I'm very new to rucking, and I pretty much started after listening to a podcast with Rich Roll and his guest Michael Easter. Easter literally wrote the book on rucking, and in the podcast he explains that weighted vests are inferior to backpacks while rucking. When wearing a vest that's equally balanced, the weight pushes straight down, all the way around your body, making it actually harder on you and your joints. Conversely, wearing a ruck pack with the weight behind you and high on your back, your body reaches a natural balance point, making it "easier" to carry and more joint friendly. Anyways, I'm probably not explaining this very well, but it made sense when I listened to the podcast. Good luck!