GoRuck Gear, Built for the Ruck and Recommended by a Former Green Beret
GoRuck rucksacks, boots, and accessories selected by Special Forces veteran and survival instructor Joshua Enyart, carried in his own field kit, and recommended to students who train with him across the regional NE, SE, NW, and SW US live training events. GoRuck was founded by Jason McCarthy, a fellow former Green Beret, and the brand built its reputation the hard way — by making gear that holds up under real weight, in real weather, on real ground, and backing every piece of it with a lifetime guarantee.
The short version of why we carry GoRuck: the packs are overbuilt in all the right places. The Cordura is heavy. The stitching is bar-tacked where it matters. The bottoms of the packs are reinforced to take years of being dropped, dragged, and loaded to weight without collapsing. The zippers are YKK. The frame sheets stand up to ruck plates without bowing. These are the details that separate a pack you’ll use for a decade from one you’ll replace every season, and GoRuck has them figured out.
On rucksacks, the collection centers on the three workhorses. The GR1 is the one-bag-does-everything rucksack — 21 or 26 liters depending on size, laptop-friendly, flat-laid carry from the airport to the course. The GR2 scales up for longer trips and heavier training loads, with internal organization that survives actual use. The Rucker 4.0 is the fitness-first ruck — built specifically around ruck plate carry, with a hydration-friendly layout and a minimalist external profile. If you’re going to train consistently, a Rucker 4.0 and a 30-pound ruck plate is most of what you need to start.
On boots, the MACV-1 Mid Top is GoRuck’s answer to the jungle boot tradition — fast, lightweight, quick-drying, and honest about where they fit in the ecosystem. These are not cold-weather insulated boots, and they are not a substitute for a stiffer hiking boot on long descents with heavy loads. What they are is the right boot for ruck training, warm-weather field courses, and long days on your feet when you need a combat-heritage boot that doesn’t weigh you down.
Ruck plates are where most ruck training programs start and end. The GoRuck steel plates are sized in 10, 20, 30, and 45 pounds, shaped to fit flat against the back panel of a Rucker or GR1, and finished with rubber edges so they don’t tear up the inside of the pack. If you’ve read our wilderness fitness training guide and are ready to start, a single 20- or 30-pound plate is the right entry point for most adults.
Field pockets, water bottle sleeves, Shadow Pockets, and side pockets round out the collection. These are the small pieces that turn a rucksack into a system — dedicated spots for a Nalgene, a field notebook, a tourniquet, a snack bag — so you’re not unpacking the whole pack every time you need something.
For the broader context on how this gear fits into a training program, read our wilderness fitness and ruck training guide. Ready to train with us in person on real ground? See our upcoming live courses for Wilderness Survival, Master Navigator, Wilderness First Aid, and more.
