← Ruck Mode

Press kit

Everything a reviewer, journalist, or podcaster needs to write about Ruck Mode. Quote us freely. Anything below this line can be used without permission.

Reviewer kit includes the one-mile test plan, disclosure guidance, and what not to claim.

The pitch in one sentence

Ruck Mode is an Apple Watch-native ruck training app for loaded miles - pack weight, loaded pace, Loaded Mile Score, readiness context, and post-ruck debriefs for rucking, weighted walks, pack hikes, Murph prep, and people training under load.

Quick facts

Company: Deer Track Design LLC (Illinois)
Founder: Joshua Frost
Based: Bloomington, IL
Product: Ruck Mode - iOS + watchOS app
Device lane: Apple Watch-native. Apple Watch Ultra is a strong fit for outdoor use, but the core story is loaded-mile training on supported Apple Watch hardware.
Launch: Ruck Mode is live on the App Store as version 1.0.5
App Store: Download Ruck Mode
Pricing: Free tier · $9.99/mo Pro Monthly · $14.99/mo Family Sharing where available · $79/yr Pro Annual. Apple confirms final pricing, trial availability, renewal, cancellation, and purchase status at checkout.
Website: ruckmode.app
Press contact: press@ruckmode.app

Press release

Launch update

Ruck Mode brings field training command to Apple Watch athletes

BLOOMINGTON, IL

Deer Track Design LLC has released the iOS build of Ruck Mode (ruckmode.app) on the App Store. Ruck Mode is an Apple Watch-native training app for ruckers, weighted walkers, hikers, Murph athletes, and people who want loaded-mile context from the watch they already wear.

Ruck Mode combines pack weight, loaded pace, Loaded Mile Score, readiness context, workout recording, Apple Watch flow, and post-ruck debriefs in one Apple-native experience.

"Apple Watch can record the walk," said founder Joshua Frost. "Ruck Mode exists because carrying 35 pounds changes what that mile means. The app should help people see that difference without buying a second watch ecosystem."

Key product differentiators:

Readiness context - a simple fitness read on whether today should be a push day, steady ruck, or lighter effort
Loaded Mile Score - a way to compare efforts across pack weights, routes, and conditions
First-ruck flow - enter load, start the ruck, finish with proof, compare next time
Weighted walks count - a beginner-safe path for people starting with lighter loads
Challenge pilots - concierge-supported pages, reminders, and recap templates for early groups
Clean boundaries - no official military, medical, emergency, Apple, Garmin, GORUCK, or CrossFit affiliation claims

Ruck Mode is free to install. Pro Monthly is $9.99/month, Pro Annual is listed on the site as $79/year, and Family Sharing is $14.99/month where available. Apple confirms final pricing, trial availability, renewal, cancellation, and purchase status at checkout.

Press, reviewers, podcasters, rucking communities, Apple Watch creators, military fitness creators, and qualified affiliates can request evaluation access at ruckmode.app/reviewer-kit. Free evaluation access is available for qualified review, podcast, newsletter, and creator coverage. Positive coverage is not required or expected.

Ruck Mode is independent fitness software. Military-style and branch-inspired workouts are unofficial training templates only; Ruck Mode is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or a replacement for any military branch, testing authority, coach, clinician, or official standard.

Press inquiries: press@ruckmode.app

Founder quotes

"Garmin has decades of outdoor hardware behind it. Apple has millions of athletes already wearing the watch every day. Ruck Mode is built for people who want loaded-training insight without leaving the Apple ecosystem." - Joshua Frost, founder, on the Apple Watch lane

"I bought a Fenix 8 for the 20-day battery. Sold it in three weeks. The UX, the case, the app - I couldn't. So I started building what I wanted to use." - Joshua Frost on why he built Ruck Mode

"We are not trying to out-Strava Strava. Ruck Mode is the decision layer before and during the session: readiness, trail battery, climb context, and the next smart move." - Joshua Frost on positioning

Brand assets

All assets are owned by Deer Track Design LLC. Usage in editorial coverage is permitted without additional permission. Do not alter logo colors or proportions.

Primary logo (SVG)

Vector · on-brand orange

Social OG image (PNG)

1200 x 630

Boilerplate

Ruck Mode is an Apple Watch-native ruck training app built by Deer Track Design LLC, an Illinois-based independent software studio. The app combines pack-weight tracking, loaded pace, Loaded Mile Score, readiness context, workout recording, and post-ruck debriefs in a single Apple-native experience for athletes who train under load. The iOS build is live on the App Store; Apple confirms final subscription pricing, trial availability, renewal, cancellation, and purchase status at checkout.

Founder bio - Joshua Frost

Joshua Frost is the founder of Deer Track Design LLC. Based in Bloomington, Illinois, he builds consumer software at the intersection of fitness, outdoors, and Apple's hardware platform. Ruck Mode is his answer to a simple gap: Apple Watch can record the workout, but loaded miles need pack-weight context, repeatable comparison, and a better post-ruck explanation.