Ruck Designs

[Razor]

Top Loading Rucks
Top loading rucksacks work exactly like they sound—the main opening for the bag is at the top. There is usually some sort of drawstring closure to secure the wide opening, and a flap to keep out debris, help repel water, etc. The standard issue ALICE rucksack is considered a top loader.

The advantages of a top-loader are:

• They have a good deal of circumferential strength due to a solid fabric design, so you can really ‘stuff’ it if need be
• With only one opening at the top, there’s little chance items falling out, even if the main opening isn’t secured (gravity helps keep things in place)
• If your “closure” system for the top opening (the drawstring) fails, it’s generally easy to field-repair
• You can sit the rucksack on it’s ‘bottom’ when accessing the main opening, which keeps the suspension off the ground (a real benefit when the ground is wet or muddy)

The disadvantages of a top-loader are:

• Items near the bottom or sides are hard to access very quickly, so essential items must be kept near the top, where they’re more likely to fall out
• To get to items along the sides or at the bottom, you either have to dig for them (usually finding them by feel) or unpack your rucksack, retrieve the item, then repack

Some top loaders have other openings along the sides (such as the Kifaru EMR/MMR) or at the bottom (such as the CFP-90) to provide greater access to items within the bag. However, any additional openings will add a degree of weakness to the bag’s circumferential strength. Additionally, these other openings are often secured by a zipper, which, if it fails, is virtually impossible to field repair. To address this concern, many manufacturers add straps and side-release buckles. While this can help prevent zipper failure by reducing the stresses on the zipper, they add another degree of complexity to the simple design of the top-loader.


Panel Loading Rucks
Panel loading rucksacks generally have a three-sided, zippered flap that serves as both the main opening of the rucksack and as the outermost (farthest from the user’s back) wall of the rucksack. This design is very well suited for users that need to quickly and easily find and access items in any part of the rucksack, whether it’s loaded on the top, sides or bottom. Many medical rucksacks are panel loaders because of this feature.

Some advantages of panel loaders are:

• Quick, easy access to the entire contents of the bag
• The full visibility afforded by the opened main panel makes finding items very quick and simple (a good thing in a sudden rainstorm, or during a medical emergency)
• Its very easy to use some kind of divider to organize equipment in the ruck

Some disadvantages of panel loaders are:

• A zipper normally secures the main panel, which is inherently weaker (and nearly impossible to field repair) than solid fabric, limiting the ‘stuffing’ capacity of the rucksack
• Before moving, the main closure must be secure, or items can fall out
• Items packed in the bag—especially fabric items—can get jammed in the zipper while opening or closing it
• If the zipper fails, one must rely on straps and side release buckles (if they are part of the design) to keep the main panel closed; this method may still leave unsecured gaps in the panel through which items inside may fall and become lost
• To keep items from falling out when the main panel is opened, you need to put the suspension-side against the ground, which can get messy and uncomfortable when the ground is wet, muddy or contaminated (biohazard, chemical, etc)

The panel loading design is normally limited to rucksacks with a capacity of 4000c.i. or less to reduce stress on the main closure system.

[Valhal]

Is there a SF SOP for packing a ruck? What in where info. I want to start training with a packed ruck like I will use in SFAS.

Thanks,
Mark

[Surgicalcric]

Valhal:

45 lbs of sand weighs the same as 45 lbs of equipment.

There is no science to packing your ruck, or atleast none that I have found. There is a packing list of things you will be required to carry in your ruck, but from what I have been told, by many of the experienced guys here, it will be up to you to get everything required into the ruck and make sure your ruck is atleast the minimum weight.

Be sure the heaviest items are packed closest to your back and weight is distributed evenly left-to-right. Pack your spare socks and t-shirts in ziplock bags at the top so they are easily accessible during wellness checks and place your poncho in the space at the bottom of the ruckframe so its easily accessible while moving or without removing your pack. When on long movements keep food consisting of simply carbohydrates (apple sauce, graham crackers, etc) in your bellows pockets of your BDU's so you can eat while you walk.

HTH,

JD

[eggroll]

may seem a bit out of place, but inspect the interior seams of your ruck. Check the stress points - at the lower frame straps and the top frame envelope.

Do a surface check fo abrasions or holes that shouldnt be there. check the buckles for bends or cracks.

Check the QR buckles on the shoulder straps too.

While you humpin all this gear, you really dont want the bag itself blowing out on you.

Keep heavier stuff closer to your center of gravity - and do make SURE that the pack is load balanced before putting it on.

EGG

[NousDefionsDoc]

Originally posted by eggroll
may seem a bit out of place, but inspect the interior seams of your ruck. Check the stress points - at the lower frame straps and the top frame envelope.

Do a surface check fo abrasions or holes that shouldnt be there. check the buckles for bends or cracks.

Check the QR buckles on the shoulder straps too.

While you humpin all this gear, you really dont want the bag itself blowing out on you.

Keep heavier stuff closer to your center of gravity - and do make SURE that the pack is load balanced before putting it on.

EGG

Good advice. Never forget the PMCS

[TF Kilo]

Originally posted by Surgicalcric
Valhal:

45 lbs of sand weighs the same as 45 lbs of equipment.

There is no science to packing your ruck, or atleast none that I have found. There is a packing list of things you will be required to carry in your ruck, but from what I have been told, by many of the experienced guys here, it will be up to you to get everything required into the ruck and make sure your ruck is atleast the minimum weight.

Be sure the heaviest items are packed closest to your back and weight is distributed evenly left-to-right. Pack your spare socks and t-shirts in ziplock bags at the top so they are easily accessible during wellness checks and place your poncho in the space at the bottom of the ruckframe so its easily accessible while moving or without removing your pack. When on long movements keep food consisting of simply carbohydrates (apple sauce, graham crackers, etc) in your bellows pockets of your BDU's so you can eat while you walk.

HTH,

JD

That right there is the science to packing a ruck. Make sure it's waterproof.. wet junk weighs a heck of alot more than dry, and once it's wet the only thing it's gonna do is become a science experiment...