Radio Ruck 6 Brick Field Test

My GR Echo has served me well through a Tough Mudder and a GORUCK Challenge and is by far the best laptop bag I've ever owned. Still though, with possibly 3 GRCs coming up in the next two months I wanted something with just a tad more room. During the last GRC I barely had enough room for everything that I needed and had to clip my windbreaker to the outside. Everything fit, but it was a tight fit.

When my Radio Ruck arrived two days ago I couldn't wait to try it out. What better way to test it out than with a 6 brick hike through the East Bay hills, because 6 seemed like a good round number. I posted in the GORUCK Tough group on facebook that I was going for a weighted ruck and within minutes my 036 classmate Bob Nugmanov stepped up and said he was in.

Initial impressions of the Radio Ruck were that it looked like a slightly larger version of my echo. This is true, but the deceptive part about it is that it is slightly larger in all dimensions, giving it much more useable space. I was initially thinking of attaching MOLLE pouches on the outside same as my Echo, but since the front zip pocket is bigger and easier to access, it'll be the perfect spot for snacks. The pack is also wider than the Echo, allowing the bricks to be secured horizontally instead of vertically. This helps to more evenly distribute the weight across my upper back. This time I used 4 cinch straps instead of three like last time, in order to split the load more evenly among the MOLLE. This held the bricks, but with 6 bricks still did stress the webbing. I've since added the yoga brick underneath to support the bricks even more. Another possible tip brought up in my class was to use empty water bottles duct taped together.

Another mod I made to the pack before this hike was to cut to fit a gardening knee pad and put it in the hydration bladder compartment. Bob commented that it felt like I had a tempurpedic in my pack. This felt a lot better and more even than having the bladder rolling back and forth across my shoulders. I put the hydration bladder in the main compartment with the bricks.

During the hike overall the pack felt pretty good. We went for a little over 5 1/2 miles on dirt trails and asphaly roads. With 6 bricks and a total weight of 33 lbs my shoulders and traps definitely got a little sore during the hike. A sternum strap would've have helped to draw some of the weight off of my shoulders. The Radio Ruck does have MOLLE webbing along the shoulder straps unlike the Echo, which will make attaching a sternum strap easier. Other differences are the Radio Ruck is full zip which will make accessing gear at the bottom of the bag easier (especially if the bag has bricks attached up top) and it has MOLLE webbing on the sides.

Later that evening I walked to the grocery store with my 3 brick pack attached in the ruck. If I had've removed the hydration bladder and bricks before hand the bag would've easily held all 2 1/2 bags of groceries. With 3 bricks instead of 6 the bag felt super comfy and ridiculously light. I plan on playing around with brick configurations to see if this affects the weight distribution across the shoulders. After hiking with the Echo, Radio Ruck and GR1 the Radio Ruck stands strong as my favorite for hikes and challenges.

One of the great things about the bay area is that you can go from a major city to views like this within about 5-10 minutes

On the way back down the hill we passed by the Lawrence Hall of Science. You've gotta love a place that has a whale as a play structure. This was one of my favorite field trips in pre-school.

Here are a few comparison shots with Bob's GR1 and then with my GR Echo

The MOLLE pouches on the Echo are 5.11 tactical gps/strobe pouches and a medium drop pouch.

Here's a side view showing the differences in depth between the two bags

Finally here's the strapping method that's working the best for me so far. The yoga brick seems to help reduce the strain on my shoulders by keeping the bricks from pulling down and away from the MOLLE webbing. The straps with the orange buckles are shorter than the blue ones, but still plenty long enough for this application. Bob noted that his bricks fit well in the mesh pouch of his GR1. He thought having the bricks low like this might also reduce some of the strain on his neck during bear crawls.