The day that GORUCK announced the Rucking World Championship is also the day they released the Speed Rucker. It was only sold as part of the registration for that event and I was very intrigued by the new ruck. Now that the pack is for sale by itself I finally bit the bullet and ordered one.
Unboxing the Speed Rucker
GORUCK Speed Rucker First Look
Here’s probably more pictures than you ever wanted of the Black with Black Reflective Speed Rucker from GORUCK.
Outside the Speed Rucker
The GORUCK Speed Rucker looks like a pack from GORUCK even without external webbing and a slant zip pocket. Looking directly at the bag you can see the reflective strap across the bag, the patch area (with Plank hanging out), and the sewn in hip belt.
This view gives a better angle for the “sparking” in the reflective strap.
Here’s what the patch area looks like with Plank gone.
There’s the GORUCK Spearhead logo embroidered directly into the pack on the bottom right. Generally this is sewn into the webbing however, since there’s no webbing here, it’s sewn into the pack.
A quick look at the bottom of the pack. It is as wide and tall as a 20L Rucker however it’s a bit thinner.
Even when empty the Speed Rucker holds its shape nicely.
Here’s a quick look at how the waist belt is sewn into the strap. The webbing is sewn in so, in theory, if you didn’t like the waist strap you could cut it off.
Checking out the top you can see where the hydration port is and the grab handle.
The handle on the Speed Rucker appears to have quite a bit less padding than GORUCK’s other packs.
Even though I’ve rucked with this a few times so far I kept the tag on just for this picture.
Here’s how the shoulder strap is connected as well as some red fuzz and the waist belt. The red fuzz is from rucking in a red sweatshirt a few day ago…
Shoulder straps do have webbing so you can attach both a sternum strap (not included) or an ITW GrimLoc (also not included).
I wish there were either pockets sewn into the waist belt or webbing on them to attach a pocket. It would be nice (for star course events) if there was some way to attach your cell phone there. It’s easier to get at things around your waist (for the most part) compared to chest level.
Here’s the buckle for the waist belt… it’s a big one.
Shoulder straps are thick just like the other GORUCK packs. I would say they’re about the same thickness…
Same hydration exit hole that you see on GORUCK’s other packs. Closed by hook & loop.
Inside the Speed Rucker
Opening the pack up we’ve got the ruck plate pocket and the D ring for a water bladder. There’s a sewn in (aka not removable) frame sheet right behind that ruck plate pocket.
Here’s the inside view of the hydration exit port.
And here’s the D ring.
The ruck plate pocket can fit the 10 lb, 20 lb, or 30 lb “For Rucker” Ruck Plates.
You can even stick your hand through the pocket. If you’re planning on using this for an everyday carry bag then this might be important to you. Although I don’t think electronics would slip through any smaller items might.
Bottom of the pack has a tag that says GORUCK on one side…
… and 15L BUILT IN VIETNAM on the other side. This pack is indeed 15 liters and built in Vietnam.
Switching over to the other side gives you quite the interesting view. It’s like you get to see how GORUCK packs are put together.
On top we have a pocket which you’ll find in pretty much any GORUCK bag. This is my most used pocket and the one I usually slip my notebook, pen, and some snacks into. It’s the easiest to get into (being on the top) and feels secure since it’s on the inside.
I don’t currently have anything in this pocket but this is what the inside looks like.
Here’s a look at the internal label. GORUCK Speed Rucker with a Lifetime Guarantee.
If you lift the pocket up you can see what the inside of the pack looks like. At the very top is where the 3″ x 2″ Velcro rectangle is sewn in. Those diagonal sew lines are for the reflective strap on the outside.
Here’s that GORUCK Spreadhead that was embroidered into the front of the bag coming through the other side. There really is only one piece of 500d Cordura between the bag and the outside.
Kicking the Speed Rucker
Halfway through this photo shoot I needed to move the Speed Rucker maybe three to five inches. There was a crack in the ground that was in the shot and it didn’t look great. Whenever this happens I just use my foot and kick/scoot the bag over so it’s in a better location. I’ve done this for years and have never had an issue.
This is what the reflective strap looked like before I scooted it over. I should note that when I moved the bag with my foot the pack was flipped over so the reflective strap was touching the concrete. There was also a 30 lb plate in the Speed Rucker.
This is what the reflective strap looks like after scooting it over. There’s some minor scuffing on it but it’s fairly visible.
Here’s how it looks now… although the strip isn’t any less reflective it is a little uglier.
There was also a little nick caught in the 500d Cordura.
Here’s how that looks on the inside.
Why bring this up? The GORUCK Speed Rucker was designed for the Star Course line of events. With that in mind people have still been asking if it’s a suitable ruck for a GORUCK Light or a GORUCK Tough. I don’t have the answer to that question but I can say if I owned a Rucker and a Speed Rucker I would ten out of ten times take the Rucker to a Light or Tough. I don’t think the Speed Rucker would fall apart on you but there are substantially less materials used in this pack so I don’t know how it would hold up.
With that in mind I don’t think that makes this a worse pack by any means. If you want a lighter pack you have to use lighter (and sometimes less) materials. You’re not going to be doing ruck drags at a star course so you don’t need multiple layers of 1000d Cordura. If you’re looking for a ruck for the Star Course don’t let this piece of information sway you away. If you’re looking for a ruck for a Light or Tough then definitely take this into consideration.
Final Thoughts
The Speed Rucker is an interesting pack. It uses minimal materials to achieve a lighter weight so that it hopefully won’t slow you down at a Star Course. The $125 price point reflects this and it definitely feels like a less expensive version of a GORUCK pack. Although the sewing is good the inside just looks less finished.
What’s next? I’ll be putting a lot of miles on this thing and reporting back on how the Speed Rucker compares to the Rucker. Hopefully there will be good news there!
Quick Update
After putting 20 miles on my pack my 30 lb ruck plate blew through the bottom. It will be headed back to SCARS for repairs.