Packing for this event was different than packing for any other GORUCK event I’ve done. The Cadre was promising a record setting amount of time in the water and suggested we pack to accomodate that. In addition he was bringing snorkels for us which means goggles are pretty much required. Because of this you’ll see a number of items here that aren’t suggested for normal events, which I’ll be sure to make note of.
The Packing List
The following is everything I packed in list form. Below this list is the reasoning behind each item and how I felt about it.
- GORUCK GR2
- 6 Bricks
- Spare Boot Socks
- Spare Running Socks
- Spare Shirt (race shirt)
- Spare Running Shorts
- Source 3L Hydration Bladder
- Mechanix Gloves
- Straps for Bricks
- 3 Dry Bags (Sea to Summit and SealLine)
- Petzl Headlamp
- Spare Carabiner
- 3 PB&J Sandwiches
- GU and Jelly Beans
- (Event Specific) Wetsuit Top
- (Event Specific) 50′ of Rope
- (Event Specific) Goggles
Ruck
For the ruck I own both the GORUCK GR1 and GR2. I decided that I’d bring the GR2 because of all of the additional gear we needed to pack. I’m glad I made this decision because when I was done there was hardly any room left in it. The pack held up great throughout the challenge and for any long events like this I’ll be using the GR2.
Hydration
The Source Hydration bladder is my goto water option. It holds up great, has a removable hose, and fills easily. I would bring this again in a heartbeat.
Spare Clothes
I brought more spare clothes than I normally would because of the amount of in and out of the water we were planning on doing. I was wearing boots throughout the challenge so the spare running socks did not help at all. In the future I’d bring another pair of boot socks. The spare running shirt was great because I had something dry to wear. Because of the heat I never ended up taking my TAD AC10 Pants off so I didn’t use the running shorts.
Dry Bags
I love using my Sea to Summit dry bag but I was a little under-impressed by the SealLine bags. Having a separate color for food definitely helped but I think I’ll be splurging in the future and buying Sea to Summit bags from now on.
Food
I brought just the right amount of food for this event. Three PB&J sandwiches, four small packs of Jelly Belly beans, two GU packets, and five protein bars. I somehow did not run out of food during the event and even was able to have a pack of jelly beans at the end as an award to myself.
Headlamp
GORUCK recommends the Petzl headlamp… I do not. This headlamp is considered “water resistent” but due to the small amount of water that actually got onto it the thing no longer works. I’d highly recommend the Princeton Tec EOS as it is waterproof for 30 minutes up to 1 meter deep.
Gloves
I use Mechanix gloves for all of my events now. They’re one of the few companies who has a consistent quality among all of their products. When I buy a pair of their gloves I know that they will last through the event and will protect my hands.
Event Specific Gear
Due to the nature of this event we were recommended to bring some event specific gear. All I really have to say about this stuff is that it held up great. The wetsuit top kept me very warm and the goggles didn’t leak at all. Overall a success.
How heavy is this?
I know this is an old thread, but I agree 100% about the Petzel headlamp. Mine died in the surf of Newport from a challenge. Not really even water resistant from the looks of the inside of it. Im going to get the streamlight one you mentioned and give that a try. Thanks for your reviews.
No problem Andy! I’m not sure why everyone was so crazy over the Petzl headlamps… hardly water resistant and pretty much every GORUCK event includes water.
I just finished Heavy on Saturday. A few recommendations: bring 3-4 pairs of backup socks, I had two and used them up in 12 hours. Use body glide on your feet and under your underwear. Don’t use ranger panties or spots briefs- go with compression shorts underneath. Use a north face or go ruck pack, I used an infantry issue pack and. It was terrible bc the weight would shift around making everything up walking upright incredibly more difficult.
Did you have to swim?
Yes we did but we were always attached to a teammate either via rope or locked arms. Over the course of the event we swam & crawled 1400 meters in the water. The Cadre let us know about it well in advance so that we could prepare appropriately for it as this was the first time it had happened in a GORUCK event.
Interesting. The only other swimming I knew of was at selection. I just see bricks and deep water and think disaster. I’m guessing the rucks stayed on land.
Rucks went in with us! Between all of the dry bags we brought they were surprisingly buoyant. We also had wetsuit tops on as well which acted as a life vest. I wouldn’t expect it to happen again for awhile though. Our Cadre was the head of the Marine Amphibious School at Camp Pendleton so he made sure a lot of water was involved.