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Sami Nasser
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Man walking through a red rock wadi with a weighted pack

Rucking coach

Your rucking kit, piece by piece

I’m Sami. I teach ordinary adults to walk with a loaded pack: the weight, the boots, the heat and the water. I sell plans, logs and two video courses.

Start at piece 1

Live class

The next live class

Forty minutes, all levels, camera optional.

Saturday, November 14 · 7:00 PM

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The build order

  1. Tier 1:

    The first walks

    Four pieces for your first twelve sessions.

    Pieces 1 to 4

    12 sessions by piece 4

    1. 1

      1. Broken-in walking boots

      Weight
      About 1 kg a pair
      Use
      Every walk on paths and stone
      Watch
      New boots rub, so wear them in first

      Three ways

      1. A 30 minute flat walk
      2. A walk up the nearest hill
      3. A first walk with a light pack

      +2

      sessions

      2 in all

    2. 2

      2. A 20 litre daypack with a hip belt

      Weight
      About 1 kg empty
      Use
      Carries your first 5 kg
      Watch
      Shoulder straps alone soon tire

      Three ways

      1. A 45 minute walk with 3 kg
      2. A town loop with water and a layer
      3. A Saturday walk on a gentle trail

      +3

      sessions

      5 in all

    3. 3

      3. Two pairs of wool socks

      Weight
      About 100 g a pair
      Use
      One to wear, one in the pack
      Watch
      Thin cotton socks cause blisters

      Three ways

      1. A long walk in the warm part of the day
      2. A walk on a dusty track
      3. A two hour route without a stop

      +3

      sessions

      8 in all

    4. 4

      4. A two litre water bottle

      Weight
      2 kg full
      Use
      Water for a morning walk
      Watch
      A full bottle shifts the pack’s balance

      Three ways

      1. A 90 minute walk with a stop for water
      2. A walk with a friend and one bottle each
      3. A first walk in the heat

      +4

      sessions

      12 in all

  2. Tier 2:

    The load

    Four pieces that let you carry more, a little at a time.

    Pieces 5 to 8

    30 sessions by piece 8

    1. 5

      5. Sandbags in a dry bag

      Weight
      Two bags of 5 kg
      Use
      A load you can add to a kilo at a time
      Watch
      Loose sand shifts, so pack it tight

      Three ways

      1. A 5 kg session on flat ground
      2. A 10 kg session on stairs
      3. A weekly hill with 8 kg

      +4

      sessions

      16 in all

    2. 6

      6. A 30 litre pack with a frame

      Weight
      About 1.8 kg empty
      Use
      Carries 10 kg and more
      Watch
      Heavy and warm against the back

      Three ways

      1. A 10 kg walk of two hours
      2. A night out with a tent
      3. A full day on a gentle trail

      +5

      sessions

      21 in all

    3. 7

      7. Leg gaiters

      Weight
      About 200 g a pair
      Use
      Keep sand and stones out of the boots
      Watch
      Too tight and they chafe

      Three ways

      1. A walk across loose sand
      2. A dusty track after wind
      3. A stony slope with a pack

      +4

      sessions

      25 in all

    4. 8

      8. A paper map and a compass

      Weight
      About 150 g
      Use
      Finding a route without a battery
      Watch
      Useless until you practise

      Three ways

      1. A new route from the map
      2. A loop with a turning point
      3. A walk with the phone in the pack

      +5

      sessions

      30 in all

  3. Tier 3:

    The long day

    Four pieces for heat, water and the dark.

    Pieces 9 to 12

    50 sessions by piece 12

    1. 9

      9. A wide-brim hat

      Weight
      About 100 g
      Use
      Shade for the head and neck
      Watch
      Blows off in wind, so add a cord

      Three ways

      1. A walk in the middle of the day
      2. A morning that turns hot
      3. A long sunny ridge route

      +5

      sessions

      35 in all

    2. 10

      10. A light long-sleeve sun shirt

      Weight
      About 200 g
      Use
      Covers the arms in strong sun
      Watch
      Dark colours soak up heat

      Three ways

      1. A full morning in the sun
      2. A walk along an open ridge
      3. A day without shade

      +6

      sessions

      41 in all

    3. 11

      11. A three litre water system

      Weight
      3 kg full
      Use
      A whole morning’s water on your back
      Watch
      A leaking hose soaks the pack

      Three ways

      1. A four hour route
      2. A route with no water on the way
      3. A hot day with a long climb

      +4

      sessions

      45 in all

    4. 12

      12. A headlamp with a spare battery

      Weight
      About 100 g
      Use
      Walking before dawn or after dusk
      Watch
      A dead battery means a slow walk home

      Three ways

      1. A walk that starts in the dark
      2. A night out under the stars
      3. A return after sunset

      +5

      sessions

      50 in all

Online course

My course

  • Hands tightening a rucksack strap beside a sandbag
    Hands tightening a rucksack strap beside a sandbag

    Video course · 6 lessons

    Start Rucking in Six Weeks

    From a first loaded walk to ten kilos on a hill, in six short lessons with a session a week.

    • 01Why a pack makes walking harder10 min
    • 02Choosing and fitting a pack14 min
    • 03Boots, socks and feet13 min
    • 04Your first loaded walks12 min
    • 05Adding weight a little at a time14 min
    • 06Planning a week of rucks10 min
    $59Start the course: Start Rucking in Six Weeks

Downloads, a course and merch

Shop

Downloads arrive by email. Merch is printed to order and shipped by Printful.

Small fire with a blackened teapot beside a pack on a rock

About

About me

I came to rucking at forty, when running no longer suited me and a walk with empty hands felt too easy. A friend gave me an old rucksack and a bag of sand, and I carried them up and down the hill behind our town every morning before the heat. Within a month I felt stronger than I had in years.

I live in a hill town at the edge of the desert, a place of flat roofs and steep stone stairs. Heat and water decide everything here, so most of what I teach is about them: when to start, how much to carry, what to drink and when to turn back. Nothing I do is fast or heroic. A ruck is a walk with a pack, at a pace you could keep up all day.

What I sell is the same plan made simple: a twelve session plan, logs and sheets to print, a water chart and a workbook, plus two video courses. Every post here comes back to the kit, in the order to gather it, because most beginners buy the wrong thing first. I end most days with a pot of tea and the pack by the door.

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