I just finished an ironman triathlon a couple weeks ago and am devoting the rest of my year to obstacle course races like; Tough Mudder, Spartan , GORUCK Challenge and back to my general Adventure Racing / Adventure Hiking stuff. (Tired of swimming and biking as much)

Anyway. I've been doing weighted ruck runs. 15-20 lb range so I can run the whole time. Rather than use my usual well framed and padded hiking packs, I've just been adding extra weight to my daily backpacks and going for it.

Two of my bags suck. The straps really cut into my neck or don't cinch down tight enough. I've gone back to an older Bug Out Gear pack. Which has a much better suspension system. The trade off is about an extra 1.5 lbs.

I am really glad that I have been testing my gear this way, in a real world scenario, if the SHTF, flash riot or I'm just having a bad day, I know I'll have tested the stuff on me pretty thoroughly.

Have any of you challenged your gear bag to perform at a higher level than just hang there during a walk?

Have you made adjustments to the bag or switched it when it did not perform as expected?

When I was active in SAR (some years ago), my backpack was critical gear. I used ones that carried well and that did not shift when climbing, rappeling, or otherwise contorting my body. It had to hold an appropriate amount of gear (40 pounds plus), and stand up to abuse - thrashing through brush and rubbing against rocks. On various occasions, I would run with my pack. If it was good enough for those SAR applications , it was just fine for a normal recreation walk in the woods.

I have tucked one of those packs away beneath my bed, lightly packed with necessities. It would still work very well in a SHTF situation.

I've taken all my packs on jaunt hikes,& a few overnighters.I haven't used them with my complete bob contents.I've thought of it many times,I just seem to categorize my stuff,pertaining to weather/terrain,probably in the 25lb range.I use my Mountainsmith Day pack often,& it gets beat up fairly well,probably Nowhere near a true bug-out situ.No competitive stuff,& My present bob weighs close to 45lbs out the door!

I use my daypack for travel, hiking, and EDC so I'll know pretty quick if it doesn't work for me. Other stuff like boots and shoes get lots of usage too. Don't want any surprises with critical gear.

I have found the perfect rucksack yet, although the Lowe Alpine Contour Crossbow 50 is pretty good. I have found that the crossbow system makes for a very stable load system when scrambling over rocky terrain. Perhaps a pack which can take additional PLCE zipped side pockets such as the Karrimor Sabre 45 combined with the contour cross bow system from Lowe Alpine with the back system from a Berghaus Freeflow Pro using lightweight and tough dyneema ripstop fabric would be getting there.

Another problem is that when you find a pack you really, really like and you need a replacement it is generally not available a few years/decade later. This also it seems applies to other things such as boots.

Colin Fletcher referred to that as Herblock's Law: "If it's good, they'll stopped making it". This can be countered with Gerhardt’s Law: "If you find something you like buy a lifetime supply - they’re going to stop making it".

Do you know of any mud races that are about 3 miles long? I personally have no motivation to train for a 12 mile mud race, but I would like to do one, just not so long.

EDIT:
I think I found something...
http://warriordash.com

Tough Mudder advertised it on their website, criticizing Warrior Dash for being too short. I guess that means it's perfect for me.

ireckon, Muddy Buddy and Warrior Dash are both 5k events. Spartan Sprints are 5k+ events but not really more than 5 miles from what I understand. Any of those three events pretty much anyone could do, great to do with a SO or buddy.

Hmmm.... actually ... no.
It's a cheap knock-off of some mil-spec bag, from CTD. It sucks. Mainly it holds a lot of stuff conveniently in one place. My plan isn't to walk out of anywhere, at least initially. I live in a region that's nearly all peninsulas, so there's bridges everywhere. Plus my current 'bug out' means going to the hospital to work.

Now, if I had to repack it quickly and start hiking, I have 2 trusted large rucks I could use, and another 2 smaller daypacks I trust. Take me 5 minutes, maybe, to repack the bag. It'd take more time getting my dog and wife rounded up (they're quick when the want to be!)

Thanks

Muddy Buddy says 6.3 mi (10k). Is that distance cut in half because of the buddy?

http://muddy-buddy.competitor.com/event-info/san-jose/