SUNDAY RUCK

Ruck like the best of them: Former Green Beret breaks down the basics of hiking your gear

In our Selection preparation, we always stress the importance of Rucking and the value that all of the services put on it in the Special Operations community. The services will all stress the 45-pound minimum in training and one of the frequent questions we get is why train with 45-pounds when in reality the amount will be much more.

The 45-pound weight is considered the minimum, it is a baseline that everything is based on. That isn’t the ceiling but the floor. As we’ll get to in just a moment. Carrying a ruck is the basic mode of transportation that every Special Operations Forces trooper will have to master. In Selection, it isn’t just a physical test and yes you will be tested physically there, but a mental one. You’re going to get tired, hungry, sore and worn down. The rucksack is the vehicle by the cadre to see who has the intestinal fortitude to keep putting one foot in front of the other and drive on with the mission.

It is even more important in the Special Forces Selection and Assessment Course (SFAS). That 45-pounds as we said above is the floor. That is the baseline of weight before a candidate has to add his food and water. And then the cadre of SFAS have no shortage of events for the candidate to increase that weight exponentially each day.

So, if you aspiring SOF candidates are following along with physical training program, on Sunday (we always do a Sunday ruck, to pay homage to the SF gods) we had a five-mile ruck on the agenda and I, for one was looking forward to it.

We’ve had a pretty sustained heat wave with high humidity up here in the Northeast for quite a while now. On Saturday afternoon, massive thunderstorms ripped thru the area but in their aftermath brought crisp, cool air with an almost autumn feel with it. The air was dry and temps in the low ‘60s, perfect rucking weather.

So as I was trudging along in the dark at about 0520, I decided to take another route and extend the distance (arthritic knees and all) for about another mile and a half into my neighboring town. While trudging along I made some mental notes to pass along about the basics of rucking and ensuring that we all are doing the little things right.

Boots and Socks: Are we all wearing two pairs of socks, turned inside out so the stitching isn’t rubbing and causing hot spots? The inner sock should be one of those nylon or polypro socks to wick away the moisture from your feet and put on some foot powder as well to help with the same.

Your boots have to fit snugly but not too tight, especially in the heel and have them laced up to where they are comfortable enough without being too tight and cutting off your circulation. Are your second pair of boots broken in well enough?

Packing Your Ruck: During training or train up for Selection, you don’t need to have a bunch of gear in your ruck, just the prescribed amount of weight, in my case a sandbag in the radio pouch. Again, going over the basics here, the reason you want the sandbag up higher between your shoulder blades is that you don’t have the weight down low pulling on your lower back.

If you do decide to opt for a gear-laden ruck, follow the same guidelines, the heavier items go on the top and as close to the frame as possible. You don’t want heavier crap far away from your body. Why? It is a simple case of leverage. The next time you are in the gym, walk back and forth around the gym a few times with a heavy dumbbell pressed against your chest. Easy right? Now do it with those dumbbells extended away from your body.

It is a lesson that once learned will stick with you. Once during training, a friend tripped over an exposed root in the dark and twisted his knee up pretty good. We were going to walk him out to a road and have him exfiltrated to the hospital just to be on the safe side. In the dark, we divvied up his essential gear to be shared amongst the rest of us lucky souls. The boss asked me to carry his radio and I, of course, said sure. As I was helping the injured guy to his feet, the boss stuffed the radio in my ruck. We loaded up and moved out.

It took all of about a quarter mile to realize, in his haste, he stuffed it on the outside. A big mistake of mine for not checking. It felt like it weighed about three times the actual weight. If you doubt it, try it once and put the heavy stuff on the outside and feel it for yourself.

Have your Camelback system handy to where you can drink on the fly and not have to stop or fumble for it. In training, it isn’t a big deal but once you’re in the Selection Course it will matter a great deal.

Just as a force of habit, I still pack a basic survival kit, (photo) with stuff I’d need in the case of an emergency, which while rucking along a road or trail in town seems ludicrous but it is just a good habit to get in, and good habits die hard. Why do I carry an extra water bottle when I have a Camelback? Some of us, myself included, are weird when it comes to people drinking out of my Camelback. If I come across someone that needs a drink, I will gladly share and even give them my spare water bottle. But unless of a dire emergency, I don’t care for anyone else drinking out of my kit.

Stride Out Without Running: In your training prior to Selection, we stress always to go as fast as you can without running. It puts way too much stress on your knees and lower back and you don’t want to hurt yourself before you even arrive.

And of course, it goes without saying that when you are in the course and conducting a gated event such as a long-range movement that is timed, do what you have to do to pass. If you need to make up time, lightly jogging down any hills or the flat terrain will help get ahead of the power curve or makeup time if you were slowed down for any reason.

During your train up is the time to find your ideal pace. You know what the standards are, (15-minute mile pace), and of course, you want to better that each and every time you go out there. Once you find your optimum pace that you can say do a 12-miler for that is well within the time limits, keep that pace and use it as your baseline.

You won’t know the details of the distances during Selection and probably won’t know how far you’ve gone on the gated events there. That’s why having your pace down pat is so important. It is why we stress the leg training that we do in our PT program. It builds the strength and power to push you thru these ruck marches much easier.

A quick word about posture, while you don’t want to be bent over staring at the tops of your boots, (that won’t go over well in the course and is dangerous while rucking along the roads here), you’ll find that the best way is to bend slightly at the waist and lean forward as you ruck. On steep uphill climbs, you may want to lean forward even more so. It is all a personal choice there.

So strap on your ruck, ensure the waist belt is secure and snug and get to it. This week as I mentioned I changed my route and rucked along the road in a neighboring town. I guess I looked like a sketchy MFer to the local gendarmes and they drove past me slowly a few times. Either that or they wanted my walking stick.

Ah well, it is all good. Ruck on and if you have any questions, shoot them my way and I’ll be happy to answer them.

Photos: US Army, author

Originally published on Special Operations.com and written by STEVE BALESTRIERI

Rucking Trails in Deep Snow? Try Something New, Go Snowshoeing

We publish a daily workout regimen that we post for all of the aspiring Special Operations candidates to properly prepare themselves physically for the various Selection courses. And Sunday was supposed to be a long rucksack march.

But Mother Nature decided to throw us all a curve here in the Northeast. Our first major winter storm dumped between 8-12 inches of snow on us and then turned to sleet long before the sun came up to make things even more treacherous. But rather lose an entire day (and a rucking day at that) to the weather gods, don’t let that happen just use your imagination and make it work for you.

Remember, being prepared physically will also carry over mentally as well, filling the candidate with confidence to be able to handle anything thrown at him once you hit Selection. But with the preparation comes the inevitable running and rucking that must be done to be ready once the rubber hits the road.

So, rucking was out of the question, the snow was too deep and the glaze of ice, crusted over with the sleet, made walking in it a non-starter on Sunday. We have rucked in snow up to knee-depth about a year ago. The deeper part of the snow was great exercise and tires you out much quicker than walking along a level, flat trail. When rucking in the snow, don’t worry about the pace, trust me it is going to be much, much slower. As long as you are going as hard as you can, it will help in the long run.

But, what to do this week? If you can’t go rucking due to the conditions, then go snowshoeing. Snowshoeing is a fun, alternate exercise and one that will definitely challenge you. It is very easy to learn, much easier than cross-country skiing. If any of you ever go to winter-warfare training, you’ll get familiar with it and due to the nature of the exercise, you’ll employ different muscles, and trust me you’ll be sore!

The nice part of snowshoeing is that for someone like yours truly with achy, arthritic knees, it is pretty low-impact, much more so than running and less than rucking as well. You don’t need a bunch of gear, just the normal winter weather clothing, snowshoes and poles. While most people use ski poles, I just carry my walking stick. It is the wrong way to do it, I know, but some of us FOGs are stubborn. If you have a pair of gaiters, they’ll definitely come in handy when breaking trail in untouched snow. Be damned though if I can find mine.

You’ll find (if you are new at this) that your stance will be slightly wider than normal due to the fact that you don’t want to step on the inside of the opposite snowshoe. If you do that, you are guaranteed to face plant, something I still do on occasion, much to the amusement of my wife and dog, when the three of us go. I was a bit rusty and hadn’t been out on my snowshoes since mid-March last winter.

We have a few good hills around here which are a bit of a challenge. For this, I’ll rely on the good folks from REI who posted this:

In powdery snow, use the kick-step technique. Pick up your foot and literally kick into the snow with the toe of your boot to create a step. Your snowshoes will be on the angle of the slope, with the tails hanging downhill behind you and the toes above your boots. This plants the crampons or cleats into the snow, directly under the balls of your feet. If conditions are such that a kick-step ends up just creating a deep hole in the snow, then look for a different route.
On crusty, hardpack snow, you probably won’t be able to kick step. Instead, you’ll be relying on your traction devices (claws) and poles. Walk up the slope, but if it’s too steep try to find an easier traversing route.
On moderate to steep slopes, flip up the heel lift feature (also known as a climbing bar or Televator) found under the heel on many snowshoes. This puts your leg in a more comfortable position for long ascents.

Sunday morning at 0430, the temps were just about 10 degrees with the sleet pelting down. Which is a damned sight better than this morning. As I write this, it is -2 degrees with a wind chill between 23-30 degrees below zero. One word of caution here, dress in layers and not too heavy, snowshoeing, as I stated will work up a sweat, I had just a t-shirt, a thin sweater, and a waterproof, NorthFace shell. After less than five minutes, I was sweating pretty freely despite the cold.

The pace will be slow, there is absolutely no way around that. Speed marching in snowshoes is a non-starter. However, compared to trying to break trail thru deep, ice-encrusted snow, going with snowshoes is faster.

Candidates must remember that as a member of the Special Operations community, the weather and elements won’t alter training or operations so don’t let it to you alter your preparation for the course. A mentor once told me, “the difference between an average man and a warrior is that an average man looks at everything as a blessing or a curse. The warrior looks at everything as merely a challenge.”

As we all know and have experienced, the weather will turn to crap more often than not on you. Don’t let it alter your preparation. Rise above it, keep driving on and above all else, “Embrace the Suck”. There will be times when you’ll have to be creative with your workouts. Bad weather conditions don’t necessarily mean that your work stops. You can still get a good, challenging workout while learning a new skill at the same time.

This morning’s wind chill and bitter cold are a bit different though. All things being equal around here today, I’ll just forego going out in this until it “warms up” to about 5 degrees later on this afternoon.

No Days Off, Just another day in paradise… DOL

Photos: DVIDs, Author

Originally published on Special Operations.com

Rucking in Standing Water…Got to Be Smarter Than a Rock

In yesterday’s Special Operations PT Prep workout we scheduled an 8-mile rucksack march which is pretty standard for things here as on our Sunday Ruck we like to put some miles under the pain pill to begin the week off right, long before the sun comes up.

And yesterday was no exception, getting up to let the dog do her business at 4:00 a.m. it seemed like as good a time as any to hit the trail. What the heck, I was up anyway and very tired as I stayed up watching college football and then a film (The Dark Knight) in bed until around 12:30.

So right around the time that the Joker transformed Harvey Dent into grinning caricature thanks to the wonders of CGI, I drifted off into slumberland unaware that in just a couple of hours that a Bulldog will wake me up with a loud snort in the ear (PFFFT!) to warn me that it is time to go outside.

We got up to a soft, steady, drenching rain, which has been the weather the entire fall season in the Northeast. This has been one of if the not the wettest fall seasons I can remember. The ponds are consistently flooding up onto and over the roads. The ground is saturated and each step brings out the water underfoot as it makes the going much slower in most places.

I grabbed my rain jacket, which it isn’t any longer. I’ve had that for so long, I’ve reapplied the water repellency gunk to it so many times it just doesn’t work anymore…Note to self, time for a new Gore-Tex jacket. I put the dog on the leash and grabbed my ruck figuring to just stay out and hit the trail.

The dog wasn’t having any of that so as soon as she deposited some fertilizer for the power company along the power lines she beat feet back for the door. I was on my own. So be it and after about a ½ mile or so, I realized I, in my lack of sleep induced stupor, made a colossal mistake.

Thru force of habit lately I grabbed my waterproof boots and not my Gore-Tex pair. Shit! As I said, we’ve had a very wet fall and my waterproof boots I have worn most of the fall working for my other job which is to cover sports for a local newspaper. It seemed like every weekend was a monsoon and standing on natural grass football fields with my camera, those boots were perfect. There isn’t a lot of walking involved and your feet stay dry and toasty. I also use those for shoveling snow in the driveway as they work quite well for that too.

Rucking, however, is a totally different animal.

You know how we always spout off here about how A.) the cadre at Selection are looking for candidates who can think and make good decisions when they are under stress, tired and hungry? And B.) always have a “good” pair of boots broken in for rucking during the course? Well, even us FOGs are not immune to having a brain cramp of the brain housing group …of epic proportions.

It was a poor decision on both accounts. And a good teaching point, to always have your wits about you. Why? The uninitiated may ask? Well, your feet need to breathe, most especially when you are rucking and even more so when slogging thru wet conditions. Because invariably, some water from puddles etc. or even just the rain hitting your legs and running downhill is going to find its way inside your boots. And guess what? They are just as waterproof from the inside as they are from the outside.

Worse, once you begin to heat up while rucking, your feet, as hard as it is to believe will be generating a tremendous amount of heat, even in these wet conditions. Rucking in a waterproof boot is akin to wrapping your feet in Saran Wrap, submerging them in water for just long enough for the water to totally absorb thru the wrap like wearing a pair of water socks and then holding your feet to a fire and generating a ton of steam.

Right about the ½ mile mark, the haze of sleeplessness wore off in the rain and I felt a wet squishiness in my feet. Double MF. “You idiot,” I thought to myself. “Your feet will not be happy after this.”

After about a mile in, my feet were soaked with sweat and eventually the rain and puddle splashes began to work their way in. After about 4 miles it felt like I was lugging around fish tanks on my feet. Then the inevitable hot spots began to creep in. It was not a pleasant feeling as anyone who has rucked and had hotspots or blisters can attest to.

I walked in the door around 6:30 or so my not-so-rain jacket and boots making this experience a miserable one (but only myself to blame). My wife woke up and padded thru the kitchen to get a bottle of water, still more asleep than awake. “How’d it go?” she asked. I shook my head, “I wore my waterproof boots,” I answered. “Oh that’s good, you should be good and dry.” GRRRRR. With that, she went back off to bed. The Bulldog opened one eye as if to say, “glad I didn’t go.” My feet were pruned like I’d been in the Atlantic Ocean for a week. And they were burning in several spots.

So the moral of the story is, no one is immune to stepping on their crank when they’re tired. Even old SFAS cadre members… I’d say no more late night television, but I know that would be a lie. But I still blame Batman.

Oh, here are those Gore-Tex boots…Live and learn. Everyone makes mistakes, right? I tend to be much more forgiving of others’ mistakes than my own. So, how was your rucking day yesterday?

On a side note, I’m trying to get a pair of those new MACV-1 boots from the GoRuck guys and we’ll test them out and do a product review. Currently, they’re on back order. They are based on the old Vietnam era Jungle Boot. Back in our day, those were our go-to boots for nearly everything. I had tons of them thru the years and with good insoles, they were great field boots.

Whenever we had a road march on the pavement (or several, back to back during certification), I would wear the old Addidas GSG-9 boot or a pair of Jungle boots that I had the hard Panama lug sole taken off and replaced with a softer, thicker walking sole. It looks remarkably like what the guys over at GoRuck are making. Stay tuned.

Photo: The Royal Monmouthshire Royal Engineers

Originally published on Special Operations.com

Don’t Let the Elements Dictate Your Preparation For Selection

“No Days Off.” That should be the mantra of all aspiring Special Operations troops. And we do what we can here to help those young people prepare. We post a daily workout program to help aspiring Special Operations candidates to properly prepare themselves physically for the various Selection courses.

Being prepared physically will also carry over mentally as well, filling the candidate with confidence to be able to handle anything thrown at him. But with the preparation comes the inevitable running and rucking that must be done to be ready once the rubber hits the road.

But if you’re one of those “fortunate” souls who lives or is stationed in the Northeast United States right now, Mother Nature has thrown us a curve. Or to put bluntly, she is a vindictive Bi**h. Back-to-back-to-back late season Nor’easters have blanketed the area with snow. While during the storms themselves, there isn’t much that can be done safely out of doors, once it is over, don’t let the elements stop or even slow down your preparation. It may be a bit different for a bit, but a break in the usual monotony can be a good thing.

As a member of the Special Operations community, the weather and elements won’t alter training or operations so don’t let it to you alter your preparation for the course. Someone once told me, “the difference between an average man and a warrior is that an average man looks at everything as a blessing or a curse. The warrior looks at everything as merely a challenge.”

Last week we posted about rucking in the snow. In it I alternated breaking trail thru knee deep snow in places to walking along the railroad tracks which was much easier. The deeper part of the snow was great exercise and tires you out much quicker than walking along level ground. At those times, don’t worry about the pace, trust me it is going to be much, much slower. As long as you are going as hard as you can, it will help in the long run.

Fruit trees that have a lot of deer in late summer, early fall shows the trail broken ahead by someone in boots sinking deep. (photo: Author)

Which brings us to Sunday, in our daily workout we had a ruck march on slate and I decided to break things up by incorporating a winter training event into the ruck march, rather than let the elements dictate. It was clear and very cold on Sunday morning with a wind chill of zero degrees, the little melting that had gone on earlier in the week had frozen over into ice and footing wasn’t the greatest.

We have a large trail off one of the roads I use for rucking that goes up a steep hill and overlooks a large lake in town. The snow had melted a little and re-froze giving it a crunchy, hard crust. After veering off the road, at the base of the hill, I switched over to snow shoes. Snowshoeing requires a different set of muscles and a bit of practice to get used to, but the average person can get comfortable in snowshoes in a couple of hours. It is also a kick-ass exercise and will work some different muscles in your legs and every little bit helps.

Again, forget about the pace, it isn’t going to be the same as a timed rucksack march in Selection. Just focus on technique and working as fast and as hard as you can. This particular hill is one that is familiar as my wife and I have snowshoed up here for several years. The climb is steep but once you get to the top, the hill is cleared and the view is spectacular of the valley around us and the lake and makes it all worthwhile.

My better half taking a break at the top in an earlier photo with the lake frozen over. (photo: author)

Same view in the fall. a good rucking hill. Start point is about 2 miles to the left of the finger that juts out into the lake. (photo: author)

I’ve been doing some extra rucking for a good charity cause, the GoRUCK “Pets for Patriots” fundraiser pairs dogs that need homes with veterans that could benefit with having a dog as a companion. The hashtag #RuckYourDog2018 is to be used on social media to chart your rucks and distances.

So, my partner (Bulldog) and I have been going out every day, albeit for short ones, usually before sunup. The ice and snow isn’t great on their feet and she’ll let me know when it is time to call it a day. Got to protect the pooch.

As soon as we started breaking trail in the snow, like always the dog was trying to get in front and lead and it didn’t take long for her to realize that is was much easier for her to follow for a change and allow me to break trail for her. Dogs are smart like that sometimes…

I veered off the course and saw someone had hiked thru the deep snow without benefit of any snowshoes and we followed it as far as it would go. Only about halfway before they turned back. After setting a brisk pace for moving uphill, and it IS pretty steep for the most part, it is a great workout and a bit awkward at first carrying a ruck and snowshoeing. But it leveled off at the top and is a nice flat perfect view.

My partner wasn’t into admiring the view and was anxious to get going back down, so we set an even quicker pace heading back.

Once at the bottom, switching back to just boots going home makes the going even better and your feet will feel as light as a feather.

The bottom line is, the weather will turn to crap more often than not on you. Don’t let it rule you, rise above it and keep driving on. There will be times when you’ll have to be creative with your workouts. With more crappy weather on tap in a day or two, more snow is on the way. It doesn’t mean that work stops. You can still get a heckuva workout, albeit a slightly different one in, and possibly learn a new skill at the same time.

Just another challenge…No Days Off. Happy Rucking. DOL

Photos: Author

Originally published on Special Operations.com

Aftermarket Rucksacks for Selection Preparation, Rucking and Hiking

We’ve gone over the rucking tips quite a bit and everyone preparing for selection should be very comfortable with a ruck on their back and be humping long distances. It goes without saying that rucking and land navigation is the bread and butter of special operations forces. If you can show the intestinal fortitude needed to keep driving on and keep your head about you, the rest will come with training.

I’ve gotten a few emails about gear. Like I’ve said before, when it comes to personal gear, it is all a matter of taste and what works best for you. However, in one of the emails that I received from a brother from 12^thSFG(A), Jeff M. he asked for my opinion on some aftermarket rucksacks and what would work for some training and weekend type hikes.

You’ve come to the right place, Jeff! As my wife would tell you, I collect(ed)…boots and 3-day rucksacks like some guys had trading cards. Just couldn’t get enough of them and would always be testing out another new one. That’s why when it comes to boots, I love Merrell’s because they work for me, and Under Armor workout shoes. Those two brands fit my feet perfectly, why I have eight pairs of Merrell’s and three pairs of UA workout/running shoes. But again, whatever works for you.

I’ve had tons of backpacks/3-day packs and will go over some of the ones I’ve had and still had. Now as a caveat before we go any further if you are heading to a selection course, you’re going to have to use what they issue. And if you can’t stand ALICE packs as Jeff M. and myself or the MOLLE, you’ll have to suck it up during training. There’s no way around it.

I too hated the ALICE, to me it was as my Brit friends call “shite”. I had a couple of them. One courtesy of someone in the 20^th Engineers who didn’t attach his lowering line to it on a jump on Holland Drop Zone and I found it in the treeline. I guess someone skipped over that on their JMPI. But I had an aftermarket frame and a few different accessories put on by a guy right outside of Ft. Bragg that made it tolerable. For issue rucks I liked the British Bergen much better. But if you’re doing your own personal training and want comfort while embracing the suck…read on.

These are listed in no particular order but I’ve either owned or tried these out and think you’d be pleased with the results.

5.11 Rush 72 Backpack

This one was my favorite it has so many features we could do an entire piece just on it. It was one of a series of 5.11 tactical packs, the Rush 12, the Rush 24 and the Rush 72. You can pack enough stuff in there to easily get by as a weekend backpacking ruck and it works outstanding in for rucking around during physical training prep.

The internal frame support keeps it rigid and distributes the weight well, there are four areas of padding in the back and ventilation to keep you cool. The contoured yoke for the shoulder straps was comfortable and wide. One feature I really liked for hiking was the chest straps were adjustable so your height was never a problem.

Another great feature was the waist straps that folded up and stowed away when I used it as carry-on luggage when flying. It had a padded pocket at the top that could carry sunglasses or a cell phone. The inside was roomy with plenty of mesh pockets that come in handy finding smaller items.

For rucking or hiking, it comes with a large hydration carrier with a hanger that will accommodate a large bladder. The top of the ruck has ports on either side for hydration hoses and a heavy-duty grab handle.

The one time the airline made me check it because some guy just HAD TO carry a trunk that belonged on the Titanic, it never made it to the baggage carousel. Someone either in JFK or Dakar got themselves a helluva nice backpack. Not to mention a pair of the stretch fabric 5.11s, my favorite running shoes and other stuff including my favorite Patriots hat.

GORUCK Rucker

I haven’t owned one of these, but I got to try one out and am sold…this is a great ruck and is a perfect day ruck or for the weekend bugout back. These babies are tough and built to last…no wonder the company is owned and operated by Special Forces vets. They’re constructed out of 1000 denier CORDURA, which is heavy duty and holds up well.

They put on their website that the stress points are sewn to withstand 400 pounds and I believe it. The ruck just has an extremely well-made quality to it. This too can accommodate a good size water bladder with a hanger at the top. It has a pouch that they advertise for their ruck plates which fit in snugly and take up little room.

It is rainproof and the day I test drove it, it showered hard for a few minutes. The water beaded up perfectly and everything stayed bone dry inside. A neat feature is the YKK silent zipper pulls made from 550 cord that are glove friendly when rucking in the colder months…something we can appreciate here in New England.

Extra padded straps and handle, MOLLE Attachments and the fact that it opens nice and flat make this a very attractive, tough customer.

The only drawback is that it is a bit price at $195. And that is without the padded MOLLE Hip belt, and the MOLLE Sternum strap, which for rucking or hiking, I’d add. That being said, the next ruck I buy will be this one or the GR Bullet.

BLACKHAWK! S.T.R.I.K.E. Predator Hydration Pack

Another favorite bug-out bag, hiking bag that grew feet, this one was my own fault. Don’t go to Wal-Mart and leave it in the back seat with the car unlocked…even for a 5-minute shopping trip.

This is an outstanding, comfortable, versatile ruck. It has enough room (830 cubic inches) to cram enough stuff in there for a day hike. Like all Blackhawk products, it is rugged, well-constructed and had several nice features.

It has a nice molded back channel that gives plenty of ventilation with either a shirt or with a light jacket in the fall months. I loved the contoured shoulder straps, that along with the sternum strap makes this a very comfortable fit.

The hydration system works easily although they didn’t come with filters, so clean water has to be introduced. The ruck has a heavy duty reinforced drag handle, YKK zippers with silent glove friendly pulls, and a ton of MOLLE straps for lashing down any extra gear in a tactical situation.

The only drawback for this ruck that I remember is that it didn’t open all the way. But for a smaller day-type ruck it was a small issue.

SPEC-OPS Assault Pack

I’ve had this one for the past 13 years and it has taken a beating and keeps on ticking. At the time I got this, I was working as a contractor on a training job and one of my friends just bought it in ACU and then was heading home and gave it to me.

It is heavy duty, very well constructed and very comfortable. It is made from the same 1000 denier CORDURA that lasts, wears well and is water resistant. The ruck unzips and opens flat with a high visibility yellow lining that makes it easier to find items.

It has two large outside pockets that are easily accessible and a large main compartment that is roomy for plenty of storage for a weekend hike or as a weekend bag to travel in. The ruck has a comfortable shoulder harness with a sternum strap and padded waist belt. SPEC-OPS also has those heavy-duty buckles that secure the pockets.

There is a ton of MOLLE loops for lashing extra gear. Dual ports on the top of the ruck allow for hydration tubes as well as a heavy-duty carrying strap. Compression straps make everything tight when carrying it on a plane or rucking through the woods.

Thanks for the question Jeff and if anyone else has any more, feel free to email me [email protected] or at my Twitter account @SteveB7SFG

Photo courtesy of DOD

Originally published on Special Operations.com

Mail Call… Rucking Problems With Shoulder Pain, How to Fix it

Mail Call | Rucking Problems With Shoulder Pain and How to Fix it

Getting prepared to pass Selection into Special Operations is a long, and difficult process. As the summer months begin to slowly morph into fall, many of the prospective candidates will begin their preparation in earnest to tackle the course.

For many of the candidates, the two biggest elephants in the room revolve around carrying a rucksack. What we term “rucking” on long distance speed marches and land navigation. The rucking that Special Operations units do is longer, faster and with much more weight than their conventional brethren are accustomed to.

Many of the candidates have a hard time with rucking and a lot of the comments and questions we get here at SpecialOperations.com center around that. For those preparing for Selection and especially those new to the military and running or rucking for distance for the first time in their lives, physical issues crop up.

We recently received a message about issues one prospective candidate was having. Among the comments this candidate forwarded was one that centered around his shoulders. He said he was having pain in both of them and after a few miles, his hands were getting tingly, almost numb.

Let’s take a look at what may be causing this particular candidate’s issues and figure out what the best course of action may be to alleviate the pain he’s having.

The Newness of It All:

Many times, your body is not used to carry large heavy items around on your shoulders. And your body is going to rebel a little bit by making those shoulders ache after a long rucksack march. Even very experienced ruckers and special operators can get achy shoulders after a really long ruck, like a 20+ miler.

More often than not, this is the issue and it goes away after a short while. It just takes your shoulders some getting used to the weight digging into your shoulders where there was never any weight there before.

If this is the case, then as you gradually get used to rucking, the issue will slowly improve until it nearly totally disappears. But as you get into the units and begin carrying much heavier loads, you may still have a little bit of aches and pains there. However, if that isn’t the case, then we’ll move on to the next one…

Loosen Those Straps A Bit:

Many times, candidates will tighten their shoulder straps on their ruck until they are nearly cutting off your circulation. Your shoulder straps should be snug but not too tight. If they are, the tightness will send alarm signals to the nerves in the back of your neck, shoulders, and arms. The result is, the nerves will tighten up and spasm which can cause the tingling and numb sensation.

As we said, you may want to loosen those shoulder straps a bit. And two other suggestions are to buckle the sternum strap as well as your hip belt. Those two straps will definitely take the strain off of just your shoulders. The hip belt especially will ease the burden off of your shoulders and place the weight across your hips.

Something else to consider is how your rucksack is packed. Are you packing it with the heavy weight on top, across your shoulder blades? And more importantly, is the weight evenly divided in the middle of the ruck. If there is too much weight on one side, things begin to shift in the rucksack. That will definitely put a strain on a shoulder during the ruck. And finally, the final tip is…

Work on Your Shoulder Muscles:

We put out a daily physical training workout that should help our readers who are aspiring Special Operations candidates get properly prepared to attend the course. Yesterday’s PT column had a 3-mile run, a 300-meter swim, and a short 3-mile rucksack march. What we call the Special Operations Triathlon.

But we’re always putting out exercises and workouts that increase your upper body strength and included in there are plenty of shoulder exercises because that is where the ruck straps sit.

If your shoulder muscles are a weak spot of your body, you can incorporate more of those into your workouts. Some very good exercises to build them up are in our workouts. They include shrugs, overhead presses, both barbell and dumbbell, upright rows and heavy Farmer’s carries.

Sometimes your issues may not be just one of these but a combination of all three is needed to help you out and take away those throbbing shoulders. Try each of these and they should help you out immeasurably.

However, if these problems persist or get worse, then you should check with your primary care doctor and/or chiropractor. It may be a medical issue that needs to be looked after. Remember, you are here to prepare for Selection, not get hurt before you go. If there is a medical issue, get it looked after right away.

But these tips should help you right away. It is a long journey to get into Special Operations. Learn to do things the right way before you get to Selection and your chances of being selected increase dramatically.

Contact Us:

And if anyone else has any questions or comments feel free to send them along to me at @SteveB7SFGon Twitter or via email at [email protected]. We’ll get to them and answer them all. And as always, your name or contact info will not be shared. We may, like today, write a post for issues or questions that we get frequently that will be helpful to all.

So, have you checked the whiteboard….”15 minutes, rucksack with 45 pounds minimum, not including food or water. On the street in uniform with broken in boots. Let’s roll.”

Photo: US Army