GORUCK Simple Sandbags – Our Review

Train with sand…

This may as well be one of the mantras for GORUCK being that they have an entire line of training gear devoted to this type of gear.

Sand kettlebells, sand medicine balls, sand…jerry cans(?!), and, of course, sandbags.

Sandbag training, next to training with rucks, is at the core of every GORUCK workout. If you sign-up for an event where you could conceivably expect to earn one of their coveted patches, be prepared to carry, throw, clean, and “thrust” sandbags…a lot.

…but the question is…why sand? Why sandbag training…?

Because it’s hard…

I’ll be the first to say that I’m not a complete adherent to sandbag training. At the end of the day, I don’t think that anything can compete with heavy barbell training.

However, there is something that is almost primal about lugging a huge bag of sand around, throwing it over your shoulder, or, and I hate to even write it, do a set of lunges with it.

Today, I’m excited to write about my experiences with the GORUCK Simple Sandbags. These are the O.G. versions of the company’s sandbag offerings as they now sport the Sandbag 2.0.

…but, in my experience with the bags, there is no reason to get fancy when “simple” will do just fine.

Despite how you might currently feel about sandbag training, it’s worth giving it a look…and, more specifically, giving these bags a look. Now that CrossFit and GORUCK are in bed together, it probably won’t be long before we see them in the CrossFit Games…or even in an upcoming CrossFit Open workout…

Functionality

I’m going to assume you realize that a sandbag (or, in most cases, a group of sandbags) provides functionality that is quite different than a “standard” barbell. Of course, it’s not hard to find a plethora of videos showing how to perform comparable sandbag exercises (ex. sandbag cleans, sandbag squats, sandbag thrusters), but be aware that their functionality is definitely different.

Another thing to mention right off the bat is the fact that all of the GORUCK sandbags are in the “cylinder”, “worm”, etc. format as opposed to the circular, Strongman style that is more commonly seen in Strongman events, CrossFit events, and related competitions. Both types of bags of their own advantages (and there is a lot of crossover), and we’ll do some comparisons here.

Those clarifying items aside, the Simple Sandbags are very functional training pieces. I would contend that after barbells, they provide the most amount of utility of any of the training implements I’ve been able to get my hands on.

For starters, there are the more obvious movements/exercises that even non-sandbag enthusiasts will be familiar with. The more “traditional” sandbag clean (which, with these bags, actually more closely mimics a barbell clean) front squat, press, thruster, and even the fan favorite sandbag Bear Complex.

If you’re following something like GORUCK’s Tribe n’ Training program, these types of exercises, along with exercises involving your ruck, will make up the vast majority of your training.

However, you can stay in the same vein of sandbag/ruck training and get a little more creative by adding some less traditional sandbag exercises that are actually “variations” i.e. harder versions of bodyweight exercises like burpees and running as well as an odd-object take on the traditional suitcase carry. The BFF (Basic Functional Fitness) test assesses these abilities.

As crazy as these exercises may look on paper, they are actually quite “easy” (as in, quite “possible”) to perform with the GORUCK Simple Sandbags due to how well the sand is distributed through each bag and how much “grasping” and “throwing” exercises are facilitated by the presence of the handles.

The sandbags even allow me to perform variations of popular CrossFit hero workouts like Chad.

I can assure you that the stimulus of box step ups with a 40-pound sandbag is different than a 45-pound ruck. In some ways it makes things easier; in other ways, harder. Regardless, it definitely adds variety to your training.

Although GORUCK’s bags aren’t designed to mimic Strongman sandbag movements (which, in many cases, are the basis for sandbag exercises that make their way into CrossFit metcons), it is kinda possible to use them in a similar manner. Take the Strongman sandbag clean with Strongman bag and with the Simple Sandbag:

…or the sandbag squat

In both cases, I can assure you that performing the Strongman version of either exercise was a bit more…tedious, but by no means impossible.

In other cases, you would really have to go out of your way to use GORUCK’s sandbags for Strongman-style movements. For example, although sandbag squats with a Strongman bag should be performed one way, it doesn’t make sense not to perform front squats like you would a barbell front squat:

So…they’re not perfect for all kinds of sandbag training, but they’re pretty close.

I also knock GORUCK’s bags a few points because they’re not really adjustable. Now, this is actually beneficial in many ways (which we’ll discuss in other parts of this review), but because, for all practical purposes, you need at least 2 or 3 bags in order to be able to perform a larger variety of exercises, in this regard, they’re not as functional as some other offerings.

Functionality: 90

Durability

What are your two biggest concerns when throwing a large, heavy, bag of sand around?

(besides it being, like, really hard and uncomfortable to do?)

Well, if you’re like me they are

• Sand leaking and getting everywhere
• The bag actually busting…and sand getting everywhere

These are legit concerns and its not hard to find instances of guys throwing bags around, losing a quarter pound or so every time it hits the ground.

Thankfully, I have found that the GORUCK Simple Sandbags are not only constructed well enough to prevent any type of tearing, yet along straight up busting, but are also designed in a manner that really limits sand “escapage”.

To the former point, the double-pass stitching and interlocking seams, using Cordura as the resilient ballistic material of choice, is simple (ha!) enough to ensure that keeping the sand compacted and the bags secure is the only real “priority” for the bags themselves.

When I throw bags around that don’t have these features, even if they otherwise feel pretty tough, I get concerned (I guess you can say that this makes GORUCK’s bags’ construction somewhat of a curse!) Being that most bags don’t have these features…I’m cringing quite a bit.

Regarding sand leakage, preventing this can really be attributed to the bags’ triple locking velcro enclosure system. To be honest, because of this system, just opening these bad boys can be a little complicated on your first go around (maybe this was just the case for me since I’m kinda dumb) since it requires a few stages of un-folding and un-velcoring.

Once the sand is in, you can close the bags up pretty tight by reversing this process, folding the velcro over a few times and securing it with a final “strap”. If you’ve done things right and haven’t half-assed it when you lined each piece of velcro up, you’ll never experience any sand leakage.

Like, ever…

Overall, for a moderately-priced sandbag, GORUCK’s “simpler” offering is way more durable than I would have imagined prior to purchasing. However, I will dock them a few points due to a second-hand anecdotal experience involving a guy I met at a GORUCK Ingress event (heh).

He mentioned that he was almost exclusively training with sand/his GORUCK Sandbags and actually busted one of his. He got it fixed up by Scars and sent back to him, but it made me lose a little faith in the bags’ overall constitution. He is by no means some huge guy, slamming bags into oblivion…but…maybe he’s a Clark Kent or something…

Durability: 90

Load Capacity

GORUCK’s sandbags present kind of an interesting proposition when it comes to their respective capacities.

On one hand, you could argue that the manner in which they very specifically adhere to set weight limits can be a little frustrating. By this, I mean that if you have an 80-pound bag, you’re gonna have to fight to pack the sand in it just right to get to 80 pounds. If you decide you would prefer it to be your new 70-pound bag, it’s just going to be feel…off.

This specificity contrasts with other manufacturers’ options where there is often a pretty big listed loading range (ex. 50-80 pounds).

However, I much prefer having precisely-calibrated bags since this not only allows me to know the exact weight of the bag at any given time, but it doesn’t allow for excess “flopping” or for superfluous extra fabric to hinder my movements.

That explanation aside, the GORUCK Simple Sandbag currently comes in sizes with 10 to 100-pound capacities. Comparing these to other cylinder-shaped/”feedsack”-style sandbags, they are by no means your biggest options, but are in the realm of “heavy enough for most people”.

Despite having a lower load capacity than some of their competitors, I added a few points due to their functional load capacities being slightly greater than many competitors (ex. the 80-pound sandbag, when filled properly, is more functional than a “60-100-pound bag” filled with 80 pounds of sand.

Load Capacity Score: 85

Materials & Construction

Like many (most?) of GORUCK’s products, the Simple Sandbag is largely comprised of Cordura. This tough, durable ballistic nylon makes us the vast majority of the bag’s overall composition and just about all of its surface. This is important because nobody ever…like…sets a sandbag down on the ground.

There is some scant neoprene padding (you’re familiar with this material if you’ve ever slipped on a pair of knee sleeves), but nothing really significant. The only other material of substance is the velcro where the bag enclosure is.

Overall, I find the materials to be robust, albeit unassuming (in a good way).

Materials Score: 90

Price

I’ll admit that most of the time, when I think about GORUCK, one of the first words that comes to mind is “not cheap” (yeah, two words, but whatever).

I think others would probably agree with me, but when taking a closer look at the prices of their non-ruck/bag gear, their prices are actually pretty reasonable. This extends to GORUCK sandbags (specifically the Simple Sandbag variation).

For the sake of comparison, for this review, I didn’t consider or include Strongman-style bags as these are generally less expensive (while also creating a much different stimulus) than tube-shaped bags like the GORUCK sandbags.

The range between the biggest and smallest capacity bags is only $35 ($35 for a 20-pound bag; $70 for a 100-pound bag at the time of this writing).

While there are definitely bags in each respective “weight class” that are less expensive, in most cases, the difference is not overly drastic, ranging anywhere from $5-20.

To this, it is also important to keep in mind that many competitor bags are primarily marketed in sizes (ex. small, medium, large) as opposed to with precise weight capacities. As such, a bag with a marketed capacity of 50-125 pounds may be a little less expensive, but is going to be pretty annoying to throw around if you only fill it up with 60 pounds worth of sand.

The GORUCK Sandbag option won’t be your least expensive option, but will likely be one of the least annoying options.

Price Score: 85

Customer Reviews

Despite not being, ya know, the first thing you probably think of when you think about GORUCK, the company’s Simple Sandbag currently sits as one of their highest-rated products.

With a 4.9 out of 5 collective rating is nothing to sneeze at. However, when considering that the bag has garnered this rating with a little over 450 reviews (at the time of this post’s writing), this score is even more impressive.

One thing I will note is that the scores have only be collected from the official GORUCK website. It’s pretty hard to find GORUCK gear anywhere else (other than on Rogue…which doesn’t carry GORUCK sandbags) so all we really have to go off of are the reviews on the company’s page.

In some cases, I would be a bit hesitant in blindly accepting the reviews that can literally be controlled by the company/organization in question. However, when they let comments like “Patricj’s” stay up, I’m inclined to think they’re playing things straight.

Sorry “Patricj”! Did you really think they were going to send you a beach, as well?

Customer Reviews Score: 98

Customer Service

I’ve had some mixed experiences with GORUCK’s customer service team over the last year, however, all of my less-than-stellar experiences seem to be long in the past; my encounters are definitely trending up.

The company’s general shipping and return policies are pretty good. For just about all items (usually not to include “closeout sale” items) you can easily return your item (GORUCK will even pick up the tab for shipping costs!) up to 30 days after purchase.

Additionally, GORUCK’s Scars Lifetime Guarantee is really a nice “insurance policy” for your gear. As long as you don’t intentionally set fire to or take some hedge clippers to your bag, if it gets damaged, GORUCK will repair it and return it to you for free. I do not have personal experience with this process, but a fellow participant at GORUCK event I attended told me about the positive and seamless first-hand experience he had with this process.

These more objective criteria aside, I have experienced some minor frustrations with certain procedures I have made when ordering items online, but nothing major. In contrast, I have had a few different “refund” experiences (one involving a wrong shoe size, another involving an event that I was going to be unable to attend) that all resulted in very satisfactory outcomes.

I will say that even in my slightly more frustrating encounters, I was always dealing with a real person who acted like a normal person and not like some unempathetic AI chatbot. This alone puts the company ahead of so many others.

Customer Service Score: 95

Who are GORUCK Simple Sandbags really for?

Are you the ideal candidate for training with sand? Let’s see…

Those who “train with sand” as a primary fitness activity

If you follow GORUCK’s training protocol or adhere to a philosophy similar to it, you’re likely using a sandbag or two for ~75 percent of your workouts. It’s really a no-brainer to grab a few of these sandbags for this style of training, especially since getting a few is a lot less expensive than picking up an array of barbells, plates, dumbbells, and the like.

Those who want or need easily-gripable sandbags

Related to the previous point, if your sandbag training involves movements that require a grippable and “rackable” bag (ex. sandbag cleans to a front rack position, overhead squats, Bear Complex), the GORUCK sandbags have you covered.

It’s possible to perform these movements with other types of bags, but you’ll have to put a lot more effort in to simply holding the bag. Training with an insecure grip like this does have its benefits, but it shouldn’t be, like, a requirement for every rep performed.

Not for Strongman-style sandbag training

For those of you who are looking for more traditional, circular training sandbags (or if you’re looking for thick cylinder-style bags), the GORUCK Simple Sandbag is definitely not what you’re looking for. In most cases, the movement requirements are totally different with these two bags (ex. this sandbag clean vs. this sandbag clean) and the stimulus for similar movements at similar weights feels very different.

Also, if you’re training for some type of event, I can assure you that familiarizing yourself with a Strongman sandbag is gonna make your GORUCK Heavy sandbag work a bit awkward (and if you trained with these bags to get ready for a Strongman event…good luck!)

How we reviewed the GORUCK Simple Sandbags

Over the last 9 months we’ve had a lot of opportunities to work the GORUCK bags. Besides regularly using them in workouts that call for sandbags, we’ve also switched out barbells for bags on occasion to create a different stimulus. I wouldn’t say that rounds of DT are harder with a 60-pound bag (versus a 155-pound barbell), but it is certainly different and challenging.

On occasion where workouts have called for more Strongman-style bags in sizes that we don’t have, the GORUCK sandbags have served as imperfect, but capable alternatives.

Overall, between our regularly-scheduled sandbag programming and our more “creative” ventures, I would say that we probably bust these bad boys out at least once every other week.

GORUCK Simple Sandbag Alternatives

You might think that it wouldn’t be too difficult to find other bags to lift up and throw around that are similar to GORUCK’s “simple’ offering. You might be surprised to know that it took a bit of trial and error to come up with our three alternatives here:

Frequently Asked Questions

Need to know a little more before getting started with sand? Ask away!

GORUCK Simple Sandbags…Is “Simple” Better…?

There are a lot of good reasons why you should be training with sand.

Between the unique, odd-object stimulus, portability, malleability, and cost-effectiveness of a set of bags, GORUCK sandbags are an underrated addition to any home or garage gym.

With that being said, I stand firm that the key word in the above sentence is addition. I think far too many GORUCK and similar brand and/or program adherents fetishize sandbags, even going so far as to making them the cornerstone tools of their training regimes.

If this is you, you could certainly do worse than these sandbags (but at least do me a favor, and at least hit depth on your squats and lunges!)

If this isn’t you…congratulations! Busting out the sandbags ~once a week is a great way to supplement your barbell and related training and by combining the two, you’ll really develop better overall strength, with your newfound sandbag training “filling the gaps” of your compound and other lifts.

…and if you want to grab a few of these to complete something like the sandbag mile…well…they’ll work just fine, but you’re on your own, man…