RuckTrack — dedicated rucking app for Forerunner 965 [just launched]

RuckTrack — a purpose-built rucking app for Garmin

Hey everyone — just launched RuckTrack, a dedicated ruck activity app for the Forerunner 965. Sharing here in case any ruckers on the platform have been looking for something like this.

The problem it solves

Rucking on Garmin has always meant hacking the Walk or Hike profile — no pack weight, no ruck-specific summary, no purpose-built screens. RuckTrack fixes that.

What it does

QuickLoad — set your pack weight in seconds before you go. Last-used weight, presets, or custom
Five AMOLED-optimized screens — distance/time/HR, pace/elevation, lap tracking, HR zones, clock
FIT file recording — pack weight saved directly into the activity and shows up in Garmin Connect
Ruck summary — dedicated post-activity breakdown including pack weight, pace, elevation, and HR zone distribution

Coming soon

Auto-lap
Alerts (distance, HR, time)
Custom preset names
Fenix 7 Pro, Epix, and more AMOLED devices

Links

RuckTrack on the Connect IQ Store

Happy to answer any questions or take feedback from anyone who tries it.

Meridian 24 days ago

Update — v1.2 now live

Quick update since launch — a lot has shipped in the past few weeks.

New devices
RuckTrack now runs on the epix Pro Gen 2 51mm, D2 Mach 1 Pro, and tactix 7 AMOLED in addition to the Forerunner 965. All four share the same 454×454 AMOLED display so the experience is identical.

Load-adjusted calorie tracking — works with or without GPS
The headline addition. RuckTrack now calculates ruck-specific calories using the Pandolf (1977) metabolic cost equation — the same model used in military and sports science research for load-bearing work. It factors in your pack weight, speed, and grade in real time, and shows the difference versus walking unloaded (the "pack bonus").

Unlike other rucking apps that either skip calories entirely or just report Garmin's generic walk estimate, RuckTrack uses a hybrid model: when GPS speed and grade are available it runs the full Pandolf calculation; when they're not (indoor, weak signal, treadmill) it automatically falls back to Garmin's native calorie estimate so you always get a number. The app never blocks you from starting — no waiting for GPS lock required.

Post-activity summary breaks down total ruck calories, avg burn rate, and the kcal contribution from the pack specifically. All of it gets written into the FIT file and shows up in Garmin Connect under Connect IQ fields.

Other changes

Dedicated Ruck Cal live screen (was 5 screens, now 6)
Post-activity summary now includes a full Calories page alongside elevation and HR zones
Lap tracking improvements

Still on the roadmap
Alerts (distance, HR, time), custom preset names, and a glance view showing your last ruck from the widget loop.

Store link is the same: RuckTrack on Connect IQ

Happy to hear from anyone running it on the new devices.

Meridian 23 days ago

Update -- v1.4 now live

RuckTrack now available on all AMOLED devices across 454px, 416px, and 390px resolutions including Forerunner (165/265/965/970), fēnix 8 & fēnix E, Instinct 3, Venu 3/4, epix Pro, quatix, tactix, and D2 models.

Meridian 9 days ago

v1.8 update — see new showcase thread

A lot has shipped since v1.4 (Auto-Lap, Calories page redesign, terrain picker, mid-activity adjust, glance view, fleet expanded from 1 → 53 AMOLED devices). I’ve started a new showcase thread covering v1.8’s current state with the broader device list and the technical detail on the Pandolf math:

RuckTrack v1.8 — rucking, hiking & weighted-vest walks on Garmin AMOLED

This thread stays for anyone arriving via the FR 965 URL. Happy to keep answering questions here too.