RUKSTR is a women-founded fitness brand redefining what strength looks like—one step at a time. While most fitness gear has been designed with men in mind, RUKSTR creates weighted vests and backpacks built for women’s bodies, making rucking (walking with weight) finally accessible, comfortable, and empowering.
Our mission is simple yet powerful: RUKSTR makes rucking accessible to everybody, especially women, with gear designed for strength, play, and everyday life. Adding weight to movement is more than exercise—it’s a tool for confidence, resilience, and transformation. Every weighted step helps preserve bone health, build strength, and boost mental well-being.
RUKSTR champions the everyday women—whether walking the dog, commuting, or hitting the trail—proving that fitness doesn’t need to be intimidating or confined to a gym. With thoughtfully engineered gear and a thriving community, RUKSTR is helping women everywhere get stronger with every step
Founding Story
The idea for RUKSTR™ was born when founder Teri Levy, a former national-level sprinter, discovered rucking as an alternative to running. Years of pounding the pavement had taken its toll, but rucking offered a way to add intensity to her daily walks and hikes—delivering strength and energy without the usual post-run aches. At the same time, Teri noticed a wave of health, wellness, and longevity experts also embracing the benefits of rucking, from bone density support to building sustainable strength.
Curious and energized, Teri began sharing the practice with family and friends, leading weighted walks in her hilly neighborhood using makeshift backpacks loaded with weights. Everyone loved the experience, but the gear was lacking—uncomfortable, poorly designed, and not built for women’s bodies.
Rucking gear, she realized, had long been rooted in a macho, military ethos that felt intimidating and exclusionary. The few options marketed to women were little more than “shrink it and pink it” versions—ignoring the unique fit, comfort, and movement needs of women.
That gap became her mission. With the mantra “Women are not small men”, Teri set out to design the first line of rucking gear engineered specifically for women. The result is RUKSTR Plus, a weighted backpack that redefines accessibility, comfort, and empowerment in fitness.
Today, RUKSTR™ makes rucking accessible to everybody—especially women—by combining purposeful design with a simple, powerful idea: adding weight to movement builds confidence, resilience, and strength with every step.
Teri Levy is the founder of RUKSTR™, the first women-focused rucking brand built to help people get stronger with every step. An entrepreneur, mother of four daughters, and lifelong advocate for movement, Teri discovered rucking as a simple yet powerful way to combine strength training with everyday life. Frustrated by the lack of gear designed for women’s bodies, she set out to create weighted vests and backpacks that deliver comfort, performance, and style—without compromise.
Through RUKSTR, Teri is building more than products—she’s building a community. Her mission is to empower women (and anyone who moves with them) to embrace the benefits of rucking, from stronger bodies to clearer minds, and to prove that fitness doesn’t belong only in gyms or on someone else’s timeline. With RUKSTR, Teri is rewriting the story of strength—one step at a time.
