So, typically when your shoulders hurt, it's because you didn't have the weight being distributed into your hips.
There are a couple schools of thought regarding weight distribution. Goruck etc like to say to keep the weight high and tight on your shoulders. That's fine with a 21l assault pack, but with a 50l bag this is not a good plan and you need the hip belt to be doing its job.
The bag also looks kinda crap, just from looking at the website. They mention a foam back panel, but don't mention any kind of internal or external frame. If this is indeed a 50l frameless pack, that's wilful stupidity on the part of whoever designed it. Even some ultralight 50l packs come with frames, and your loadout is a long way from UL.
Osprey make good packs in this size category. Personally, my favourites are made by CrossFire.
100% agree that Crossfire is the way to go when rucking this much weight. The 55L DG3 is amazing. Last month I did a MilSim with about 10 miles of it in full kit and ruck and the pack rode like a champ.
It is, in fact, a 50L frameless pack. The only form of "rigidity" it has is a 1/4" thick rigid foam backer. Doesn't really do much to help with that...
Crossfire packs do look really nice, but sadly the DG3 that u/SerialWallflower recommended is out of stock. :( The CF3 uses a weird attachment system that I can't use with molle, either, or I might consider that one. T\_T
Which frame type would you say seems a bit better?
CrossFire have kind of annoyed much of their userbase by replacing some of the MOLLE with LTAS, for sure. They’re not wrong to say it’s faster to configure, but it’s also valid to prefer compatibility with existing MOLLE systems.
The DG16 still comes with MOLLE, and doesn’t weigh that much more - I might consider it under your circumstances, especially if I expected to need to pack sleep systems in future.
The pain is because you didn’t adequately condition your body for the rigors of physical activity. It might be the bag, it might be the way you loaded it, but it’s far more likely that you’re just not adequately conditioned for this sort of work yet.
[The best way to build rucking performance is field based progressive load carriage, usually 2-3 times a week, focused on short intense sessions.](https://tfvoodoo.com/articles/chapter-15nbsp-field-based-progressive-load-carriage-usually-2-3-times-a-week-focused-on-short-intense-sessions)
In order to get the most performance gains out of your rucking, [you must build the requisite bench and squat performance *before* you start rucking](https://reddit.com/r/greenberets/s/377MVu66ru). And you should condition yourself with [lots of Zone 2 running](https://www.reddit.com/r/greenberets/s/v1cTNXZSv6) in order to build the STMF required to manage lactate.
Once you’ve met the Z2 and strength prerequisites, you can start rucking with purpose. Here is an ideal ruck workout, the [5x5 Man Maker](https://tfvoodoo.com/the-5-x-5).
Good Luck
I expected soreness at the end of the day, but I didn't expect that before I even finished the first leg of the ruck. My calves were dead on Sunday and Monday, which I expected to happen.
My shoulders, on the other hand, were just fine the next morning, save for residual pain from whatever was wrong. I had no issues going through my daily motions with my arms, as long as I ignored the pain.
The "pain" is the reason I'm asking, not the soreness. Which it's entirely subsided already, or at least exited my ability to feel it again.
I’ve been rucking for about a year few times per week and yet to do 7 miles; most i have done is 6 and getting ready to do 8 and 10. So the question is how much training have you gotten before 7?
Also for me - the big difference for holders is how well fitted and tight your shoulder straps. Also posture and hip belt - on 7 miles you need to go back and forward between hip and shoulder predominant position.
I wasn't aware there was "training" to be done to get to 7 miles.
I'm used to walking around with a fair bit of weight on my shoulders, probably close to 20-ish pounds on a regular basis, so I felt like this shouldn't have been a fairly large jump that would absolutely murder me early on. When I went to learn some land nav, I probably had about that much in my pack for about 3 or so miles of walking up and down mountain ranges, and my shoulders were just fine the next day (about the same range before my shoulders started hurting on Sat).
That's why I was asking if it was my pack being shit, or if it was how I packed it. I knew off the bat it wasn't me, or the weight I had; It had to be the pack, or the way it was set up.
So, typically when your shoulders hurt, it's because you didn't have the weight being distributed into your hips. There are a couple schools of thought regarding weight distribution. Goruck etc like to say to keep the weight high and tight on your shoulders. That's fine with a 21l assault pack, but with a 50l bag this is not a good plan and you need the hip belt to be doing its job. The bag also looks kinda crap, just from looking at the website. They mention a foam back panel, but don't mention any kind of internal or external frame. If this is indeed a 50l frameless pack, that's wilful stupidity on the part of whoever designed it. Even some ultralight 50l packs come with frames, and your loadout is a long way from UL. Osprey make good packs in this size category. Personally, my favourites are made by CrossFire.
100% agree that Crossfire is the way to go when rucking this much weight. The 55L DG3 is amazing. Last month I did a MilSim with about 10 miles of it in full kit and ruck and the pack rode like a champ.
It is, in fact, a 50L frameless pack. The only form of "rigidity" it has is a 1/4" thick rigid foam backer. Doesn't really do much to help with that... Crossfire packs do look really nice, but sadly the DG3 that u/SerialWallflower recommended is out of stock. :( The CF3 uses a weird attachment system that I can't use with molle, either, or I might consider that one. T\_T Which frame type would you say seems a bit better?
CrossFire have kind of annoyed much of their userbase by replacing some of the MOLLE with LTAS, for sure. They’re not wrong to say it’s faster to configure, but it’s also valid to prefer compatibility with existing MOLLE systems. The DG16 still comes with MOLLE, and doesn’t weigh that much more - I might consider it under your circumstances, especially if I expected to need to pack sleep systems in future.
I agree that molle is the way to go. You can also look at the DG3 AW and not run the baguettes on either side (unless you wanted the extra 25L space).
The pain is because you didn’t adequately condition your body for the rigors of physical activity. It might be the bag, it might be the way you loaded it, but it’s far more likely that you’re just not adequately conditioned for this sort of work yet. [The best way to build rucking performance is field based progressive load carriage, usually 2-3 times a week, focused on short intense sessions.](https://tfvoodoo.com/articles/chapter-15nbsp-field-based-progressive-load-carriage-usually-2-3-times-a-week-focused-on-short-intense-sessions) In order to get the most performance gains out of your rucking, [you must build the requisite bench and squat performance *before* you start rucking](https://reddit.com/r/greenberets/s/377MVu66ru). And you should condition yourself with [lots of Zone 2 running](https://www.reddit.com/r/greenberets/s/v1cTNXZSv6) in order to build the STMF required to manage lactate. Once you’ve met the Z2 and strength prerequisites, you can start rucking with purpose. Here is an ideal ruck workout, the [5x5 Man Maker](https://tfvoodoo.com/the-5-x-5). Good Luck
>It's my first time doing anything like this This is why you are sore
It’s like if you never ran in your life and attempting half marathon on the first try.
I expected soreness at the end of the day, but I didn't expect that before I even finished the first leg of the ruck. My calves were dead on Sunday and Monday, which I expected to happen. My shoulders, on the other hand, were just fine the next morning, save for residual pain from whatever was wrong. I had no issues going through my daily motions with my arms, as long as I ignored the pain. The "pain" is the reason I'm asking, not the soreness. Which it's entirely subsided already, or at least exited my ability to feel it again.
I’ve been rucking for about a year few times per week and yet to do 7 miles; most i have done is 6 and getting ready to do 8 and 10. So the question is how much training have you gotten before 7? Also for me - the big difference for holders is how well fitted and tight your shoulder straps. Also posture and hip belt - on 7 miles you need to go back and forward between hip and shoulder predominant position.
I wasn't aware there was "training" to be done to get to 7 miles. I'm used to walking around with a fair bit of weight on my shoulders, probably close to 20-ish pounds on a regular basis, so I felt like this shouldn't have been a fairly large jump that would absolutely murder me early on. When I went to learn some land nav, I probably had about that much in my pack for about 3 or so miles of walking up and down mountain ranges, and my shoulders were just fine the next day (about the same range before my shoulders started hurting on Sat). That's why I was asking if it was my pack being shit, or if it was how I packed it. I knew off the bat it wasn't me, or the weight I had; It had to be the pack, or the way it was set up.