Privacy Policy

Effective Date: July 30, 2025

Welcome to RuckMeSideways.com. We value your privacy and are committed to protecting your information. This Privacy Policy explains what data we collect, how we use it, and your rights as a visitor or registered user of this site.

Who We Are

Our website address is: https://ruckmesideways.com. We’re a community-driven platform focused on rucking — walking with weight — and we participate in affiliate programs to help keep the site running.

Comments

When visitors leave comments, we collect the data shown in the form, plus your IP address and browser user agent to help detect spam.

If you use Gravatar, an anonymized hash of your email may be sent to Gravatar’s servers. Their privacy policy is here: https://automattic.com/privacy/.

Media Uploads

If you upload images to your profile, posts, or comments, avoid including embedded location data (EXIF GPS). Other users may be able to extract this data.

Cookies

We use cookies to make the site work better — like keeping you logged in, saving your preferences, or tracking affiliate links. If you leave a comment, you can opt-in to save your name, email, and website in cookies for convenience. These last one year.

Login cookies last 2 days (or 2 weeks if you check “Remember Me”).
Publishing a post sets a cookie that expires after 1 day.
Analytics and affiliate tracking cookies may also be used to improve site performance or track referrals.

Embedded Content

Articles on this site may include embedded videos, images, or posts from third-party platforms. Those sites may collect data, use cookies, and track your interaction as if you visited them directly.

Social Networking Features

When you create an account, we store profile data you provide — including your name, bio, profile photo, rucking activity, groups you join, and gear preferences. You can control what’s public in your account settings.

We also collect and store:

Your posts, comments, and replies within the community
Private messages you send to other users (which are only visible to you and the recipient)
Friends or followers, depending on platform settings

Affiliate Tracking

Some links on this site are affiliate links, including Amazon and other gear retailers. These links may use cookies or tracking IDs to identify your activity for commission purposes. These do not collect your personal information directly.

Who We Share Your Data With

We do not sell your personal information. However, some data may be shared with third-party service providers like analytics platforms, spam detection services, and affiliate partners for operational reasons.

If you request a password reset, your IP address is included in the reset email.

How Long We Keep Your Data

If you leave a comment or post, it and its metadata are stored indefinitely unless deleted. Registered users can view, edit, or delete their data at any time (except usernames). Admins can also edit that info.

Your Data Rights

You can request an export of your personal data, or ask us to erase it — except where we’re legally required to keep it (e.g., for moderation or legal compliance).

Data Security

We take reasonable steps to protect your info. That said, no website is 100% secure, so use discretion when sharing sensitive data.

Children’s Privacy

This site is not intended for children under 13. We do not knowingly collect personal information from anyone in that age group.

Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy occasionally. Changes will be posted on this page with a new “Effective Date.”

Contact Us

If you have any questions, contact us at https://ruckmesideways.com/contact.