GORUCK Scars: Repairing Gear that’s Been Burned, Shot, Slashed or Sawed

Chances are that if you’re a regular ITS reader, you’ve probably heard of GORUCK. But in the unlikely event you haven’t, GORUCK is a bag (and event) company started by former Green Berets who make products that are made to withstand the rigors of that job and yours.

All of their gear is made in the USA to the highest standards and their product testing involves taking new gear, filling it with sand, bricks, or some other heavy items and having people ruck (carry) it around for hours on end. If you’re interested in doing some product testing for GORUCK, head on over to their events page and sign up for a GORUCK Challenge.

Regardless of how ruggedly you build a backpack, Murphy’s Law dictates that people will wear it out, rip it up, or let their dog get after it. In light of that and the staunch opinion that if you built it, you should stand solidly behind it, GORUCK has always offered a lifetime guarantee on all the products they manufacture. Appropriately, this guarantee is named SCARS.

If any of their gear needs repair because of a defect or falls under the “normal repair guidelines,” the repair is free. For those on the extreme side, GORUCK is equally open minded. “We’re happy to stitch up any GORUCK gear that’s been burned, shot, slashed or sawed for a reasonable repair charge.” So pretty much no matter what you do to your bag, GORUCK has your six. Sounds fair to us.

GORUCK SCARS is run out of their Bozeman, Montana Research & Development (R&D) office. This is done for a few reasons, but the primary one is because SCARS is a valuable part of R&D. Defects and weak points are meticulously documented during repair and integrated into constantly improving the already stellar quality of the bags. The time it can take to do these repairs doesn’t always add up, but GORUCK wants to know where things went wrong. They also staunchly believe that gear gets better with age and experience;   realizing it’s easy to get attached to gear you’ve beat the hell out of.

When a bag comes in it goes into the capable hands of Clay Tempel, the resident repair specialist, who personally evaluates and documents each piece. Always keeping in mind that many of the owners are pretty sentimental about their bags, he makes a decision on the feasibility of repair. If for instance the bag has gone through a motorcycle crash, (this isn’t uncommon for GORUCK to see) it might be time for retirement and a replacement. But most things can and will be repaired.

After confirming a repair is needed, it’s time to get cutting and sewing. Once completed, the bag is boxed up (sometimes with a few goodies that may or may not exist) and shipped back to the eagerly awaiting owner. The repairs range far and wide, as do the stories behind them, but each one is a testament to a company doing business in an inspiring way. GORUCK cares about their customers and the experience(s) they have using their products. Buy a GORUCK bag and you’re part of a community.

Editor-in-Chief’s Note: Jon currently lives a semi-nomadic life with his girlfriend traveling North America in a camper van of their own design. If he’s not hiking, climbing, waterskiing, or attempting to surf you’ll probably find him playing with a camera. You can follow along with his antics on Instagram.