GORUCK Light events are a ton of fun. They also are quite a bit of work and when you complete yours there’s a very good chance you will be sweaty and dirty. After doing enough of these events I started putting together a bag with some nice-to-haves that I take with me to my GORUCK Light events. This is what I consider to be the second-most-important bag you bring with you with the first, of course, being your ruck.
This bag lives in the trunk of my car and it’s ready for me as soon as the event is over. If you prefer videos then you might be excited to find that we’ve got all of this information shot in the video below.
If you’re looking for the checklist we use you can find it right here. If videos aren’t your thing don’t worry… we’ve put the content below so read on!
The GORUCK Light Post-Event Bag
The GORUCK Light post-event bag is designed to allow you to clean up, feel good, and get ready for whatever you have going on for your post-event. Here is a complete list of contents that we bring with us:
- GORUCK 32L Kit Bag
- Water Bottle (Filled)
- Towel
- Sandals
- Clean Shirt
- Sweatpants
- Protein Powder
- Protein Bar
- Cooler / Lunch Box
- Beer
- Laundry Bag
- Grocery Bag
- Garbage Bag
- Battery Pack
- Cell Phone Charger
- Watch Charger
That’s the complete list of what lives in the bag and awaits us at the end of the GORUCK Light. In the following sections we’ll go through why we bring what we bring and what we use it for.
The Bag
Right now our post-event bag is a GORUCK 32L Kit Bag. Before this bag it was just a Nike duffel… the brand of bag isn’t really important. The important part is that it will fit everything you need. The 32L Kit Bag does that for us without too much room to spare which is perfect.
Water Bottle
There’s a good chance that you didn’t drink enough water at the event so having a full water bottle available at the end is nice. Usually I’ll drink two-thirds of the water bottle then put the protein powder in and shake it up for the last third.
Clothes + Towel + Laundry Bag + Grocery Bag
You probably notice that your clothes smell pretty bad and you might be a little dirty from the event. I’ll use the towel and wipe all that grime off and dry myself if I’m still wet from a water entry. Shown above is our Drink Hard Ruck Harder shirt.
Then it’s off with the shoes and socks which go into the grocery bag…
… and off with the shirt and pants which end up in the laundry bag.
Then it’s time to put on that clean shirt, clean sweatpants, and sandals. There’s nothing like letting your feet breath after a GORUCK Light event.
Protein Powder + Protein Bar
At this point roughly two-thirds of the water has been drank and it’s time to pour in the protein powder. I’ll do that and grab the protein bar as well because my stomach is just realizing that it’s starving. It is near-impossible to take in more calories than you burn at a GORUCK Light event so you will be hungry. If protein isn’t your thing then whatever you use for recovery or just more water.
Garbage Bag
I’ve got a garbage bag handy that I’ll put my ruck into, seal up, and shove in the trunk. That thing can smell like something died in it after an event and I don’t want it to stink up my car or get its grime on anything else. I’ll take care of cleaning it when I get home but, until then, it will be out of sight and hopefully out of smell.
Cooler / Lunch Box + Beer
The beer lives in a cooler (or lunch box) and this is the point when I usually dig that out and crack one open. We’re probably still figuring out where we’ll end up eating or hanging out afterwards so it’s nice to take a second (in those fresh clean clothes and flip-flops) to enjoy beer.
Battery Pack + Cell Phone Charger + Watch Charger
I use my GPS watch to track the GORUCK event. It lives in my Pelican case, along with my phone, and is out-of-sight for the entire event. The phone is powered down so I don’t anticipate it being dead when the event is over but having a dead watch or a dead phone sucks. Bringing a battery pack and chargers is great because you can fix that situation, if you come across it, real quick. In addition, if any of your teammates have dead phones you can continue to be a team player (even after the event) by sharing your charger. PS: You’re welcome Cadre Roony :)
Conclusion
The whole purpose of this bag is to help me get my life together after a GORUCK Light event. It’s packed and prepared in a way that makes sense (to me) and will help me enjoy the post-event celebration as much as possible. Do you bring a post-event bag or similar items to assist you after an event? Please leave a comment and let me know what you bring… I’m always looking to improve my list and I’m sure the community would appreciate it as well.
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