Updated: 2024-07-06
I’ve loved the GORUCK GR1 for some time, but it was always just a couple tweaks away from perfection for me. The simple design was great, but it just felt a pocket short for my life, and unquestionably 1000d is a little much for my lifestyle. The Heritage editions existed but they were expensive, made out of waxed canvas which still isn’t my favorite for outdoors, and featured no shoulder strap webbing so you can’t use a sternum strap unless you send it in for expensive modifications. Special editions of the bag came out now and then that loosely matched what I wanted, but always with weird materials, limited availability, and absurd prices. I desperately hoped that one day, GORUCK would lean just a little more into the every day carry world and make a GR1 for EDC, readily available, in a nice livable material, with the much loved QAP and shoulder webbing.
As of a month ago, the ideal GR1 I wanted is now a reality in the form of the Robic GR1.
This will be a quick review as I covered most everything about the basics of all GR1’s in my review, I just want to cover the differences in this particular variant.
The GR1 has been around for well over a decade now and has been made in a number of materials, but the original was 1000d. It’s rugged and tough, but abrasive and stiff out of the box and takes ages to soften up and break in, until which the zippers are pretty sticky and hard to use in the corners.
The robic nylon used on this version we’ve seen previously appearing in the GORUCK lineup on several Bullet versions and the M23. It’s lighter (21L GR1 drops from 2.6lbs for the 1000d down to 2.2lbs, a noticable reduction), very easy to clean, and very water resistant.
Robic nylon is dramatically more floppy than 1000d. This is a mixed bag, I personally love it as it feels pre-broken in, and the difference in actual zipper use is crazy vs a new 1000d bag. New 1000d bags really stick in the corners and are quite hard to open for a long time. Not so with robic nylon, the bag just operates so much better right on day one. The front slash pocket also is far more usable thanks to flexibility and less abrasion.
Durability is the main concern here, and I get it, I worry about it too. The simple reality here is that over a good 8 months of use of my robic bags, I’ve not had a single issue. No abrasion, no spots that couldn’t be cleaned, no signs of wear even really. I haven’t even seen reports of it, literally nobody complaining about robic not holding up well. If you’re going to beat the hell out of your bag, dragging it through mud and throwing it in the ocean and doing GORUCK events, then yes, stick with 1000d, probably even a Rucker. But for every day, I think robic is just a fantastic choice, it’s so much more livable and still remains very durable, this was a great choice by GORUCK. They’re still covered by the lifetime warranty in the event of failure, however if the robic were to get scuffed and have some cosmetic damage, I expect they wouldn’t cover that. Again, hasn’t been an issue for me and I’m not worried, but if it does then so be it, your bag should have some stories.
It has to be said that the bag is floppy, I love that for the way it looks and the way it operates. However when not fully packed, the middle of the top of the bag can sag in a little which some may not like the appearance of. Keeping something long and rigid in the QAP helps quite a bit, such as a sunglasses case.
Initally the bag appeared in black with a speed grey interior for visiblity. Since then we’ve seen the earth + orange combo they’ve used on several other bags, and a rather unique speed grey + electric blue interior that I actually ended up switching to, I think it’s absolutely beautiful.
Back panel is the standard 210d they’re using on almost everything since 2023. Much nicer to slide on and off, but as always with these a sternum strap is a good idea. Sadly the GR1 still doesn’t include one like the M23 does. GORUCK is growing like crazy and really should rectify this as a gesture of goodwill.
I don’t know if it’s my imagination, but somehow the Robic GR1s feel a little larger than their 1000d counterparts, perhaps just due to the flexible fabric.
The quick access pocket implementation is great, a nice short zipper so as not to poke your neck, ample space for any sized phone, sunglasses, keys, wallet, etc. Extremely useful and long overdue. (May 2024 update: The regular 1000d GR1 is now available with the QAP, seems GORUCK has pivoted to including it on nearly all “travel” rucks)
On this version GORUCK went for a slick front, no molle webbing. This effectively eliminates any concerns about the bag looking “tactical”, and makes it well suited for every day carry to the office / school or travel. I think this makes sense, even though I wouldn’t mind it being there for occasional utility.
The bag retains rain flaps over the main zipper, which helps with aesthetics I think and the zippers remain very easy to use, compared to a new 1000d bag it’s night and day for usability. There is also a rain flap over the front slash pocket but with 420d, this pocket doesn’t scrape your hand all up getting into it when the bag is packed out.
But pricing here is a bit of a problem. The regular 1000d version of the 21L GR1 is currently $335 USD, very expensive but we all came to grips with it because 1000d is durable and very expensive, and the pack is made in the USA and guaranteed for life. I don’t know the pricing on robic ripstop material but it’s supposedly cheaper than 1000d, yet somehow this pack ended up a good chunk more expensive, $385 USD. That is a lot of money for anyone and the price is really hard to justify. At the time I’d have taken solace in the fact it was cheaper than every other GR1 with a QAP to that point, but as of early 2024 the regular 1000d GR1 is getting the QAP without any price increase. I can’t come up with a way to justify it that isn’t a wild theory that maybe they’re factoring in expectations more will fail and need repair…
Per above these are made in the USA, and with that comes an apparent drop in manufacturing quality. I’ve personally seen a back panel that was restitched, lots of loose thread, and the 26L ripstop bag I returned (wow it was huge) had some weird and very obvious frayed or loose long threads around the top corner of the rain flap right out of the bag, the kind of thing that couldn’t be missed if anyone had QA’d the bag. I wouldn’t have sent it back had the size been ok, I’d have just snipped and moved on, but it’s still weird this kind of thing can be missed. I’m unfortunately willing to give them a wider berth than I should, especially for this price point. This is a common report from others as well with the MiUSA bags, typically the MiV will arrive in flawless condition. However my 21L pictured here was 100% fine.
And that’s all I can say on the robic GR1. It’s a terrific bag and I’m willing to pay the price for the GR1 I always wanted.
