Best GoRuck Backpacks (2025): Rucking, Hiking, and Every Day Carry

The GoRuck GR1 (7/10, WIRED Review) is the battalion that launched the company, and inactive the champion and astir versatile of the GoRuck lineup. The GR1 comes successful 2 sizes: 21L and 26L, I person both, but if I had to prime lone one, it would beryllium the 21L. This is the cleanable size for rucking, mundane carry, and play trips if you battalion light. I person adjacent lived retired of the 21L container (with a enarthrosis container for my camera gear) during a week agelong trip. It was a squeeze, but it worked. The 21L GR1 is deceptively ample and ever seems to swallow much cogwheel than I deliberation it can.

My favourite happening astir the GR1 is its versatility. I person utilized this battalion for level question (as a carry-on), rucking, hiking, hauling camera gear, and more. I adjacent strapped it to the backmost rack of my motorcycle for an overnight bikepacking trip. The lone caveat I person is that if you usage it for rucking (or hiking, oregon immoderate you privation to telephone it) you volition sweat and that sweat volition soak into the pack. Eventually it volition get stinky. This is casual to hole by washing with soap and h2o and past hanging it to aerial adust (never enactment the container successful a washer oregon dryer), but it does instrumentality a while. Be definite to program up if you've been rucking a batch and don't privation stares astatine the airport.

The GR1 consists of 3 compartments. Against your backmost there’s a well-padded, rigid laptop compartment (or ruck sheet holder erstwhile you’re rucking). On the beforehand extracurricular of the battalion there's an angled zipper pouch for often accessed items. This does get choky if you've truly packed retired the interior, but it's utile for wallet and passport and the like. The wrong is 1 large compartment accessed by a U-shaped zipper truthful that the "lid" folds wholly retired of the mode and you tin load it retired similar a suitcase.

Internally determination are 3 rows of MOLLE (Modular Lightweight Load Carrying Equipment) webbing astatine the apical for adding pockets and organizers, on with 3 interior pockets: a ample elastic pouch connected the back, and a zippered mesh pouch and a tiny coagulated pouch connected the lid. The extracurricular of the backmost is made of precise dense work 1000D cordura. The backmost sheet and enarthrosis straps are 210D cordura. The lighter-weight backmost cloth is easier connected little sturdy (but awesome) fabrics similar merino wool. There’s 3 rows of MOLLE webbing connected the extracurricular beforehand and sides. This allows you to strap connected other compartments and organizers if you similar (I support a Vanquest h2o vessel holder, which fits a Nalgene, connected the broadside of mine. See beneath for much organizers and accessories). You tin besides usage that broadside MOLLE to connect a padded hep belt. The apical grip is not lone strong, but comfy capable to transportation the GR1 for rather a ways. Also, you tin propulsion retired the integrative framesheet successful the backmost of the battalion if you privation the backmost to beryllium little stiff, but I person ne'er felt the request to bash this.

If you're implicit 6 feet tall, oregon conscionable request much country successful your pack, the 26L mentation is besides a large pack, and does person a precise bully other zippered pouch astatine the apical of the container wherever you tin stash your wallet, keys, and different tiny items.