Do you even Ruck, bro?

I've done it. IMO, the uneven load is better than a weighted vest as it forces your body to balance itself. I think sand bag carrying gives you a bit more variety as you can move the bag around to different positions.

And I'm in Canada. It's not always a frozen tundra here, my haggis eating friend.

Only nine months of the year, eh?:)
 
maurice jones was a canadian lifter from the 1940's. pretty cool guy, there are one or two interviews. he had the squat world record at some time back then, i believe. he was into hiking with 30 or 40 pounds of stones added in the backpack. he did this way into his 80's iirc.
 
Winter is coming.

While Scotland isn't exactly Canada - some years we get no significant snow at all - we usually get a few months of icy conditions. Which makes my preferred methods of conditioning, such as Hill Sprints, somewhat risky. Hitting a patch of ice while one is sprinting full out is no fun at all. So I've been looking around for a conditioning routine that is both easy on the knees and safe to use in weather that makes you keep one eye open for White Walkers.

Rucking, which simply means going for a walk carrying a pack weighing around 35 pounds or so, seems to fit the bill. It's low impact, so knee friendly. And moving at a slower pace means I'm less likely to slip. Especially since I'll be wearing boots instead of running shoes.

Anyone here tried this form of conditioning?


Why don't you just get a 40 litre pack and go walking up and down arthurs seat.

Alternatively, there are a load of nice hills/munros around your neck of the road. Make for a nice drive and 3-4 hours of cardio.
 
Why don't you just get a 40 litre pack and go walking up and down arthurs seat.

Alternatively, there are a load of nice hills/munros around your neck of the road. Make for a nice drive and 3-4 hours of cardio.

I work full time, and have to fit in conditioning, lifting and martial arts around that. One of the reasons I'm interested in Rucking is I can take my rucksack to work, get changed at the end of my shift and walk home. It's time efficient.
 
Yeah done a lot of it rehabbing my ankle. I also hunt in the mountains so I train with a pack a lot. Dosent really seem like 35lbs would be enough. When I came off the mountain with my last sheep, I was ~ 110 lbs for about 18 miles.

The right pick helps. I have a kifaru and a stone glacier, Both will carry more than I can ever hold but you pay big $$$ for those packs.
 
Yeah done a lot of it rehabbing my ankle. I also hunt in the mountains so I train with a pack a lot. Dosent really seem like 35lbs would be enough. When I came off the mountain with my last sheep, I was ~ 110 lbs for about 18 miles.

The right pick helps. I have a kifaru and a stone glacier, Both will carry more than I can ever hold but you pay big $$$ for those packs.

I was thinking about buying a Karrimor. They have a decent rep.
 
I was thinking about buying a Karrimor. They have a decent rep.

I’ve never heard of them but I’ll check them out. Kifaru packs are made for hunting so backpacking in with 35-50lbs then if you kill something, making lots of trips out with 80+lbs. they do some military contracts as well for the SEALS and apparently some guys even buy their own packs for when they need to carry lots of stuff.

Stone glacier is a newer company that sort of markets itself to the ultralight mountain hunting crowd, they aren’t nearly as overbuilt as kifaru packs are but the one I have weighs just over 4lbs and has a 150lb load rating. Cool company some dude started because he was a solo sheep hunter and couldn’t find exactly what he wanted so he made his own and the rest was history.

Mystery ranch makes a good pack but they are sort of cookie cutter, made in the Philippines but I believe they do some contract with the US marine corps and the is Forrest service.

The only problem with these packs is the $$$ i think I have about 700.00 into my stone glacier and closer to 1k into my kifaru. I guess if I was just rucking for fitness, I might get a go tuck pack.
 
I’ve never heard of them but I’ll check them out. Kifaru packs are made for hunting so backpacking in with 35-50lbs then if you kill something, making lots of trips out with 80+lbs. they do some military contracts as well for the SEALS and apparently some guys even buy their own packs for when they need to carry lots of stuff.

Stone glacier is a newer company that sort of markets itself to the ultralight mountain hunting crowd, they aren’t nearly as overbuilt as kifaru packs are but the one I have weighs just over 4lbs and has a 150lb load rating. Cool company some dude started because he was a solo sheep hunter and couldn’t find exactly what he wanted so he made his own and the rest was history.

Mystery ranch makes a good pack but they are sort of cookie cutter, made in the Philippines but I believe they do some contract with the US marine corps and the is Forrest service.

The only problem with these packs is the $$$ i think I have about 700.00 into my stone glacier and closer to 1k into my kifaru. I guess if I was just rucking for fitness, I might get a go tuck pack.

That's an insane amount for a backpack. The top end rucksacks commercially available over here aren't even half that price.
 
That's an insane amount for a backpack. The top end rucksacks commercially available over here aren't even half that price.

Well there probably isn’t much need in England for a mountain hunting pack. Hear really are packs that will last you the rest of your life even with extreme use. I used to think it was crazy to drop the money on a kifaru until my buddy had one on an elk hunt, out packs weighed the same, about 90lbs but the difference was night and day, his pack made the 90 feel like 50. I was sold then and there, now I could never go back. Of all the pieces of gear out there, the thought of crappy backpacks just makes me shudder....cheap rifles fine, Low end cabelas clothing and tents etc...fine....hauling out heavy loss with a crappy pack.....nope.
 
I work full time, and have to fit in conditioning, lifting and martial arts around that. One of the reasons I'm interested in Rucking is I can take my rucksack to work, get changed at the end of my shift and walk home. It's time efficient.
Fair enough
 
I’ve never heard of them but I’ll check them out. Kifaru packs are made for hunting so backpacking in with 35-50lbs then if you kill something, making lots of trips out with 80+lbs. they do some military contracts as well for the SEALS and apparently some guys even buy their own packs for when they need to carry lots of stuff.

Stone glacier is a newer company that sort of markets itself to the ultralight mountain hunting crowd, they aren’t nearly as overbuilt as kifaru packs are but the one I have weighs just over 4lbs and has a 150lb load rating. Cool company some dude started because he was a solo sheep hunter and couldn’t find exactly what he wanted so he made his own and the rest was history.

Mystery ranch makes a good pack but they are sort of cookie cutter, made in the Philippines but I believe they do some contract with the US marine corps and the is Forrest service.

The only problem with these packs is the $$$ i think I have about 700.00 into my stone glacier and closer to 1k into my kifaru. I guess if I was just rucking for fitness, I might get a go tuck pack.

I have absolutely no need for that kind of gear....however.

I've seen reviews for the Kifaru frames and got a semi, but I would need to get myself checked out for it as never ordered/tried anything like it.

I've also seen some extremely good reviews for the recon pack from Norrrona. Something like £699 but designed for heavy loads over long duration (120l main pack with 2 10 litre detachables).
Something similiar to the longback bergen UK military use, but more comfy.

I've only just got myself a Fjallraven Kaija 85l pack. That's going to last me a good while I reckon.
 
Well there probably isn’t much need in England for a mountain hunting pack. Hear really are packs that will last you the rest of your life even with extreme use. I used to think it was crazy to drop the money on a kifaru until my buddy had one on an elk hunt, out packs weighed the same, about 90lbs but the difference was night and day, his pack made the 90 feel like 50. I was sold then and there, now I could never go back. Of all the pieces of gear out there, the thought of crappy backpacks just makes me shudder....cheap rifles fine, Low end cabelas clothing and tents etc...fine....hauling out heavy loss with a crappy pack.....nope.

I'm surprised you say that about tents.
I'd rather have crap clothing and a passable pack (not crap mind you) than poor tent.

I've been caught out when hiking a couple of times in reasonable tents. That's why I bought a hilleberg black label.
 
I'm surprised you say that about tents.
I'd rather have crap clothing and a passable pack (not crap mind you) than poor tent.

I've been caught out when hiking a couple of times in reasonable tents. That's why I bought a hilleberg black label.

Hilleberg tents are nice, I have one of them but I’ve spent lots of nights in the candelas Alaskan guide domentents with no issues at all. They aren’t as light and they aren’t as well thought out as a hilleberg or a bibler but they kept me out of the weather on moose hunting trips.

I guess my thought is that the things that you use the most need to be the best, boots and packs. On a trip I might use the rifle once for a shot but immcarrying the pack for a week.
 
Hilleberg tents are nice, I have one of them but I’ve spent lots of nights in the candelas Alaskan guide domentents with no issues at all. They aren’t as light and they aren’t as well thought out as a hilleberg or a bibler but they kept me out of the weather on moose hunting trips.

I guess my thought is that the things that you use the most need to be the best, boots and packs. On a trip I might use the rifle once for a shot but immcarrying the pack for a week.


Fair point. You're needs are different to mine (much greater pack out weight).
If the tents you use do the job the tool is effective.

I think I'm just developing a hard on for hilleberg at the moment.
 
Fair point. You're needs are different to mine (much greater pack out weight).
If the tents you use do the job the tool is effective.

I think I'm just developing a hard on for hilleberg at the moment.

They make awesome tents for sure.
 
I actually started rucking back in the spring to prepare for the current hunting season.
 
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