GORUCK Bullet vs GR0

I understand that when it comes to rucks, there is the classic trope about needing to carry a yuge bad with a lot of weight in order to get the full benefits of rucking.

You actually see a lot of this kind of talk in Facebook groups and, of course, on Reddit. Thankfully, there are those who are not only willing to push back against this type of nonsense, but who are also willing to be very direct in the manner in which they do it.

Some would say that both the “advice” and the response are a bit excessive, but I can assure you that these discussions do go…”there”.

Fact of the matter is, not only do you not need a king-sized bag (or king-sized weight) for your daily ruck outings, but in many cases, you’d probably actually prefer a smaller, more compact bag to haul your gear/ruck plates.

I know I do!

Lucky for you (and for everyone else who has been subjected to the “ruck with 100 pounds!” directive), we’re going to look at 2 of “The Rucking Company’s” smallest, most compact options:

The GORUCK Bullet vs GR0

Despite both bags being compact ruck options, quite a few differences actually exist between them.

Interested to know how they stack up against each other…?

GORUCK Bullet vs GR0

As you can probably imagine, our analyses of these two bags aren’t going to be the most…vanilla; we’re definitely gonna call things as we see ’em. With that in mind, we think it’s only fair to provide some of the standard marketing material and information to provide a degree of context before we start laying into each ruck.

First, up is the Bullet…the “streamlined everyday carry” bag.

“Streamlined 15L Daypack

The 15L Bullet is a grab and go daypack. One day it’s a trip to the pool, the next you’re stuffing jackets and snacks into your backpack for a day hike. It also makes a solid pack to loan a friend who is new to rucking and thinks their cheap book bag will be just fine — which it will be, till it won’t.

New Fabric next to your skin: 210D Cordura back panel and under shoulder straps — you can wear this with a tank top or even shirtless without friction burns no matter the weight in the Bullet.

If you’re looking for ALL THE WEIGHT, go with a Rucker. If you want streamlined and highly packable, go with the 15L Bullet.“

I don’t really get the continued emphasis on the word “streamlined”. I can’t even recall the last time I heard that word in conversation. It’s how some marketing guru wants to describe a backpack known as the “Bullet” though…so…what do I know?

Next, the GR0…previously known as the “Echo”.

“Smaller Size & Every Bit as Tough

One of our original three rucks, this is based off of GR1 but built for smaller frames and for minimalist EDC (everyday carry). Previously known as the Echo, GR0® is the compact, 16L version of the GR1. It protects a laptop with confidence and is a pack light favorite.

The GR0 thrives while traveling the world, rucking, and anywhere else you decide to take it.”

Somehow, the same marketing guru from before decided that calling something a “zero” is better than calling it an “Echo”. To be fair, the word Echo is really played out in the functional fitness space…but I think that anything is better than being labeled as a zero…

Again, what do I know…?

Those riveting intros aside…

Rucking

I understand that there is a select group of people who actually buy GORUCK bags because they like how they look or genuinely want them as dedicated travel bags or something.

To me, this sounds a lot like…well…maybe it’s just me…

Anyways, I find it hard to believe and can only imagine that you’re looking for a ruck to go rucking with. As such, we’re going to prioritize this portion of the assessment process.

We’ll start with something that anyone who knows anything about rucking will not only understand the significance of, but will also want to know all about…frame sheets. Straight up, if your bag has one, you’re not gonna feel your ruck plate smash into your back with every step. If your bag doesn’t have one…well…expect to feel some impact (with every step).

The good news here is that the GR0 has a frame sheet as well as most Bullet options. However, some of the “simpler” (and less expensive) Bullets do not have frame sheets. While it is certainly possible to ruck in these, its definitely not preferable or the most comfortable.

Neither bag has a padded and velcroed ruck plate pocket, instead offering semi-secure sleeves. I find that these work well in almost all cases, although there can be a bit of plate jostling on rougher terrain and/or when rucking at speed. Neither case is a “dealbreaker”, though.

Both bags are constructed of either 1000D Cordura (GR0, most Bullet options) 500D Cordura (some Bullet options), and 210D Cordura. While 1000D Cordura is a bit more durable and abrasion-resistant than 500D is, both are going to be more than sufficient for most ruckers’ purposes.

The 210D Cordura is a clever inclusion for these bags as it is strategically placed primarily along the back panel, shoulder straps, and other places that could possibly come into contact with exposed skin. This Cordura composition is even less abrasive than the 500D is and is much less irritating against bare skin.

I find that although these two bags have the same(ish) load capacity that the GR0 feels more “compact” against my body while even when cinched up, the Bullet hangs lower. Depending on your personal preferences, you may prefer the feeling of over the other, but I tend to prefer how the GR0 feels as it allows me to more efficiently balance and carry the additional load.

Speaking of which, with both bags’ respective load capacities topping out at 18 (Bullet) and 16 (GR0) load capacities, respectively, don’t expect to be able to go on super long outings in either of these as space for food, water, and other goodies is somewhat limited. Of course, if most of your rucks are like mine, topping at around the 3-hour mark, this shouldn’t be an issue.

At the end of the day, both of these bags are definitely “suitable” for rucking, although I wouldn’t classify either as being overly great bags for rucking. Opting for something from the Rucker series is always going to be a better bet, even when load capacities are comparable. The GR0’s “standard” frame sheet and more “compact” and “attached” feeling give it a slight nod here.

Winner: GR0

Dynamic Rucking

For all practical purposes, this is the area that both bags are (I dare say, objectively) the worst at. In a world full of Ruckers, Plate Carriers, Weights Vests, and even GR1s, it isn’t really advisable to purchase a Bullet or GR0 to do ruck thrusters or calisthenics with.

…however, neither bag is that bad for these tasks and I would argue that either choice is as good, if not slightly better than your “average” ruck is for this type of activity. Also, although we lump all dynamic rucking activity together here, each of these bags excels in its own way in its own area.

Because of its longer (but not long), less bulky dimensions, I like the Bullet more for exercises that involve actually handling my ruck. Ruck swings (the skinner shape makes the bag easier to fit between my legs), ruck presses and thrusters (the longer ruck allows me to spread my hands a bit wider) and ruck carries.

The ruck isn’t really touching my body during these exercises, so the lack of frame sheet in the Bullet (my Bullet at least) is largely irrelevant. There is a little more plate jostling, but not enough to make me have to adjust my movements (although a dedicated padded and velcroed ruck plate pocket would be much more preferable for this activity!)

In contrast, I like the GR0 for activities that involve strapping my bag on and moving with it. Weighted pull-ups, rope climbs, dips, and running…this is the better option. Here, the constant presence of the frame sheet definitely helps (I would argue that it makes these exercises more comfortable than if you used a vest or plate carrier) and its tight, compact design efficiently manages the weight.

I find the GR0’s thicker shape to be a little more awkward for swings (I have to spread my legs wider) and because it is pretty short, it requires my hands to be really close together during ruck presses and thrusters.

In either case, the rucks’ 500D or 1000D Cordura is more than sufficient for dropping at the end of each set and I have yet to experience any significant abrasions, yet alone legit tears, from letting mine loose at the end of a long(ish) set of swings.

If you would have asked me about these bags a few months ago, I would have given the Bullet the definitive nod, but the GR0’s capabilities have grown on me a bit (especially since I initially reviewed it).

Nowadays, I lean more towards the GR0, mainly because the exercises that it is better for exercises that most people would likely perform (bodyweight and running vs. “ruck (insert movement)”. If you are more interested in ruck swings and the like, I could say you should opt for the Bullet, but you’d be best off going with the Rucker 4.0.

Winner: GR0

Load Capacity

If you know anything about the Bullet and the GR0, you know that they are designed and marketed as GORUCK’s “smaller” travel and everyday carry bags. As such, you’d best not have any illusions of picking one of these up and using it (and it alone) for your dream 3-month backpacking jaunt through Europe.

Got that fantasy out of your mind? Good (especially because people with those giant duffels are generally some of the most annoying people).

Anyways, with the GORUCK GR0, you got one load option: 16 liters. Definitely not the smallest bag out there, but I would still classify it as a “small” ruck.

In contrast, the Bullet has a bit more of a range with the smallest option clocking in with a 10-liter load capacity while the largest options sport an 18-liter capacity.

I would argue that in said 18-liter bag, the effective load capacity is, in many cases, the same as the GR0’s (or, depending on what you’re lugging with you, is actually slightly smaller), mainly because it has multiple compartments. This is great if you want to separate a couple of groups of items, but if you have one or two larger pieces, this separation can end up screwing you.

We’re still going to give the nod to the GORUCK Bullet here since its max capacity is larger and also because its 16-liter options have essentially the same capacity as the GR0 (16 liters in a single compartment).

Winner: Bullet

Customer Reviews

Good news and bad news kind of situation:

Bad news is there isn’t all that much separation here.

Good news is that both bags score really highly in the realm of verified customer reviews.

With that being said, there are a few caveats to mention before diving deeper here.

First, even though the Bullet variations are arguably pretty different from one another, all of their customer reviews are thrown together i.e. the scores for the “Bullet Ruck Classic” and the “Bullet Ruck Double Compartment Dyneema” are all tabulated together. I don’t think the bags are so different that this fact dilutes their scores, but it is something to be mindful of and I would encourage you to check individual reviews more closely for the specific bag you want.

Second, with ~1050 total reviews the Bullet has roughly 9 times as many reviews as the GORUCK GR0. Granted, a sample size of 124 is nothing to sneeze at, but a larger sample size is pretty much always going to be preferred, especially when it comes to the process of scouring customer review scores prior to making a purchase!

To continue with some of the good news from earlier, when you skip to the lowest-rated reviews for each bag (which, thankfully, there aren’t too many of), there really isn’t much consistency in regard to what specifically annoyed people.

One dude complains of late shipping. Another guy doesn’t like a zipper. Some weird guy’s grammar is so bad, I can’t even figure out what his problem is.

So…nothing consistently reported as being an issue with either of these options.

One final thing to note is that all of these reviews come directly from the official GORUCK.com website. I know that I personally like to check out reviews from a number of places/sources, but outside from a few items on Amazon and Rogue (you can’t find either of these bags on these sites) there isn’t a third-party retailer with a lot of reviews of GORUCK gear.

You’re just gonna have to trust the GORUCK masses (and me!) on this one.

Winner: Bullet

Price

This is really a “have and have-nots” category as, when it comes to price, the Bullet absolutely destroys the GR0.

Like, annihilates it.

I’ve never been able to understand the pricing logic behind the GR0. It’s a smaller, less functional version of the GR1 (and I think that’s giving it more credit than it deserves) with a base price that is only ~$60 cheaper than its much more accomplished and recognizable “big brother”.

(Much of the time, you can score a GR0 for over 50 percent off…but it’s inevitably going to be in the hottest pink you have ever seen. Life is all about trade-offs, I guess…).

In contrast, the GORUCK Bullet is by no means an inexpensive bag; there are plenty of cheaper rucks out there. However, many models don’t demand the overly high premium that other GORUCK bags do. Also, you can always find an option on sale, in many cases, at a pretty significant discount.

My beloved reflective spearhead option is currently on sale for less than $100!

Although we try to avoid making “value” assessments in this category, being that both bags have similar load capacities, it is difficult not to. Of course, there are Bullet variations that come close to, if not exceeding the price of the GR0, but most completely comparable options (laptop compartment, frame sheet) are $70 (or more) cheaper.

There just really is no comparison; the Bullet wins here in both absolute terms as well as in “value” and “relative” terms…and pretty easily, I might add…

Winner: Bullet

Overall Winner

According to our metrics, the GORUCK Bullet is today’s “winner”!

To be honest, when I first started this writing this, I thought this was going to be much more of a beatdown. I’m not the biggest fan of the GR0, but revisting it again, its only real problem is that it’s so expensive relative to its size. Messing around with it again, I actually prefer it for most rucking activities.

…but I don’t prefer it enough to recommend it to others at that price. That the Bullet prevailed in all of the objective analysis categories was enough for it to carry (ha!) the day.

Our Testing Process

Truth be told, neither of these rucks are in my usual “rotation” these days. I actually used the Bullet a lot a couple of years ago, even during training exercises, but nowadays I opt for my Rucker or even GR1 most of the time.

As it is, we messed around with both of these for a long time (especially the Bullet), mainly bringing them on our ruck outings, running in them, swinging them around, and strapping them on our backs for pull-ups and even the odd (and ugly) muscle-up every now and then…

We haven’t used the GR0 nearly as much, but, as you can imagine, there is kind of a reason for that…

Frequently Asked Questions

In the battle of the smaller rucks, we’re sure there are questions aplenty. Let’s take a look at the most frequent ones:

The GORUCK Bullet vs GR0…compact rucks…that are alright…

Even though the Bullet “won” this matchup, you may have gotten the impression that neither of these are exactly my favorite GORUCK bag options.

(Yeah…I definitely wear my emotions on my sleeve!)

As nice as these bags are, particularly the materials used to construct them, I just don’t think GORUCK is at its best when it’s putting together smaller, more compact bags. I’m not sure how the development process goes down, but they either just don’t have as much utility (at least the utility I’m looking for) or the price-to-size ratio is way off.

Thankfully for you (and for everyone else on the planet), I’m not “most people”.

If “pure” and/or “dynamic” rucking activities aren’t your biggest priorities and you really are looking for a solid EDC or even weekend bag, either of these is a good option (although, as we’ve explored today, the Bullet options are definitely better).

Also, if you’re cool with spending a bit more for a solidly-constructed bag that is covered by a lifetime warranty, both the Bullet and GR0 fit the bill.

I’m still partial to my Rucker 4.0 (and even to the larger GR-series bags), but I’m definitely of the mind that if/when you see those larger Bullets on sale for $150, it makes a lot of sense to pull the trigger (ha!) on one…