Goruck GR1 Backpack Makes the Grade
Dec 25, 2011 at 06:28PM | Matt Hyatt 
I'm digging the Goruck GR1 backpack. I got it a couple months ago for a photo trip to Yosemite, and I've used it ever since for everything from hiking to business trips. It's now my go-to bag for traveling and anything outdoors. For business trips or other travel, it carries enough clothes for a 4-day trip, plus a MacBook Air and everything else I need, and it's small enough to fit under a seat in an airplane. For walking or hiking, it carries my pro-sized DSLR with several lenses, a tripod, a jacket, food, and water.
Did I mention that the GR1 is tough? Made of 1000D Cordura, it's practically immune from abrasions, and it's water- and mud-resistant, too. I walked in the woods during a steady rain for over an hour today, using it to haul a small camera and tripod along with a 1.5L water bottle and whatever else I left in there from my last trip. As you can see from the photo above, the outside of the bag was fairly drenched towards the end of the trip, but the contents remained dry and well protected.
At $295 plus shipping, the Goruck GR1 isn't cheap. But it's a tough bag that's comfortable to wear. It looks great, it holds a ton of stuff, and it's made in the USA. For me, it's just about perfect.
Reader Comments (5)
Great photo! Mind if I ask how you carry your camera and lenses inside the GR1? Do you have individual cases for each lens?
Great question, Jon. That was one of my biggest concerns before I ordered the GR1, but it hasn't been as much of an issue as I thought it might be.
Like you, I try to keep my camera gear in very good condition, so I wrap the lenses in OP/TECH Soft Wraps and keep loose accessories in Eagle Creek Pack-It Sacs. Unless I'm carrying a tripod inside the bag, I usually leave my pro DSLR bare with an attached lens since there's else nothing inside the GR1 to scratch it. However, I sometimes use a Porta Brace Backpack Zippered Camera Pouch for additional protection.
Matt,
What tripod do you carry? Have you tried attaching one to the outside of the pack at all? Curious as I have been considering the bag my self but need some sort of way to easily transport a Gitzo tripod.
I have several tripods, but the ones that work best inside the GR1 are the Gitzo GT-1541T Traveler with a Really Right Stuff BH-30 head folded inside the legs and the Gitzo GT-2530 Mountaineer with an unattached RRS BH-40 head.
If you're planning to use the GR1 primarily for hiking and photography, you may end up carrying the camera around your neck and holding the tripod in your hand, since neither are of much use inside the bag. :) I've hiked comfortably all day long carrying a mid-sized tripod in my hand. Still, it's nice to be able to fit everything inside for traveling to and from your photographic destination.
Unfortunately, I haven't found a good way to attach a tripod to the outside of the GR1. You might be able to rig a way to secure a tripod if the ruck had additional MOLLE-compatible straps mounted high on the sides of the bag, but it doesn't. This is the price we pay for a nice, clean looking pack, I suppose.
Im not sure what these tripods are like in size but a method I use to carry antennas that may bend and break is to use a PVC pipe painted black with screw caps and I use large zip ties to make kind of loops that attach to the side molle and the pipe rides under the backpack like a sleepingbag would for camping. Some modifications could allow one to make something attach to the side like a waterbottle pouch or on the back like a set of snow ski's hope that gives you some ideas.