im too short for my ruck lol. any ideas?

[mazdafdrx7]

hey, It's been really bothering me lately but when i put my ruck on the pad touches just below my belt line. I'm 5"6 but the ruck is already configured so that the pad is as high as it goes, but its still hitting below the belt pardon the pun.  It's really frustrating as it kills my back with all the pressure bending me in half at the bum and the shoulders instead of supporting the back like its supposed to.

any ideas of what i could put there to help my back or what to do in this case? thanks!

 

[MikeL]

A 64 patt aka Jump Ruck might be more comfortable. I know some short people have gotten chits for them an supply issued it to them. Or if your unit allows them you can go an buy one.

 

[PMedMoe]

Well, I guess I won't be holding my breath to be issued the new ruck if it's too long for someone who is 5'6".  Good thing I already have a jump ruck frame.  ;D

 

[mazdafdrx7]

nah man im talking about the old green ruck, i'm going on an SQ so id be the only guy with a jump ruck if i had one, im trying to avoid being yelled at as much as possible =]

 

[Jammer]

Make your SPS REALLY heavy.

 

[Blackadder1916]

I'm 5"6 but the ruck is already configured so that the pad is as high as it goes . . .

I'm not much taller than you so I've had some familiarity with your problem.  The solution may not be in trying to locate the  backpad so that it fits into the small of the back/waistline but in lowering the yoke/shoulder straps as far down the frame as possible so that the entire assembly rides higher on the body.

 

[421_434_226]

As said by Blackadder1916 that is what you want to do, I know because I am only 5'4" moving the shoulder straps down will help a lot.

 

[Nfld Sapper]

I think the above advice wouldn't work too well with the 82 Pattern Rucksac, but seems would work well with the new CTS Carryall bag Rucksac

 

[aesop081]

Have you tried growing taller ?




C'mon, some of you thought about saying it too..... ;D

 

[armyvern]

nah man im talking about the old green ruck, i'm going on an SQ so id be the only guy with a jump ruck if i had one, im trying to avoid being yelled at as much as possible =]

Ignore previous comment about getting an old jump ruck issued to you by Supply. They are obsolete now and even a medical chit will not get you one issued. It's been that way for a very long time now. But, you will still find the jump frames avail for yourself to purchase at some surplus stores. Before you do that however ...

So, you have the "old green ruck" vice the new CTS ruck which comes in a variety of sizes/configurations and you're going on your SQ. Next question - What trade are you?

 

[Fusaki]

I'm not much taller than you so I've had some familiarity with your problem.  The solution may not be in trying to locate the  backpad so that it fits into the small of the back/waistline but in lowering the yoke/shoulder straps as far down the frame as possible so that the entire assembly rides higher on the body.

This advice is sound. I'm 5'6" and I've had success with this method. 

Before I turned my old ruck in for my new one, I had the lumbar pad so the thicker part was across the bottom of the frame, a strip of closed cell foam folded between the frame and the pad itself, and I replaced the issued belt with the old webbing belt.

Also, as Blackadder suggested, I adjusted the yoke so that it was strapped onto the frame as low as it would go, thereby bringing the ruck as high as possible onto my back.

The final touch is this:  Load your ruck up with about 80-90lbs of weight and drop it off the back of an MLVW. The force of the ruck hitting the ground will bend the crappy wire frame just enough so that the ruck is a little shorter in height. Believe it or not, I've seen this method work consistently for a number of guys around my height and even shorter.

 

[Old Sweat]

I apologize for trivializing an important issue, but I fear I know what the old army solution would be. The Canadian army I proudly served in when I was a rosy-cheeked youth was not known for deep thought or retrospective analysis. On the other hand, we did not have experts travelling the country to tell us how to put our packs together. Telling people how to put packs together is why God invented NCOs.

Anyway, too many of the old army's NCOs would have simply ordered the unfortunate soul to make himself taller. And that would have been done by a trip to the regimental cobbler (yes, we had them) to have two or three full or half soles put on the bottom of one's boots. Voila, the troop is now an inch or two taller and the problem has gone away, not. We all had built up parade boots with an inch or two of sole. The edges of the soles spit shone well, and the crash of the boots on parade would gladden the heart of any room temperature IQ NCO, of which we had too many.

Sorry for the hijack.

 

[Shrek1985]

You may be able to get a jump ruck frame, if you can find one. But it will set you back to the tune of $75 for just the frame. The 82-pattern parts will fix to it however.

Much cheaper and nearly as good and perhaps less obvious is an american ALICE frame, again all the parts fit and you can get one on EBAY for about $10 american plus shipping, so about half as much as a C2/64-pattern/light-weight rucksack frame. These are also more common in surplus stores, though you may have to buy an entire ALICE pack in the bargain and they are made of rather weaker, thinner nylon.

In the short-term, I echo the lowering of the yolk if you can manage it.