# Packing a ruck.



## devilbones (Apr 13, 2015)

Can anyone post on their pack setup?  I have a bunch of junk that I pack and I am at about 35lbs unless I put the plates in there.  I am just curious as to the optimal setup.  Some people I read but the heavy stuff on the bottom but I like it up near my shoulders.  Are you always using the waist straps?  If possible post what your 45lb load and the order it goes in.  This may help others that are starting out too or looking to optimize the way they carry their load.  Thanks brothers.


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## Ooh-Rah (Apr 13, 2015)

I would advice against plate at the bottom (or plates at all for that matter)...carry water, that's heavy. 

Plates at the bottom, or even centered, pull your pack straight down in an unnatural way that will be different than how the pack will feel and adjust when under load w/out weights. 

Check out the topic on YouTube too, there are an assload of vids showing guys properly packing under nearly any scenario.


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## pardus (Apr 13, 2015)

Others are more knowledgeable than I here, but I've done my time under heavy rucks. By heavy I mean 60lbs +  

The heavy weight should be as close to the spine as possible. e.g. plates upright against the frame of the ruck.
If the heavy weight is too low, it will pull on your shoulders, fatiguing you faster. Heavy weight too up high will make the ruck unstable, centre of gravity and all that jazz. 
Keep the weight evenly distributed. There's not much worse than a lop sided, unbalanced ruck after about 5 miles... 

Always use the waist straps (if you can), the hips are the body's strongest pivot point, let them take the weight, rather than your shoulders.

Generally speaking I'll put sleeping bag/spare clothes, in the bottom of my ruck, besides being the least important items that are not an urgent item to pull out, they bring the internal bottom level of the ruck up so that heavy items can be placed as close to the spine as possible and in the mid/slightly higher section of the ruck.


personally I always carry a poncho in the top flap of my ruck for the extra layers of waterproofing and for ease of extraction. Then everything is packed with the most urgently needed items in the most easily accessible parts of the ruck, i.e. outer pouches and internally as close to the top as possible.

Remember, it's going to hurt sooner or later, and you can always fit one more item in, whether you think so or not.


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## Ooh-Rah (Apr 13, 2015)

pardus said:


> Always use the waist straps (if you can), the hips are the body's strongest pivot point, let them take the weight, rather than your shoulders.



This!  And remember that the chest strap is not designed to be cinched tight - if it is digging in, your pack is not fit right.   Those little straps hanging below your your shoulder blades?  They work wonders if you adjust them going up or down a hill.  That's one of the reasons I'd encourage you to watch some Youtube vids or even go to an REI and have them help your fit your pack - a significant amount of weight can be carried pretty comfortably if you have your equipment set up correctly.  File this under just one more thing I wish I had known while I was still in the Corps...


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## Hillclimb (Apr 13, 2015)

Are you making a set up just for ruck runs? Or are you looking for a general load out?


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## x SF med (Apr 13, 2015)

Hillclimb said:


> Are you making a set up just for ruck runs? Or are you looking for a general load out?



If you are running with a ruck on a regular basis, you are a complete idiot.   Ankles, knees, hips, back and neck get ruined by running with a ruck...  move out smartly, with a long stride, and shuffle occasionally if needed, but don't go out with the intention of running under load.   Pissed off medic off.


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## pardus (Apr 13, 2015)

x SF med said:


> If you are running with a ruck on a regular basis, you are a complete idiot.   Ankles, knees, hips, back and neck get ruined by running with a ruck... * move out smartly, with a long stride*, and shuffle occasionally if needed, but don't go out with the intention of running under load.   Pissed off medic off.



Yeah, loading a ruck is the easy part of rucking. There are some really important techniques to be taught/learned about moving at speed with a ruck.
My 2IC back in the day was a Brit Para, he gave me lessons on how to TAB (Tactical Advance to Battle), one would be surprised at how horrendously fast one can move under weight (The Para minimum standard to graduate from their basic training is...("The 10-mile march is conducted as a squad over undulating terrain with each candidate carrying a bergen (ruck) weighing 35lbs (plus water) and a weapon. The march must be completed in 1 hour and 50 minutes").
One must be fit of course, and those fuckers are... (The two-mile march is conducted over undulating terrain with each individual carrying a bergen (ruck) weighing 35lbs (plus water) and a weapon. A helmet and combat jacket is also worn. The march must be completed in 18 minutes or under.)
But you need to be technically proficient too. Learn what to do with your arms, how to use your hips etc...
Once you have both of those down, then you need guts, lots of it, but not the beer belly kind.


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## Muppet (Apr 14, 2015)

Hmm. In the 90's. we were not allowed to use the waist straps. The straps were 100mph taped to the frame. I humped the M-5 aid bag and everything else we needed to jump/carry. The mortar and radio guys carried heavier. I humped a 81mm plate for a mortar guy who was hurt but wanted to stay on the hump. Heavy as fuck with the aid bag

M.


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## devilbones (Apr 14, 2015)

Hillclimb said:


> Are you making a set up just for ruck runs? Or are you looking for a general load out?


Just for conditioning.  I was trying to include as much relevant gear as possible so that maybe somebody searching could find this thread and use it to get in shape.  I appreciate all of the responses.  Like I said I have been using plates and sand/water for a while but it sometimes the pack feels to small if I just put the 45lb plate in and other times when I pack all my gear it is overstuffed but only about 35lbs.


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## TLDR20 (Apr 14, 2015)

Muppet said:


> Hmm. In the 90's. we were not allowed to use the waist straps. The straps were 100mph taped to the frame. I humped the M-5 aid bag and everything else we needed to jump/carry. The mortar and radio guys carried heavier. I humped a 81mm plate for a mortar guy who was hurt but wanted to stay on the hump. Heavy as fuck with the aid bag
> 
> M.



That is dumb to tape up a piece of gear. The straps must be secured for jumping, but once on the ground?


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## pardus (Apr 14, 2015)

devilbones said:


> Just for conditioning.  I was trying to include as much relevant gear as possible so that maybe somebody searching could find this thread and use it to get in shape.  I appreciate all of the responses.  Like I said I have been using plates and sand/water for a while but it sometimes the pack feels to small if I just put the 45lb plate in and other times when I pack all my gear it is overstuffed but only about 35lbs.



What kind of pack are you using? By plate are you talking about a weight lifting plate?


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## devilbones (Apr 14, 2015)

pardus said:


> What kind of pack are you using? By plate are you talking about a weight lifting plate?


I have 3 packs that I use.  The old medium ALICE Pack, and the old USMC ILBE Main and Assault pack.  I have both a 45lb plate and SAPI plates.  Sometimes I bring the sleeping bags, and other gear, other times I just wrap the 45lb plate in something soft and put it in the ALICE Pack.  So I have a few different configurations based on the length and duration of the ruck.


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## Ranger Psych (Apr 14, 2015)

Chest strap's to keep the shoulder straps from chewing up your armpits. Nothing more. Waist strap if you can use it is glorious, otherwise just roll without if it's a necessity. Airborne units it's taped up as part of being a safety thing for a jump, I would rig mine up so it wouldn't be a hazard then undo it on the jump. Nobody jumped my crap, but that was while I was RTO and I never dropped ruck so nobody could argue that.


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## pardus (Apr 14, 2015)

devilbones said:


> I have 3 packs that I use.  The old medium ALICE Pack, and the old USMC ILBE Main and Assault pack.  I have both a 45lb plate and SAPI plates.  Sometimes I bring the sleeping bags, and other gear, other times I just wrap the 45lb plate in something soft and put it in the ALICE Pack.  So I have a few different configurations based on the length and duration of the ruck.



You're better off using a large pack. Personally I wouldn't use a gym weight, SAPI plate is better as the weight is not so concentrated, just make sure that whatever plate you use is against your spine, e.g. put it in the internal radio pouch of the ALICE pack.


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## Muppet (Apr 14, 2015)

TLDR20 said:


> That is dumb to tape up a piece of gear. The straps must be secured for jumping, but once on the ground?



Agreed. 1990's Bragg bullshit I suppose brother.

M.


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## Totentanz (Apr 14, 2015)

pardus said:


> You're better off using a large pack. Personally I wouldn't use a gym weight, SAPI plate is better as the weight is not so concentrated, just make sure that whatever plate you use is against your spine, e.g. put it in the internal radio pouch of the ALICE pack.


 
For training purposes, six bricks duct taped together (2 blocks of 3 bricks each, taped separately) in the radio pouch of a medium ALICE gets almost up to 35 pounds.  Fill it out with other stuff and you'll hit your 35 (or more as desired... most people I know go for 37-40 lbs simply to avoid being light).  Add a third block (of 3 bricks) and you'll be close to 45, but that brick usually has to go in the bottom of the main part of the ruck.

JM2C.

ETA: NB, 3x blocks plus a medium ALICE will be light, and you'll have to add "filler" to the mix to get up to 45.  I usually go with boots/old uniforms/poncho type stuff, or things I'll want post-ruck (eg, bodyglide in case of chafing, a change of uniforms, inclement weather gear if the weather's going to be cold/shitty...)


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## HOLLiS (Apr 14, 2015)

x SF med said:


> If you are running with a ruck on a regular basis, you are a complete idiot.   Ankles, knees, hips, back and neck get ruined by running with a ruck...  move out smartly, with a long stride, and shuffle occasionally if needed, but don't go out with the intention of running under load.   Pissed off medic off.



IMHO, one of the very best suggestions.   Maybe not now, but in the future.   Otherwise your joints will remind you of Rice Krispies with the snap, crackle and pop noises.


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## Lionshare (Apr 14, 2015)

Let me start off by saying that I haven't even shipped yet and I all the rucking I have done has been on my own to prepare for SFAS for training purposes ONLY.

I have a Molle II Large Ruck w/ two Sustainment Pouches and this is what works for me for training. 

To simulate having a Sleeping Bag, I packed the bottom compartment very tightly with large rolled-up towels that I cable-tied together to keep shape. There are three of them in there (folded in half hot-dog style, and then rolled along the length of the towel). After I got them in there, I took a Queen sized pillow and stuffed it in on top and zipped up the compartment from the inside. Haven't opened it up since.

On the top compartment, I have two large rolled towels sitting atop the divider/zipper and smaller rolled towels lined up all the way to the top along the three sides of the compartment that aren't adjacent to the frame. This creates a perfect 'slot' to place the weight in that will be against the frame. 

In the slot, I started off just by putting 11 water bottles (12.1lbs.), and between the frame and towels that came out to be about 35lbs. To get up to 50 lbs, I started filling bottles at a time with sand and adding some of my heavier text books in where I could. I also have a camelback now that I throw on top of everything when it is packed, but DO NOT count this as part of your weight. The only water weight you want to count is water that you know you are NOT GOING TO DRINK!

I found out the hard way, but Sustainment Pouches cannot take TOO much weight before causing the ruck to swing or becoming unreliable in genera.. I use them only to keep my keys, wallet, extra pair of socks, and GPS watch in while I ruck. 

All the best.
Jake


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## Lionshare (Apr 14, 2015)

Also - I had the idea to create a makeshift rubber ducky to use while rucking so I could get used to the extra weight and not having my hands free during the march. I decided to stop up to Home Depot last week to put together this contraption and ended up getting it done with less than $20. With a final touch of some Stars & Stripes duck tape, I decided to dub her the "Freedom Stick".

2"x36" PVC Pipe packed full with Sand and capped off with two 2" End Caps and Duck-taped for extra support. 
Weighs ~ 10.5lbs.


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