GORUCK Rucker 4.0 vs Rucker – Long Range

I don’t think anyone can (seriously) argue that rucking has ever really put together a cool “I wanna do that!” kind of ad in the way that the U.S. Army or CrossFit or whoever has.

I mean, they’ve had rucking events at the CrossFit Games and rucking is a yuge part of Army fitness, testing, and general operations, but you can’t really compete with something like this:

Thankfully, GORUCK has blessed us with a couple of bags that are the “cool” variants of your everyday rucksacks. Why limit yourself to awkwardly walking with your kid’s backpack when you can run, swing, and drain water from your bag?!

Long story short, the Rucker line of bags, specifically the Rucker 4.0 and the Rucker – Long Range, are the cool bags/ads that stand out in a crowd of normie rucks.

Unfortunately for those of us who appreciate this kind of thing, the Rucker 4.0 is the only one of these two that is currently available. GORUCK has been known to put their bags into and out of circulation from time to time, and, at the moment, the Rucker – Long Range is on the outs.

…but that isn’t stopping us from hosting our own GORUCK Rucker 4.0 vs Rucker – Long Range showdown.

If you’re interested in actually pushing yourself with your rucking training, getting your hands on one (or both!) of these bags is definitely your best bet. Even if you have scour Facebook Marketplace, Ebay, or Craigslist(!) to find ’em both, we guarantee you it’ll be worth it.

Let’s introduce each of our “challengers” today before kicking things into high gear:

GORUCK Rucker 4.0 vs Rucker – Long Range

I honestly don’t know why I’ve waited so long to pit these Rucker iterations against one another, but I’m happy to be rectifying my mistake today. However, before we get to all of the things that I have to say about these two, let’s take a look at the official marketing material that GORUCK has put together for these two:

It probably makes sense to start with the bag that you can easily get your hands on at the moment…the Rucker 4.0, a bag that is…

“PURPOSE BUILT FOR RUCKING

Our Rucker® is the gym on your back that revolutionized the fitness category of rucking (carrying weight on your back). These bags are purpose built for rucking with an elevated pocket designed for Ruck Plates, reinforced construction, extra padded straps and multiple handles to make it a versatile training tool. The Rucker® is the only rucksack you need to get stronger one rep and one mile at a time.”

To be honest, a lot of GORUCK’s bag descriptions are a bit hokey. This one is not only not hooky (I don’t think I’ve used “hooky” on this website before…happy to have used it 3 times in the last 5 seconds!), but sums up what you can expect from the Rucker 4.0 pretty well.

Next, the Rucker – Long Range

“Tested and Proven: NEW Rucker Long Range 39L

All of our Rucksacks have been tested and proven at thousands of GORUCK events across the world. When you see product photos on our website, they aren’t air brushed models, these are our friends whooping it on right out back behind HQ or at GORUCK Events. So, when we came out with our new Rucker Long Range, we gave it to some of our friends to put it to the test.

It is a purpose built rucksack for long range Rucking & Rucking Events like GORUCK Selection. You have a heavy pack out and you move out for miles and miles on end and you want the most comfortable rucksack ever built on your back.”

This wasn’t the marketing material that was present on the official Rucker – Long Range product page, but it was included in GORUCK’s gear release quasi-press release. Honestly, I don’t think it really does much to really explain what you’re getting (this bag is a lot better than that description makes it out to be). I guess that makes my job that much more important…

Those riveting intros aside…

Rucking

If you scroll back up for a quick second and take a quick look at the “Rucking” score for the Rucker – Long Range, you’ll notice the *. To be honest, this is the quality that separates these two bags as it represents a preference for a larger bag over a smaller one. Without getting too far ahead of ourselves here, this is the essence of this comparison.

…or I could have started things off by simply stating that both bags are great for rucking, but the Rucker – Long Range is only as good if you like a bigger bag.

Ultimately, both of these are bags specifically designed for dedicated rucking, more specifically rucking with ruck plates. Each bag has at least one heavily-padded and velcro-enclosing ruck plate pocket with most variations having 2 (one fitting a “standard”-sized ruck plate and one fitting a “long”-sized ruck plate).

These pockets not only perfectly accommodate GORUCK ruck plates (as well as those with similar proportions), but the padding and enclosure systems keep them incredibly stable while adding a layer of protection and comfort during long rucks. Each ruck’s respective frame sheet also helps to keep the plate(s) directly off of the body.

The Ruckers’ heavily padded shoulder straps aren’t all that noticeable for shorter outings and, if you’re inclined to ruck for ~30 minutes or less, you may not notice, yet alone need them. However, during longer journeys, these do a much better job of absorbing some of the weight on the shoulders.

The 15-liter Rucker 4.0 is the only one of these rucks that comes standard with a hip belt attachment, but I have found that with a little bit of proper sizing/adjusting, the weight sits high enough that I don’t really need the extra weight redistribution that the belt provides.

Like most of GORUCK’s bags, 1000D Cordura is the main “ingredient” comprising the vast majority of the bags’ materials. Considering that these bags are designed to hit the ground, get thrown around, and generally take more abuse than other bags, it makes sense for them to get this heavy-duty material treatment more than just about any other of the company’s offerings.

At the same time, the original version of the Rucker was the bag (with some help from Hayley Adams!) that convinced GORUCK to include some less abrasive materials on areas of each ruck that are most likely to come into contact with bare skin.

210D Cordura is present around the top and sides (where the bag would make contact during shirtless/tank top rucks).

To be honest, each bag only really has one main thing that they might suffer from:

• Smaller Rucker 4.0 variations (specifically the 15-liter iteration) don’t have the most “cargo” space. As such, you have less space for food and other “road goodies” (you’ll still be fine for rucks over any reasonable distance).

• The Rucker – Long Range, especially the larger, 39-liter iteration might simply be too large for smaller-framed ruckers.

So…like I said at the beginning, when it comes to “pure” rucking, choosing between these two is as simple as selecting a bag that is in line with your size priorities. Granted, not all “smaller” ruckers (such as myself), will opt for the Rucker 4.0 by default; despite my smaller size, I love the Rucker – Long Range, but, practically speaking, the 4.0 makes more sense for me.

Winner: Tie*

Dynamic Rucking

Despite both of these bags being designed to essentially be mini “gyms in a bag”, I don’t actually rate them better than I do for “pure” rucking ventures…

…which is still pretty good!

Truth be told, I don’t do as many GORUCK event-style movements in my training/programming so it’s not often that I’m doing anything like…this with my ruck:

…but I can assure you that these are two of the best tools for the job.

It all really comes down to how the ruck plate pockets are structured. As important of an addition as these are for good-old-fashioned rucking, they’re almost mandatory for dynamic rucking. Otherwise, you have plates slipping out of pockets and/or impacting against the body, oftentimes really hard.

Other unique qualities are the multiple handles (top, sides, bottom) that make these two easier to grasp from anywhere which is especially useful during suitcase carries and even during ruck thrusters and presses.

Regarding these last two movements, I actually find the Rucker – Long Range’s size to be to its advantage for these as it allows me to get a bit wider and to more efficiently hold/handle the bag/weight.

In contrast, this size also works against me, during exercises like ruck swings. It’s just too large for my smaller frame (and I can imagine it’s too large for most people’s frames).

The Rucker – Long Range also “suffers” from being heavier by default. Now, if you want to go heavier, this obviously isn’t a bad thing. However, I was at a GORUCK event in 2024 that required an extended overhead bag hold. Everyone had to have a 20-pound plate in their bag, but mine was slightly heavier (which I could really feel!) due to the bag’s heavier starting weight.

As you can imagine, this also makes things like ruck pull-ups and even shuffling a bit more difficult than it is in the Rucker 4.0 (which is very effective for these types of tasks).

Ultimately, I’d go to war with either of these Rucker options, but the Rucker 4.0 is much better suited for the types of dynamic rucking movements I most prioritize. The Rucker – Long Range is still better than most other options you’re likely to come across, but unless you’re a giant-sized person, it’s probably going to be bigger than you want it to be for this kind of activity.

Winner: Rucker 4.0

Load Capacity

Both of these bags provide (or at least provide-ed) a number of different size and load capacity options. However, the smallest Rucker – Long Range option (33-liter capacity) is still quite a bit larger than the largest Rucker 4.0 option (25-liter capacity).

Taking this point into consideration, the Rucker – Long Range instantly wins this point…and pretty easily wins it, at that.

One thing that needs to be said about both of these bags is that due to the size and structure of their dedicated plate pockets, their effective load capacities aren’t quite as robust of those in similarly sized bags. Unless you plan on using these pockets for hauling your stuff (which, I guess is reasonable) there is a little bit of wasted space with these areas.

Another thing to note is that the Rucker – Long Range is storage areas are separated, essentially being two large compartments. This works fine if you’re hauling smaller items that easily fit into each individual area, however, if you have larger items, you’ll probably wish your bag simply had one large open storage area (like you’d find in something like the GORUCK GR3). If this is you then this bag’s effective load capacity is a bit less than advertised.

The Rucker – Long Range also has a built-in field pocket-esque compartment which can actually be pretty useful, even when rucking (I’ve stuck my small, 10-pound Yes4All plate up there on occasion when I wanted to more evenly distribute the load) but, again, somewhat eats into the overall capacity when not in use.

Either of these bags should work well as a day bag and even should be substantive enough for shorter trips, even if, as the name suggests, the Rucker – Long Range is a bit better suited for the task. However, if hauling a lot of gear is your main priority, neither of these should be your first choice and I would suggest opting for one of GORUCK’s dedicated travel rucks instead.

Winner: Rucker – Long Range

Customer Reviews

Okay, so this is the first section of the review where things start to get really weird. I’ve been trying to keep it together as long as I can (which is harder than it looks when we’re talking about an (currently) unavailable bag!), but now…yeah…this is definitely gonna be an unscored area.

First things first: the Rucker 4.0 is pretty hard to get a legit Customer Review score for. This is primarily because all of the smaller Ruckers’ respective reviews are lumped into one review score area. If you scroll long enough, you start to see people raving about their Rucker 3.0; scroll a bit more and you can find some 2.0 discussion.

The good news is that the reviews are overwhelmingly positive. The bad news is, without going through every single one (or at least most of them), it’s impossible to calculate a definitive score for the 4.0 specifically. There’s no doubt that it scores high; it’s just not fair to guess how high.

In contrast, with the Rucker – Long Range we only have old (as in ~1.5-3 years) data to make conclusions from. I don’t think this is inherently a “bad” thing, but if you happen to be a toffy-nosed statistics professor…eat your heart out.

Anyways, about this “old” data…it’s pretty good. At a collective 4.6 out of 5, the Rucker – Long Range is pretty well liked among verified customers. Granted, most of the gear/bags on the official GORUCK page score pretty highly and a 4.6 isn’t really a head-turner, but it’s more or less passed “face control” with this grade.

At this point, I don’t have access to/can’t find any information alluding to common themes that are present in these reviews (particularly in the lower-rated ones). This is unfortunate because these oftentimes offer up pretty important gems regarding common faults or problem areas with pieces of equipment.

Sorry I can’t really offer up the goods here (at least consistent and recent goods), but what we can conclude a couple of things:

• Customers have by and large really liked each iteration of the smaller Ruckers (2.0-3,0-4,0)
• Customers liked the Rucker – Long Range when it was available

Some conclusions are better than no conclusions, amIrite?

Winner: Not Scored

Price

Unfortunately, this is another one that we really can’t give you the full scoop on (sorry that we had to finish off the competition this way!) Since the Rucker – Long Range isn’t currently available, we can’t give an accurate/appropriate price for it.

I do have a couple of hints, though:

• When I got the bag back in 2023, it was marked down to $225 from $295 (its regular price)
• If you frequent different forums and pages, there is a fair bit of discussion about the Rucker – Long Range with a number of people lamenting the fact that it’s no longer available; will GORUCK give in to popular demand and re-release it at $295 again…?

We’re not going to speculate, but if you A. Need to know this info while you wait for the (possible) return of the Rucker – Long Range B. Are considering picking one up second-hand…then…you’re welcome.

In contrast, with the Rucker 4.0, we have solid info: it’ll currently run you between $245 for the smallest (15-liter) option and $265 for the biggest (25-liter option).

This is going to be an unscored category, but considering the size-to-price ratios of the Rucker 4.0 options and the historic price of the Rucker – Long Range, these bags are pretty much evenly matched when it comes to price.

GORUCK bags don’t always match up (price-to-size) in this manner (just look at how expensive the GR0 is compared to something like the Bullet), but in the case of the Ruckers, this is pretty much the case.

Both options are decently expensive relative to other, non-GORUCK bags of similar sizes, but are almost exactly in line with one another (given size, materials, features, etc.)

Winner: Not scored

Overall Winner

According to our metrics, we have a tie ballgame!

Yeah, I know…it’s kinda hard to have a fair contest when 2 out of the 5 scored areas end up being “not scored” (i.e. “not contested”) and there is a pesky asterisk associated with some of the rucking areas, but that’s the way the cookie crumbles when you’re dealing with bags with significant size differences (and especially when one is currently out of stock/production).

As it is, there is a lot to like about both of these bags, particularly if you’re interested in a bag for dedicated rucking training. Ultimately, the Rucker 4.0 works better if you want a more compact bag and the Rucker – Long Range works better if you want to go big.

Simple as that.

Our Testing Process

Believe it or not, the Rucker – Long Range was actually my first dedicated training ruck. When I was first getting a hang of doing different ruck training exercises (ex. ruck presses, ruck thrusters, shuffling), I primarily used this bag (I used my Bullet some, as well, but quickly realized how much I appreciated bags with frame sheets!)

The Rucker – Long Range still makes it into my training regimen and, despite my preference for smaller, more compact bags, it’s my go-to bag when I really want to load up (2 plate pockets and that upper field pocket that can fit a 10-pounder).

In contrast, the Rucker 4.0 is my undisputed training ruck/rucking bag. I have the smallest one (15 liters, mainly because my 5’2″ wife uses it, as well), but I really appreciate how compact it is when I’m shuffling and throwing it around. It’s pretty much the complete opposite feel as the Rucker – Long Range, but for a shorter/smaller guy (~5’8″, 160), it makes the most sense.

My wife actually opted for using the Rucker 4.0 for Murph in 2024. While a vest is definitely preferable, props to her for making it work with a ruck!

Frequently Asked Questions

In the showdown of the Ruckers, we know that you probably have a few burning questions…let’s check ’em out:

The GORUCK Rucker 4.0 vs Rucker – Long Range…Training Ruck “Extremes”…

I get that using “extremes” is probably a bit hyperbolic, but I look at it is as being a more compact way to say “polar opposites”.

Saying this doesn’t even really capture the essence of these bags since they have a lot in common with the main deafferenting factor being that one is significantly larger than the other.

That aside, you’ve got the best training ruck options out there.

As someone who got into rucking because I actually wanted to get out there and get moving (to include throwing my bag around in GORUCK-style events) as opposed to being more interested in a “hip”-looking travel bag, these two bags are much more of my style than many of the company’s other offerings.

If you have the same priorities, these are your options (well, the Rucker 4.0 is pretty much your option unless you can somehow source a Rucker – Long Range…fingers crossed that GORUCK brings it back!)

Ultimately, both of these bags are designed for the “business” of rucking and if you’re serious about maximizing comfort and load-bearing efficiency (and you should be if rucking is your “new favorite activity”) you owe it to yourself to pick up the most ideal bag(s) for the task (grabbing appropriate ruck plates don’t hurt, either).

The Ruckers are both winners; I’d say get yourself both when/if you are able to!