Rogue Load Trainer vs box women's weighted vest

This is a comparison between the of the Rogue load trainer and the box woen's weighted vest including pros, cons, and alternatives. This was originally posted in which weighted vest to get from Rogue.

Overview and review of the Box women's weighted vest

This is an overview of the Women's box weighted vest including pros, cons, and alternatives. This was originally posted in which weighted vest to get from Rogue.

BOX Women's Weight Vest - Weight Training | Rogue Fitness

Overview of the Women's weighted vest

Price: $122 - $144

The women's box vest is a redesign of the time tested box vest classic. Some of the material of the vest has been removed at the chest to make it a better fit for women. This lowers the maximum amount of weight the vest can take to 25lbs. In return, you will have less fabric in the wrong places, especially if you only work at lower weight rates anyway and bring in a sizeable front yourself. (Box themselves avoided to say this, if you have a better way of explaining this, please let me know. It is pretty obvious what this design for women is about.)

Pros of the Women's weighted vest

The pros of the women's box vest are:

A different color scheme from black
Zipper in the front
Better suited to a female anatomy

This vest has been designed with women in mind. You can call them out for gender stereotyping, as this is always a challenge with gender-specific products. Still, I think it makes sense to have a vest that is a little lighter and leaves space in the right places to perform your best without creating unnecessary pain.

Cons of the Women's box weighted vest

The cons of the Women's box weighted vest are:

Less fabric
Price

While the design helps to give you more freedom and provides less fabric than other vests at a similar price point. This also means there is less surface to stick weight into which lowers the overall capacity to 25lb. Combined with the fact that the base price of the women's box vest is the same as their standard vest I find it to be a little bit of a ripoff. I think it would be fairer to deduct $20 as this clearly uses less material than the standard box vest unless somebody explains to me how the production of this vest is a lot more complex.

Alternatives to the women's box weighted vest

Alternatives to the box weighted vest are:

If you hate gender stereotyping and do not mind that a weighted vest covers your full front, then the box weighted vest gives you more capacity for the same price. You can use the same weights and train with a battle-tested classic. The only downside is that it might be a little more painful than with the women's version.

The Rogue plate carrier is gender-neutral and goes up to 40lbs in weight. This is a great value for money option that also leaves you with possibilities to customize the vest with your own patches.

The MiR short vest is a great option if you want to maximize your weight at a relatively low cost for up to 90lbs. In this segment, you can not beat the MiR short vest in the Rogue shop.

Conclusion for the women's box weighted vest

If you need it for what it has been designed for, it is a great fit. Otherwise, it is overpriced and you should go for something else.

Overview and review for the Rogue Load Trainer

This is an overview of the Rogue Load trainer including pros, cons, and alternatives. This was originally posted in which weighted vest to get from Rogue.

Overview of the load trainer

Price: $199.50

The load trainer is a metal frame with a plate pin that you can strap to your back. This makes it a great tool to train with very specific weights for marches without putting all of that expensive equipment into your backpack. It also enables micro loading and limits the amount of cheating in tests, as it is visible, how much weight someone is carrying around. The full specs of the load trainer read as followed:

Made in the USA
Designed by Naval Special Warfare Operator (SWCC)
Olympic Plate Compatible Weight Pin
Weight of Load Trainer: 6.5LB (10LB when mounted to ALICE Frame)
Hitch Pin for securing plates
Mounting Hardware included (need only a 7/16” or 11MM wrench)
Loading Pin Length: Plate to the center of first hole = 4.5", Plate to the center of the second hole = 5.5". The overall length of the pin is 6.5"
Color: Black

This is a great tool to train marches with the additional load. Especially if the heavy equipment that will be transported is very expensive and should stay where it is unless necessary. This is also the best option from Rogue to maximize the training weight.

Pros of the load trainer

The pros os the load trainer are:

Simple to use
Virtually indestructible
High maximum weight

This is as easy as 1,2,3 go. No complex pouches to fill, no velcros to close that open during exercise, no elaborate bags that only fit into a certain slot. Just a pin and as many plates as you want to throw onto your own, or some poor devil's back. As this is a metal frame with straps, you will also not destroy it, unless you drive over it with a tank. All of this makes the Load trainer a great tool if you want to add a challenge to a hike or march.

The cons of the load trainer

The cons of the load trainer are:

Cumbersome design
High injury risk
Unbalanced load

What you get with this product is a backpack that you can make ludicrously heavy without breaking it or having to fiddle about when getting read. The problem of the design is that you are strapping weight plates to your back to do exercises that have not been designed to fit with your body. If you fall on your back with the load trainer, it will hurt or maybe even injure you permanently. While this is a good tool to simulate any kind of heavy backpack for a march, it is not recommended for obstacle courses or Crossfit like exercises. Of course, there are always some nutters out there, but this is not recommended.

Alternatives to the Load trainer

Alternatives to the load trainer are:

The MiR Pro weighted vest is the maximum weight vest in the Rogue shop at the time of writing. It goes up to 120lb and therefore has 20lbs over the 100lb straightjacket. If maximum weight is what you want and you want to be more mobile and balanced than with the load trainer than this is a good option.

The 100lb Straightjacket is the heaviest option out of the box vest assortment. This vest gets to 100lbs by stacking two layers of weights on top of each other at the back and the front. Compared to the MiR this makes this vest shorter for more mobility, but less balanced. Compared to the load trainer you will have an easier time moving and climb.

The Tactec plate carrier is the best option from Rogue for all purposes. You get plenty of color and individualization options for a vest that can go up to 30lb. It will also withstand any abuse you put it through. The plates which can be used with this vest are ergonomic and made out of one cut. No need to load many mini plates up to train.

The Hyper vest elite is the most balanced vest option from Rogue that can go up to 20lbs. This vest has been designed with gym athletes and runners in mind. Comfort to wear and mobility is maximized at the expense if maximum load. If you want to do backflips and long-distance runs with resistance, this is the vest to get.

Conclusion for the Load trainer

The load trainer has a very specific application for very heavy rucksack training. I do not see a lot of applications apart from training to march long distances with a ton of stuff on your back. While useful for these scenarios it is not the best option for most gym owners.