Rucking Gear Question

CjMelendrez

CjMelendrez

Lil-Rokslider
Joined
Aug 27, 2021
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200
Location
South Central Idaho
I want to keep up on the weighted walks I was doing with my dog prior to elk season but I don't want to add unnecessary wear and tear on my hunting pack. So my question is, do you guys use plate carriers similar to mil style or the link below?

www.511tactical.com

TacTec® Plate Carrier

Tactec Plate Carrier
www.511tactical.com www.511tactical.com

Or do you opt for a dedicated weight vest similar to:

https://www.goruck.com/products/training-weight-vest or https://www.511tactical.com/tactec-...1iX7qtz2JwyJMRzaFk-9MWdOKP8uFvOuMiYaJWi0NDXc5

Or something even more basic like this?

www.goruck.com

RPC | Weighted Rucking Backpack | GORUCK

THE MOST STREAMLINED WAY TO CARRY UP TO 90LBS The Ruck Plate Carrier (aka RPC) houses a Ruck Plate and is worn high and tight on your back for natural stability. Your chest stays open so you can breathe better to ruck longer. The RPC is built for comfort under weight, with a padded top handle...
www.goruck.com www.goruck.com

thanks for he help! too many options for basically the same goal...
 
I am not sure how wearing a ruck outside of the woods puts wear and tear on it, unless it’s not made with any sort of quality. I have been carrying the same pack for almost ten years, throughout the year with no issues.

With that being said, I don’t carry anything outside of what I would typically carry on a normal outing. No sand, concrete, cat litter or anything like that just to carry weight.
 
The Mike Prevost rucking programs call for some hard and heavy work which wound up putting some wear and tear on my pack after a couple seasons. The stress points from picking up and setting down a 80+ pounds eventually showed some fatigue.

Found an eberlestock f1 mainframe for cheap and that’s now a permanent training pack and occasionally gets thrown in if I decide to hunt white tails further than I dare to drag one out. I
 
I think there are some advantages of using the pack you'd use for hunting—you get to know your pack intimately as far as all the adjustments, etc; also I think there is also some adaptations your body makes to the pack you're using.

Like @justinspicher I don't think there is much risk of wearing out a quality pack. Now if you're going to gym to do weighted exercises, I can see that a vest probably makes more sense.
 
A weighted vest is not going to have the same training effect as weight on your back, driven into your hips.

Personally, I don't worry about the wear and tear. All of the components that wear out with hard use over time (hips belts, butt pads and shoulder straps) are easily replaceable on quality packs and probably cheaper to replace than buying a beater pack. If I were to buy a beater pack, it would be the same frame I use for hunting.
 
As someone who has done a lot of rucking, including stuff like the Mammoth Sniper Challenge I would recommend putting a heavy focus on overall strength (google 5-3-1) and rucking just enough to toughen up your feet, break in boots etc.

Rucking puts a ton of wear and tear on your body, and strength training will accomplish similar with less wear and tear on your body.
 
My old Kifaru Duplex Hunter frame has become my dedicated rucking pack. I have an Exo K4 for hunting. I've noticed the shoulder straps and waist belt padding have really compressed down to almost nothing on the Kifaru with use, but it still hauls weight well. It slips and needs adjustment much more than the Exo and isn't quite as comfortable for me, but for rucking it's been great. I figure if I get used to a little extra discomfort while training I'll be all the better prepared for hunting with the more comfortable frame. My take is that if you're going to spend $200 plus on a weight vest you might as well just pick up a used frame on the classifieds and have a backup to your hunting pack that you can beat up with training.

Sent from my Pixel 6 using Tapatalk
 
I got a go Ruck backpack just for that. I don’t know why but I don’t want people to see me walking around with a hunting pack on. The go ruck is just a basic looking backpack. When o go for a spin after work or with my dogs nobody bats an eye.

I’d feel dumb doing a weight vest thing but I live in rural AK where very few people workout.
 
Poser said:
A weighted vest is not going to have the same training effect as weight on your back, driven into your hips.

Personally, I don't worry about the wear and tear. All of the components that wear out with hard use over time (hips belts, butt pads and shoulder straps) are easily replaceable on quality packs and probably cheaper to replace than buying a beater pack. If I were to buy a beater pack, it would be the same frame I use for hunting.
Click to expand...
2nd this. I don't recommend training with vests as it is quite a bit different from a weighted pack.
 
I use a Bear Komplex weighted vest. This past year I ran/walked 3.5 miles 3 times a week with 35 lbs in the vest. I also used it while doing yard work. Price wise it's pretty good. What I found out when shopping for plates is they can get pretty expensive. The 2 15lb plates I got where more than the vest by a long shot. The vest worked out great for me. I used it as part of a workout program and not necessarily as a replacement for a pack. Although I didn't use my pack as part of my getting ready for my hunt. I just got back from my hunt and didn't have any issues with carrying my pack. Unfortunately we didn't shoot an elk so I don't know how it would have felt hauling out an elk quarter.

bearkomplex.com

Bear KompleX Training Vest Plate Carrier

After extensive R&D and athlete testing, the Bear KompleX Training Plate Carrier is now available. It combines the best build materials and construction design to create a carrier that stands out from the rest.
bearkomplex.com bearkomplex.com
 
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I’ve got a outdoorsman’s I use. Also have a spare exo frame with sand bags I switch to closer to season. I used to use a Vmax 50# weight vest but that turned out to be my least favorite option. Feels like you got a small kid standing on your chest while trying to catch your breath.
 
For what those go-ruck packs cost you can get another decent pack. Personally I use my older Eberlestock X2 for rucking. Its filled with sand bags (sand measured into ziplocks and then wrapped in duct tape) 5lbs each so I can tweak my level of weight. I also do use it as a hunting day pack though not for overnight trips.
 
mtwarden said:
I think there are some advantages of using the pack you'd use for hunting—you get to know your pack intimately as far as all the adjustments, etc; also I think there is also some adaptations your body makes to the pack you're using.

Like @justinspicher I don't think there is much risk of wearing out a quality pack. Now if you're going to gym to do weighted exercises, I can see that a vest probably makes more sense.
Click to expand...

The carbon fiber stays will rub thru the material if you strap plates to a SG meat shelf..ask me how I know...also why I picked up the outdoorsman trainer.
 
Sccritterkiller said:
The carbon fiber stays will rub thru the material if you strap plates to a SG meat shelf..ask me how I know...also why I picked up the outdoorsman trainer.
Click to expand...
I can see how that would happen. That said, there are lots of ways to add weight to a pack for training without using a plate. I use rock salt wrapped in a garbage bag and duct taped. No noticeable wear and tear on the pack from that.

Sent from my Pixel 9 Pro using Tapatalk
 
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