of pants right now. I wear a 36 in levis but my waist is more like 38-40 and I am having a hard time finding something. This site is awesome and I am glad I found it, lots of good stuff like this article.
Thanks so much for the comments and I’m so glad everything is helpful!
Although I’ve never used the prAna Zion Pants they have gotten rave reviews from a number of people who have completed GORUCK events. I’m planning on picking up a pair sometime in the future to review but haven’t gotten around to it yet. One of the best parts about shopping on Amazon is that there is free returns for clothing. You could buy a pair of 38 and 40 and see which fits you best then ship back the other pair on Amazon’s dime. Hope that helps and I’m interested in what you end up choosing and how your event goes on June 30th!
I went for the black kpair for 60 bucks. You can’t really beat that for a pair that seems to work. I am down 35lbs and still moving so I don’t really want to commit to a good pair of TAD Force Recons. It has been a shift from strongman/powerlifting to running, rucking, cardio and strength training but my goal is selection. I know I can do it. I am sitting at 6’5″ about 255 and under an 8 min mile so I think once I get to 220 or so I should be able to hit the 5 mile time pretty close to 40.
So I received the Prna pants and the 38″ are a touch big but the built in belt works really well. I could easily layer under them in the winter. They are super comfortable and they guarantee them so I will see how they go next Friday.
What items would you specifically advise people NOT bring to a challenge?
Most cadre do not allow cell phones or watches to be present at an event so I recommend people hide those away in a Pelican case or other form of protection.
Now, sorry if I offend anyone with these comments…
Goodness I have seen some weird stuff over the years. Generally anything hanging and flopping off of your pack is a bad idea. This includes an extra pair of shoes, a dry bag, etc. Other bad choices are food you’ve never eaten before. You’re about to embark on a 4 – 6 (10 – 12 for Tough) hour event… now is not the time to see if whatever new gel product and your stomach get along :) Also, food that needs to be refrigerated. A turkey sandwich that has been out of the refrigerator for 10+ hours is weird… although you might not get sick why risk it?
I should really get a post going to bring together the most ridiculous things people have seen at events… that could be fun haha.
I haven’t done a challenge yet myself (I’m registered for Rucking University next month), but I’ve got a feeling that having a second handle that you can add to your ruck would likely fall under “highly recommended”.
You’re right Dan! Adding that, and a few other things, to the list.
Do I need a headlamp if my Light is during the day. The start time is 8am.
It’s on the required gear list so I always bring one. That being said I’ve only ever used them during Lights in Fall and Winter.