Forged for the Journey: The GORUCK X Carryology Berserker Viking Kit Bag

When GORUCK and Carryology team up, you know you’re going to get something special – gear built with an almost obsessive focus on durability, functionality, and a compelling story. The GORUCK x Carryology Berserker Viking Kit Bag is the highly anticipated third instalment of their GRXC program, a project that saw two and a half years of intense development, prototyping, sourcing, testing, and refining. Its inspiration comes from the menacing axe-wielding Norsemen warriors of an age long forgotten, specifically the fearsome Berserkers.

The GRXC program draws inspiration from iconic warriors, and the Berserker is certainly one of history’s most compelling. This collaboration delves beyond Hollywood myths, tackling head-on the prevalence of the horned Viking helmet image – despite zero historical evidence for them (with none found among the six known metal Viking helmets). More intriguingly, when it comes to Viking armour, researchers believe most was crafted from heavy cloth and thick leather, given the scarcity and disputed origin of the only known chainmail tunic in Scandinavia.

This historical reality directly informed the bag’s core material. Like that believed Viking armour, the entire exterior of this Kit Bag is made from leather – not lightweight fashion leather, but something far more substantial. GORUCK and Carryology tested dozens of samples before selecting a thick 1.6mm cowhide leather. Chosen for its inherent toughness and the way it robustly fills out the bag’s shape, this leather is both rugged and smooth to the touch. Crucially, it’s built to withstand wear and tear, designed to shape to your body like armour over time, acquiring a unique battle-worn patina that tells your story with every journey.

The form factor itself is inspired by classic aviator’s kit bags, also famously used by Special Forces teams to transport vast amounts of gear. GORUCK has expertly modernised this design, adding functionality tailored not for jumping out of aeroplanes, but for the demands of daily use, travel, and storage, proving ideal for users who prefer to hand or shoulder carry or check-in a second bag.

The construction and details are, as expected from this collaboration, meticulous. The exterior is black cowhide leather, complemented by a custom blue Vegvísir printed 500D CORDURA liner – blending toughness with symbolic design. It features a padded leather shoulder strap with sturdy metal hardware for comfortable carry. Zippers are top-tier: main zippers are Riri AQUAzip from Switzerland with all-metal pullers for durability and water resistance, while additional zippers are YKK Aquaguard and reverse coil. Unique touches abound, including an inside logo accessory pocket zipper puller made of Norwegian Reindeer leather, while all other zipper pullers are lightweight and tough Dyneema.

Organisation is well-considered, with three interior zipper pockets, including a re-designed internal pocket sized to fit any modern phone. The bag opens wide for easy access when packing and travelling, and it’s also TSA Carry-on compliant. A GORUCK x Carryology GRXC3 collab label and a Leather GRXC3 Viking patch proudly mark the partnership.

The GORUCK x Carryology Berserker Viking Kit Bag is a testament to dedicated development, a ruggedly stylish piece rooted in historical reality and crafted from premium materials with meticulous hardware and construction. Available at a price point of £417 here in the UK, it’s a highly engineered, durable, and historically inspired limited-edition Kit Bag built for the modern warrior, ready to haul gear and tell your story through its wear for years to come.

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