10/22/2026
Great ideas rarely happen overnight. They percolate, evolve, and build over time, shaped by conversations and the willingness to keep asking, What if we could make this better? But sometimes, a single moment brings everything into focus. For me, that moment came on a ruck with a Girl Scout troop.
I showed up with an assortment of GORUCK gear, from rucksacks in different sizes to various weights and Ruck Plate Carriers. I fitted the girls with gear appropriate for their ages and sizes, explained what we were going to do, and watched them get to it. They understood the concept immediately. They picked their weights, loaded their gear, and were ready to roll.
The moms were another story. They were the ones who needed a little more convincing and help figuring out what to wear, how much weight to carry, and whether rucking was really for them.
At the moment, it felt a little like a failure. That is, until I realized it was the nudge I needed to take a different approach: something designed specifically for women, something that made carrying weight feel less intimidating and more intuitive from the very first step.
That moment crystallized years of conversations, experimentation, and miles rucked into a clear mission. We needed to bring the benefits of rucking to more women by making it easier to get started.
That mission became Spy Ruck.
Spy Ruck is about more than a piece of gear. Women have carried weight, both physically and metaphorically, since the beginning of human existence. I want every woman who puts on a Spy Ruck to feel how strong and capable she already is. To recognize that strength in herself, and to see it in the women around her.
Sometimes, all it takes is the right tool to help you discover what you were capable of all along.
Seeing Spy Ruck recognized as one of TIME’s Best Inventions is an incredible milestone. For me, it’s also validation of something I’ve believed for years: when we listen to women, design with them in mind, and remove unnecessary barriers, we can open the door to something much bigger.
And this is just the beginning of the Rucking Revolution.
— Emily McCarthy
https://www.goruck.com/products/spy-ruck-womens-weighted-vest
