GORUCK Heavy Packing List

What are you supposed to pack for a GORUCK Heavy event? While everyone packs differently this page will hopefully give you some ideas. This page is separated into two main categories: team gear and individual gear. Individual gear includes required gear, recommended gear, clothing, and optional gear.

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.

50 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. The one caveat is that the team weight must weigh 50 lbs at the end of the event.
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 GORUCK event page for your GORUCK Heavy) to ensure you will have the required items. Showing up with the above gear is the first step to prove yourself as a team… don’t fail it.

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 GOURCK Heavy 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 Heavy event. Do not show up without it or you, and your team, will end up in trouble.

Backpack (aka Rucksack): A GORUCK pack is recommended… either the Rucker or the GR1 is an excellent choice.
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. Also, 3 liters is better than 2.
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.
Headlamp: We recommend either the Princeton Tec EOS, Petzl TACTIKKA, or NiteRider Adventure 180. Also, bring extra batteries. If your event is at night it can be dangerous if you run out of light. If your event is during the day you should still bring a headlamp however just bring something cheap as it probably will not see use.
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: GORUCK has removed photo ID from their list of required gear but some cadre still ask for it. That means you should definitely 100% bring it.
Carabiner (1): We use Omega Carabiners from GORUCK
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 in tons of trouble. The carabiner is the newest item on the list and we’re not sure how often cadre check for it but, when it comes to GORUCK events, we live by the motto better safe than sorry.

Highly Recommended Individual Gear

The following gear is stuff that we have brought GORUCK Heavy events. It’s not required but it will make the event slightly less miserable.

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 we feel the Grimloc is better.
Windbreaker: 99/100 times you’ll end up in the water during a GORUCK Heavy 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 great as it’s waterproof.
Food: Your event will last 24 (or maybe more) hours and there’s a 95% chance you will not be stopping for food. Bring what you need to survive.
First Aid & Foot Care Kit: Something small… think for little cuts and blisters.
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 can save your feet… especially during a 24+ hour event.

Clothing/Apparel

You are going to want to dress yourself for the GORUCK Heavy event. Although some people can show up in ranger panties and a smile that’s definitely not the majority. Not everyone can button-up and denim dude.

Shirt: We currently use the GORUCK Tough Tee. Here’s our review of them.
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

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.

Conclusion

Hopefully this helps you to better prefer for your next GORUCK Heavy event! Are we missing something that you love to bring to a GORUCK Heavy? Post it in the comments and we’ll look into adding it to the growing list.

Team Gear