![](http://i.imgsafe.org/2f9ee0a285.jpg)

Life is not lived sitting down behind a screen. Life is lived outside at the edge of your comfort zone, at the borders of your day-to-day experience. When everyday life grinds down your soul, when you weary of staying indoors and experiencing the same routine over and over again, there is a simple solution.

Get up and ruck.

Rucking is simple. Carry weight on your back and go out for a walk. Go solo or go with friends. Go as far and as fast as you can. The important thing is to get moving and keep moving.

To go rucking, you just need two things: a ruck and a destination. When preparing for a ruck, you need to manage your weight and bulk. Pack everything you will need first, followed by everything you may have to use in an emergency, and lastly things that are nice to have but not necessary. In the above photograph, my ruck was packed with the following:

1. 40 oz / 1.18 litre Hydroflask
2. Necessities pouch containing flashlight, spare batteries, medicine, stationery, packets of tissue and band-aids
3. Umbrella
4. 2 granola bars
5. Coin pouch
6. Kindle

These were packed in order of importance. Water is critical, followed by medicine and hygiene. Should an emergency strike, you need to be able to deal with it there and then with the tools you have on hand. While illumination, shelter and food are also important, in urban environments they can be found nearly everywhere. The coin pouch and the Kindle are the nice-to-haves, so light and small they go with me wherever I go.

There's so little packed in the ruck that it makes the bag look floppy. That's deliberate. Pack light, go fast. The less you carry, the more agile and mobile you are, and the more things you can do when you get to wherever you are going.

The point of rucking isn't just to go from point A to point B. It's to experience life. Keep your head up, your phone down and your legs moving. If you see something interesting, go explore. See someone interesting, go talk. Going light lets you do all this without losing your breath or acting awkward around strangers. And if you find yourself picking up or buying stuff, you have plenty of empty space inside your ruck to keep them, leaving your hands free.

This is not to say you shouldn't carry heavy stuff. If I have to get work done on my computer, I bring it with me. If you want to challenge yourself by carrying more weight, go right ahead. But everything you carry in your ruck should serve a purpose. The heavier something is, the more the weight has to be justified. If that weight is not used somehow, it has to go.

Once you have your ruck, you need somewhere to go. Both a starting point and an endpoint. There are many areas of attraction everywhere in the world. The trick is to find them.

Many locals consider Singapore to be the most boring place in the world. In a sense, that is true. Everywhere you go you see the same thing: high-rise flats (apartment blocks to Americans) clustered next to private estates, a shopping centre at every major train station, offices and industrial buildings at designated business zones. 

But life is lived outside day-to-day experience.

Rucking in the big city is simple. Pick a neighbourhood, preferably someplace you haven't been before. Study a map of the area. Plot your route if you want, or not at all if you prefer to go rambling. Call up friends if they're interested, or go solo. 

That's it. Head up, phone down, go ruck.

Here are some photos from my latest ruck:

![](http://i.imgsafe.org/2f9f16c769.jpg)

Shophouses from the colonial era.

![](http://i.imgsafe.org/2f9f0db97f.jpg)

This side of the Singapore River, you'll find fancy restaurants, pubs and massage parlours.

![](http://i.imgsafe.org/2f9f45f340.jpg)

It's quiet now, but come nightfall, this place will be packed.

![](http://i.imgsafe.org/2f9f0b85d8.jpg)

Skyscrapers by the water. The building in the distance is the Fullerton Hotel.

![](http://i.imgsafe.org/2f9f109dad.jpg)

The most important bar in Singapore's modern history. Here, sociopolitical activists, bloggers, lawyers and politicians used to meet, discuss their latest plans, and carry out events.

![](http://i.imgsafe.org/2f9f046532.jpg)

Hotel Park Royal at Upper Pickering Street.

![](http://i.imgsafe.org/2f9f00783a.jpg)

Lime restaurant inside the Hotel Park Royal.

![](http://i.imgsafe.org/2f9efb605b.jpg)

The signature red truck of the Police Special Operations Command.

![](http://i.imgsafe.org/2f9f02e124.jpg)

East and West: Green tea chiffon cake, paired with warm [kaya](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coconut_jam) dip.

Rucking is simple, yet challenging. It's an opportunity for exploration and adventure. It's a chance to go see what is in your patch of Earth. Immerse yourself in what you find, and share them with the world.

The next time you feel that you need to do something new, the prescription is simple. 

Get up and ruck. 

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For more information on, check out GoRuck's [page](http://www.goruck.com/what-is-rucking) on rucking and [Packlite's](http://packlite.tumblr.com/) blog. 

If you enjoyed this post, please upvote and resteem it. If you would like more posts and photos about rucking and everyday carry, please let me know in the comments. Thanks!