I really enjoyed this video, and I'm really hoping to see more in the future. A couple notes... 1. In the weight test, I think you should have the shoulder straps bearing the weight. I know the top handle could be representative of overall construction, but so do the straps and they are more realistic in use imo. 2. Drop tests are a little silly. Very random. I think testing the laptop compartments might be a little better. Maybe a piece of tempered glass? Start at a lower height... Maybe 3 feet and go up until it breaks? Well done overall. Looking forward to the next installment!
Hey Kent! We're glad you enjoyed the video!😁 You have some great feedback on our testing methods and we will definitely consider these for our next installment. -Ahmad
I would also add that you can easily see that the Goruck landed on the back end where the back padding is, while the other two were landing on the front. So, a fairly unequal test.
I thought the difference in how a fragile item fares in a drop is a useful experiment but I agree a progressive test would be more helpful. Also a laptop compartment test makes a lot of sense but that sounds like a very expensive test...
Maybe also a bucket with an attached shower head might be more representative of rain, rather than just the bucket (to avoid the thicc stream of water on one place at the top)
1. Water test - I would think a prolonged water spray test (simulating heavy downpour) might be more realistic than dumping a bucket. 2. Weight test - I find back strap stitching is the first place to go if I'm repeatedly carrying a heavy load. I think the back strap is way more important than the carrying strap/handle. 3. Knife test - most thieves "slash" the bag rather than stabbing. Stabbing test is good for a tactical test, though. 4. Drop test - more realistic test would be a laptop-inside drop from a shoulder level. Been there done that.
My humble opinion: While GoRuck is made in my back yard - I would not give up my 5.11 Rush12 for anything. It's been been with me through fires, hurricanes, vacations, and EDC. Given that the Rush12 is 1/3rd of the price of the GR1, I think the Rush12 is the best value. I would question a few of the tests and techniques used - including the drop test. Straps were not tested, MOLLE stitching was not tested well, check the zipper pulls and review of organization pouches. You are testing a tactical bag. Part of tactical is ability to access your weapon. Do these bags have a CCW pouch? (Hint: 1 of these do).
I've owned the 5.11 Rush 12 for about 6 years now and it's survived so well that I'm considering getting a Rush 24. There are certain parts that have aged for sure (ex. the Rush 12 had this suede looking pads towards the back to stop the bag from sliding around but those are worn down. And some of the elastic ex. in the sternum strap is a bit loose) However over all the bag still looks great and nothing critical has failed. Take note I do not give this bag any love. I throw it around everywhere, I toss it to the ground when I'm done, and I don't really care if it snags on something or it rubs against a wall. My only suggestion for future owners is to get a raincover, and maybe some organizers depending on your need.
I enjoyed this very much, a lot of times you see tactical “tacticool” people on youtube who show off their gear but rarely put it thru torture tests. I think it’s worth mentioning that Goruck products are also covered by the SCARS lifetime warranty program which is a great value in itself if you plan of using your gear for hard use.
So... the results: They all failed the rain test - best solution is to get a 10 dollar rain cover if you want full waterproof. They all passed the weight test - although you were really measuring the handle, not the straps or bag itself. Test 3 - they all failed - not a great test anyway as others have mentioned. Knife test - ok cool if knifing is part of your every day life - spend the $500 lol. The measure isnt if the GR1 is better than the budget back (of course it is) - is it whether its worth buying 1 and having money left over for a plane ticket.
If waterproof is a top priority, I can thoroughly recommend Mission Workshop's Vandal. I've owned one for 12 years and have carried it year-round through winters and springs in Boston. The bag has never leaked and the straps and stitching are still in great shape. Not cheap, but it's been worth the expense.
I would have to agree. Although I consider myself a fan of the Goruck company and their products, I was using Mission Workshop bags previously for a long time. The Vandal can literally pack a party's worth of groceries inside! One thing I liked about MW's packs was the use of urethane coating on the zippers. MW's packs also use a high quality ballistic nylon for their panels. Whenever there was a downpour, I was confident about how the MW bag would live up to being waterproof. I was fortunate to be working in San Francisco, so I was able to walk down to their retail shop and see these bags upfront. Their bags are definitely pricey, but they are worth the price.
The next test is messenger bags like TIMBUK2 vs. MISSION WORKSHOP vs. CHORME BAGS vs BAGABOO & vs. MANHATTAN PORTAGE MESSENGER BAG 🎉 Other than that I really like the test on all of them 😊
I have had 5.11 packs for over a decade now. The „Mk1“ Rush 24 as well as the Rush 12. (the first iteration that did not have the laptop compartment) Both have held up incredibly well. None of the two are „closet queens“ that rarely see any use. I have dragged mine through rain and mud, they were tossed around by baggage handlers on two continents, sometimes way overloaded and they just shrugged it off. I have NOT been taking it easy on either of the packs. Probably the best value there is in my opinion. I wouldn’t trade them for anything else and they are still going strong. No broken zippers, no frayed seams, nothing. It’s maybe not „The last backpack you’ll ever buy“. But there won’t be many others. That said, if I travel really light or am on my motorbike, I have recently picked up a „Plan C“ backpack from Hazard4. Not a budget brand by any stretch but from what I can tell the build quality is pretty decent.
This was a fun watch and I hope you make more travel tests. It can be more than just bag durability, it can also be batteries, flashlights, speakers, ... Maybe consult the community about the tests since I see in the comments a lot of good offers. I'd suggest a more scaled approach, for example: start with water spray, then weak water stream, and then a bucket full.
Just the stitching came apart-not the fabric of the bag. In our book, that’s a better result because it’s easy to fix. This is all subjective, but the GR1 was still mostly usable afterward, too! -Eric
for the dragging test, one way to improve is to add weight into the bag to simulate a person sliding on the road while wearing. I know I wore an aer fit pack in cordura and fell off a skateboard and slid 20 mph for around 10 ft on the asphalt. No damage to the bag or my back.
Hey Tayo! Thanks for the feedback! We had 20lbs inside the bags, but we’ll consider increasing the load for the next one! 🫡 Also glad to hear your pack was able to protect you. 😅 -Ahmad
I enjoyed this video. I'm not sure the drop test or the knife drop test are very realistic. I agree with a few others than using a progressive height drop test to see when a piece of glass or similar to test the laptop compartments would be more useful. For the weight test, I know you are stuck for volume of the bag, but I would be curious how they fare with all the weight inside the bag and using the top handle and then shoulder straps. That would better show if the bottom of the bag is solid and also more how the bag would be used to carry thing. I would love to see the looks on people's faces if they saw you dragging the bags behind the car! Looking forward to the next video.
Great video guys! The water and knife test was cool, and I loved the drop test because I’m always nervous to drop my backpack when my phone is in it. You should definitely make more videos like this, they’re super fun to watch and very interesting.
5.11 Rush 24 all day .had mine since the first week they came one I've hammered it,nothings failed Still looks great. I've tried and have others at all prices but always end up with old Faithfull
These tests felt more like a gimmick than a real life or practical useful test. An empty bag with a mug drop? - sure - why no, everyone just carried around a just a mug in their $500 backpack and happen to drop it from an over pass. This is a tactical bag - so, define what is a tactical bag, its use case and then perform the test. The only 2 tests that actually made a little bit of sense - not full sense was the drag test and knife puncture test. Yes in real life, if you are carrying a backpack, it might slide down hill while hiking or get dragged by a trolley at an ariport. Puncture test - in case your folding knife or a fork poked out of the bag ... what tests you guys performed - seems very much like a gimmick.
Updated Comment: The 5.11 Rush series is no joke. My stepson just ditched his motorcycle on the highway due to another driver and on his back was the Rush24 from 5.11 - a few scratches but no holes, in an accident, at 50mph. It probably saved him in some degree, and his helmet. I personally would put the Rush series ABOVE the GR1, because of the design and durability. The Rush series Tier straps allow for multiple packs to be connected vs. only one - at all.
Try out one of the velomacchi bags. They’re made for motorcyclists and to survive road rash if you go down at high speeds. The duffel is my current travel backpack. Waterproof too.
Tbh when you pay $300 for a GR1, it isn't simply for tough materials, it's for the _lifetime warranty_ and the meticulous design. You pay more for something that is nice, not simply to have a bag to carry things. 90% of GoRuck owners probably won't utilize the toughness, they just want something made meticulously in USA
Please test popular consumer brands: Thule, Herschel, North Face, Ogio. I'd definitely love to see how well the Bellroys do, too. I think it would be more fair if the bags tested were made of the same material, comparing a 1000D Cordura bag to a 400D polyester bag for example just ain't fair. I know this is a "budget bag" vs "expensive bag" comparison though.
Would love to see more testing videos like these on bags and accessories (especially if you incorporate the suggestions for better testing that have been given in these comments). I think a video that tests liquid containers for toiletry bags would be great, testing their anti-spill abilities and crush resistance. ✌️
In the real work the GR1 does soak a bit but generally keeps the stuff inside dry. I am more shocked about the front slant pocket. Assuming that was a new GR1 it show the issue with the American manufacturing at Goruck.
As McAero08 said, it isn’t very common for your pack to get bombarded with water, as it did in our test. If you want to know more about the pack in general, check out the full review! packhacker.com/travel-gear/goruck/gr1/ -Eric
I feel the design of this Velcro opening is a fail. This will leak even in modest rain. It will actually be worse when on a back, hanging from the straps (especially with heavier load) or if it is carried by the handle.
is the goruck 500D or 1000D? a more scientific approach for the knife stabbing. hang the bag with the scale. same weight each bag. stab up with the same poundage very cool test! more please
Helpful video, Drop test was kind of odd. For the knife test, IF I am in a situation that would lead me getting attacked by a knife wielder maniac. At least I know the bag will survive while I most likely won't.
I have a question with the water test. How were the seams where the panels are sewn together? I have a bag that is pretty water resistant, but after sustained rain the bottom corners of the bag started to seep in as the water dripped off the outside of the bag there.
Hi. Interesting idea. Why not use spray test for bags that admit water resistant, water proof, and weatherproof bag instead of bags that doesn't advertise this ability? I tend to use rolltop bag for water proof / weather proof / water resistant bags since I don't trust any zips. Can try these test for example on Alpaka bagpack (adversited as weatherproof) specially since how the water bottle area was designed? Will it cause water to sip in into the bag in case of rain? I think such test is very important to this channel since this kind of test not something we can do or verify at bag shops.
Except for water resistance pretty stupid scope for testing. Things that matter are the carrying system with realistic weights, maybe a little overload, and normal abrasion/tear resistance, definitely not being dragged around by a car.
Next time maybe you could test this in a green area so the water is not wasted? It just feels so wrong that in 2022 we still spill water reckless like this only to test some backpacks
And maybe to avoid buying and wrecking plastic heavy products in unrealistic tests for fun, think about the full lifecycle, the now even wasted pollution during the production and transportation of these backpacks. Now (and in the next few hundreds of years for the plastic) what will happen with these test subjects?
Our goal for this video, in addition to making something fun to watch, was to help our viewers make an informed decision about purchasing a bag that fits their use case! By helping folks choose a suitable pack, we hope to ensure they buy a bag that both satisfies their needs and lasts them longer. We appreciate your concerns for sustainability and will keep them under consideration! -Eric
@@PackHacker I do like the reviews and durability tests, and yours are great but they would be even better making them environmentally friendly, at least the water part is easier to solve by doing it next to a tree or some grass
Not at all. Tom lived out of a tactical bag for 2 years of travel when starting Pack Hacker. More about it here: packhacker.com/blog/general/everything-you-need-to-travel-the-world-in-one-backpack/
