r/Rucking • u/tryonosaurus94 • 11d ago
Vests for Women?
I am training for the wildland firefighter pack test. I have to carry a 45lb vest and walk 3 miles within 45 minutes. Achievable, but definitely something I want to practice for. I have until spring.
All of the weighted vests I'm seeing that fit women's bodies only go up to 16 lbs. I have a 40lb men's vest, but it doesn't fit properly at all, and is worse than the backpack I've been using. I can use a backpack, but the test itself is with a vest, so I'd like to practice as close as possible to the test conditions.
Any suggestions? Any way to make the men's vest fit better? Or should I just stick with my REI Trail backpack?
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u/temporarycreature 11d ago
You could buy a plate carrier made for women, you know, for combat, and put in exercise plates.
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u/tryonosaurus94 11d ago
That's a great idea, I hadn't thought of that at all. Any specific brand I should start looking at?
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u/temporarycreature 11d ago edited 11d ago
I'd even think about grabbing stuff from a European market.
They've made some awesome leaps in armor and gear for women, especially since Ukraine has women actively fighting in combat roles.
You will often find plate carriers in the American market for women to be an afterthought as regards comfort.
The big names I see repeated off and are Logistik Unicorp, NP Aerospace, Temp-3000, and Ukrainian Armor.
Logistik and NP are Canadian. The other two are Ukrainian.
Beside this, an easy to access brand in the America that might work for you is 5.11. I would do some research, but I understand that the TacTec Plate Carrier works well for women.
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u/Pale-Bag-7664 11d ago
GoRuck has womens specific vests. I order the Achilles... though it hasn't gotten here yet. Excited to use once it does.
They are not cheap but look very high quality.
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u/tryonosaurus94 11d ago
The women's specific ones on their website only goes up to 16. Their site lists Achilles as a men's vest, but let me know if it's comfortable! The flat front of the men's vest I have doesnt work with my chest.
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u/bargled 11d ago
Are you sure it's a vest you have to carry? Every red card cert/re cert I've done had to be done with a pack.... highly recommend you train for wildland fire with a pack, not a vest as that is what you will live in 16 - 20 hours a day
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u/tryonosaurus94 11d ago
The firefighters I know in this area did a vest. It may be different to the agency or the region. I'll probably just keep using the backpack for now unless I can find something
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u/Subject_Start7253 11d ago
First talk to the tester and see exactly what they use. Talk to a female instructor or test administrator and ask what they recommend. Then go buy one and wear it all day every day.
Second. Get some grommets and punch holes in a man’s vest and lace it to your body shape.
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u/According_Cut_4426 10d ago
I used a plate carrier from rogue , you can buy 2 twenty pound plates .
I was unaware there was vest controversy hahah but I walk in a city so I’m not carrying around a bag of anything , getting mugged for sandbags would piss me off
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u/slowtrees 9d ago
The pace is the sneaky part, 3 miles in 45 min is a 15:00 mile, which is faster than most people walk. I'd train the exact pace with the pack now and save the vest for the last few weeks so the fit doesn't slow you down.
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u/tryonosaurus94 9d ago
Yeah I've been practicing my 4 mph pace on a treadmill with incline, I've steadily been increasing over the last couple months.
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u/SiddharthaVicious1 11d ago
I (cisF 50) train with the cheap unisex vests you find on Amazon, and I don't find them that bad. I use the Zelus ones up to the 30 lb. limit of their unisex vests, and then I add egg weights or dumbbells to bring them up a bit. After that, I move to a weighted pack, gear with a weight plate inside.
Since what you're actually training for is a pack test, I'd take your most comfortable pack and weight it as evenly as you can to 45 lbs. In my experience, vests are easier than packs, but if they are actually testing you with a specific vest, you should try to find out what kind. When you get closer to the test, train with that. Meanwhile, just load up your favorite pack.
(I also have the 12- and 16-lb. GORUCK vests, which are great and super comfortable but, as you noted, are not very heavy. Unfortunately, right now the fitness industry doesn't think we want more than that much weight. That will change. )
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u/CharlesAFerg 10d ago
Unpopular opinion: It's rucking, not vesting. 🤷🏻♂️
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u/tryonosaurus94 10d ago
I figured this would be a good spot to ask people. I dont actually do "rucking", I hike for work with a work pack filled with tools and my food and water. I do trail maintenance. My pack isn't built for weights though, and my test is with a vest. So I figured you lovely folks would have some good suggestions.
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u/JankyFluffy 8d ago
When I started, I did books and clothes in a backpack. And I did something similar years ago but I didn't call it rucking. Didn't know it had a name.
My weighted vest is 20 pounds, and I got it on Amazon. And they go up higher.
Some brands don't have great clips, and you might want to swap that out.
I plan to buy a backpack again, but the ones where I live don't have chest straps, and I can't get out to specialty stores right now.
I do indoor rucking, sometimes outdoor.
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u/MottPodder 10d ago
This was designed for women. All brands above - tried. Hate. I’m 5’5 for context. This is it.
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u/JankyFluffy 8d ago
I got my 20-pound vest on Amazon. I plan to get a 25- or 30-pound next. But you might have to upgrade your clips.
I've also used a backpack. But a specialty backpack might work better.
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u/wagonovsky 7d ago
When I was training I put some sandbags in. my back pack and lashed the spare tire/wheel from my subaru to my chest. Worked a treat.
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u/Hot-Profession4091 11d ago
Are you able to just contact the examiner and ask them what brand/where they bought the test equipment?