GoRuck GR1 Review: Great For Travel, Rucking, the Gym, and More

As we get out of the house, the gear-obsessed WIRED Reviews team is writing about our favorite bags and EDCs. Today, reviewer Scott Gilbertson raves about his GoRuck backpack. You can also check out other Bag Check stories where WIRED writers share their carryall of choice.

GoRuck’s US-made GR1 is the best backpack I’ve ever used, full stop. The 26-liter version is big enough to hold everything I need for a couple weeks of travel. It can also work as a camera bag, a gym bag, a hiking pack, and, oh yeah, for rucking.

The GR1 costs a fortune (for a bag), but given its practical utility and durability, I’d say it’s worth every penny. I’ve been using mine for three years now, and it still looks like it did the day I got it.

I first became interested in the GoRuck GR1 because I deeply hate running. I love walking, hiking, and riding a bike. But running? No thanks. Even so, I’m willing to concede that running is probably the cardio workout with the lowest barrier to entry. Aside from a new pair of shoes every year or two, you don’t need anything. Just step outside the door and torture yourself, er, I mean, run.

Fortunately for me, I found rucking, aka the military term for walking around with a weighted backpack. In recent years, rucking has gained popularity among civilian ranks, booming on TikTok and among Silicon Valley efficiency-seekers. The best definition of rucking that I’ve seen comes from Michael Easter’s The Comfort Crisis, which describes rucking as “cardio for people who hate running.” Sounds like me, right?

Rucking involves carrying a heavy pack while walking (some people jog, some people run, I do neither). Essentially, no matter your movement speed, the extra weight in your pack elevates your physical output to a higher cardio plane. But if you’ve ever donned a pack to go hiking, you may have learned the hard way that many backpacks aren’t up to the task of carrying heavy weights. Thin shoulder straps become cheese cutters on your shoulders, fabric sags, and items in your bag dig into your back and tailbone.

That’s when my editor said, “Oh, I have a GoRuck GR1—rucking is what it’s made to do.” After a bit of personal research, I soon had my own GR1. Made from ultra-durable and water-resistant 1000D Cordura, it’ll wear the T-shirt right off your back before anything happens to the pack. And the zipper pulls—perhaps the most overlooked feature of GoRuck packs—are fantastic. They’re big and easy to grab, even when you’re wearing thick winter gloves.