GORUCKReviews of goruck.com

From March 6 to April 24, 2026, I spent 49 days trying to complete a purchase and return with GORUCK. Not a complicated situation. Not an unusual request. Just a company whose customer support failed at nearly every step. I ordered a GR1 USA Cordura backpack and a GR1 Field Pocket on March 6 (Day 0). Total: $430.56. By March 10 (Day 4), no shipping confirmation had arrived. I reached out. The response on March 11 (Day 5) cited an annual warehouse inventory count as the reason for the delay. That was the first explanation. It would not be the last. I followed up on March 13 (Day 7). I had a trip planned in six days. Still no tracking information. I asked whether I should cancel and find an alternative. I got an automated acknowledgment. Nothing more. On March 22 (Day 16), I followed up a third time. The response the next day blamed delays on orders placed "last week." My order was placed 17 days prior. The information was wrong. And without any request from me, GORUCK refunded my $9.95 shipping charge. On a $430.56 order that still had not shipped, $9.95 was not much of a consolation. The order shipped and arrived on April 1 (Day 26). The bag is built to last and looks the part. But it ran heavier than I needed and lacked a few features I was counting on. I decided to return it. That decision opened a second chapter of frustration. On April 7 (Day 32), I submitted a return request. The process was unclear and acknowledgment was slow, so I submitted it three times. Three tickets opened. Three automated responses received. I followed the return instructions, packed everything up, and shipped it via USPS on April 11 (Day 36) at my own expense, an additional $51.00. The package arrived at GORUCK's facility in Jacksonville, Florida on April 20 (Day 45) at 5:33 PM. On April 22 (Day 47), I followed up to confirm receipt. The agent's response: "Which order are you referring to? I don't see any active return requests tied to this account." Three tickets. Multiple responses from GORUCK's own team. A package delivered two days earlier. No record of any of it. I sent a PDF of the return request and a screenshot of the order. The agent's reply the next day on April 23 (Day 48) was pointed: "Per my message yesterday. All you have provided so far is a screenshot of previous conversations and a screenshot of your order." No acknowledgment. No resolution. Just friction. Lots of friction. I provided the USPS tracking number, the delivery confirmation, and the Package ID. All of it information I tracked down myself because GORUCK had lost the thread entirely. On April 24 (Day 49), the refund of $420.61 was processed. Combined with the $9.95 shipping refund from March, the transaction was closed. The gear appears to be solid. GORUCK's product reputation may be earned. But the support experience was not. Delays went uncommunicated. Responses contained inaccurate information. Return tickets went untracked. A delivered package went unacknowledged for two days. And a routine return required repeated follow-up, self-sourced tracking evidence, and nearly seven weeks of effort. What stayed with me through all of it was not any single misstep. It was the feeling that GORUCK simply did not care. That my business was not something they needed. That is a hard impression to shake, and an even harder one to recommend. Customers deserve, and expect, better than that.

Like many, read about the product in Michael Easter's books. Tried proof of concept with old internal frame pack and gallon milk jugs. Decided it was for me. Ordered a Rucker 4.0. Although there is much armed forces hookup and American flag waving, a tiny minority of their products are made in the USA. My pack was made in Vietnam. Well made, but a premium price for an imported piece of gear. I was surprised that for the price no hip belt was included, but decided that perhaps their design might make them comfortable without. Wrong. Found even 20 lbs in the pack very uncomfortable on the traps. Okay, I will cough up even more for the hip belt. Oops, standard size out of stock. When? I will call them. No I won't. No phone number for customer service. Have to message. Told the belts should not be long - they would let me know when they had them. Month after month went by. No message. Checked website from time to time. Still out of stock. More than six months later checked website to find they were back in stock. I had not been notified. Ordered immediately. Waited. Waited. Ten days after payment was made I was notified that they had now shipped. Ten days? Really? Still have not received it. In summary you are paying a premium price for an imported product from a company with very slick website but poor customer service. Weights are also imported and overpriced.

I've ordered multiple times from the website - using different (valid and working credit cards - amex and visa) - all orders cancelled days after I placed the orders successfully. No message explaining or anything from an actual human. Horrible experience.

Even with the new international regulation, they manage to find ways to deliver across the world. So far I have never had any issue with the products I ordered, even if I heard from other an decrease in quality. From what I have seen the made in Vietnam article are up to there standard. I recommend this company.

This company has horrible customer service. I PCS'd recently and my credit card auto-filled my old address. I IMMEDIATELY emailed GORUCK's customer service email AND called their customer service phone number. I left a message letting them know the situation. They still kept my money and sent me a backpack across the country, never once emailing or calling back. I've never had a company ghost me three seconds after hitting "order now".

I tested a Go Ruck pack with a hip belt and found the hip belt to be necessary. The company is out of the standard size hip belt and only had the small in stock. Standard would not be in stock for 4-6 weeks (ie - not a clue). I was willing to make a $400-500 purchase if they would be willing to extend the standard 30 return policy on the belt only until the standard size came in if the small didn’t work out. Their answer was to go ahead and purchase the kit and just return the belt and wait (for who knows how long) for the standard size belt to come in. This is a totally unsat response for such an expensive item.

I recently bought the GR3 45L & I'm 100% satisfied. It's very aestetically pleasing - fits perfectly on my back and I'm glad a sternum strap was included. I must say that I'm 6 foot 6 with broad shoulders - and if you are shorter or slimmer built the 35L or a GR2 34L might be better for you. I've a GR1 too and have had for years. These things don't break - so even though they seem a bit pricy - it's well worth the investment.

I purchased a pair of hiking boots (MACV-1) from GORUCK, an American sporting equipment company founded in 2008 and based in Jacksonville Beach, Florida. The boots are marketed as military-grade, robust, and most notably, as having a lifetime guarantee. Importing these boots from the USA is a costly exercise for a South African consumer. Nevertheless, I proceeded with the purchase, trusting the company's stated commitment to stand behind their product and repair or replace it for any defects or manufacturing failures. After 3½ years of regular hiking use, the glue weld attaching the sole to one of the boots has come away—over a third of the sole has detached. Given that this model is designed specifically for wet conditions, I expected the construction—particularly the glue and stitching—to withstand moisture-related wear. This appears to be a manufacturing issue, and I expected the company to honor their guarantee. However, GORUCK declined to repair the boot. Their reason: they only repair soles that are worn through to the boot itself. In contrast, they do not cover what they term "normal wear and tear." This distinction seems contradictory. If the boot is coming apart at a structural level under typical use, that would reasonably fall under a lifetime guarantee. In practice, GORUCK’s "lifetime guarantee" does not seem to apply when it matters. A more accurate term might be a "limited lifetime guarantee," which would be acceptable if clearly stated at the point of sale. Based on this experience and the company’s unwillingness to support their product as advertised, I will not be purchasing from GORUCK again and caution other potential buyers to understand the true limits of their guarantee before committing.