Building GR1s in Montana | the case of building quality gear and why working with your hands is important

GORUCK products are famous for their quality, toughness and durability. But there is no machine that spits those backpacks, they are products of skilled people working by hands, building each product one by one. The result? Extremely good products.

Which brings me to my point for this post. Building things with your hand. Making sure every detail is perfect. Transforming your idea into something you can see, touch and use.

I like building or fixing things with my hands. I like the pounding of hammers, the sewing of fabric as gear is being repaired (i’ve done a lot of this while in the field), I like cutting things and putting them back together to form another thing.

But what I like the most is the final product. Knowing you worked hard in creating it, that you went all the way to make sure it is perfect, that you used the best quality material you can afford to create the product and that you and the people working with you share the same ideas, it is a great feeling. It makes you appreciate how hard people work and the good quality products they develop.

That’s why when I find a brand that does this I stay with it. GORUCK is one of those brands and that’s why I mention them all the time to family and friends. Their products are built by skilled people, putting a lot of effort into making each product (the GR1 takes 3.5 hours of labor to build) and making sure they are done right.

Yes, handmade quality products are expensive; but you once you payed that price you don’t have to pay it again. Those products will last a long time and with proper care, well, a life time.