Nathan is owned by two ultra-marathoners and adventure racers. They understand the needs of long distance racing and the training that comes with it. They do more than just interview elite endurance athletes to understand their needs they race alongside them!
I''ve been a hand-held/strap-on water bottle ultra-runner kind of guy for the past 10 years, but finally felt it was time to step up to being hands free. This also meant giving myself more hydration in between aid stations when racing a welcome upgrade.
I hit my running store and they immediately said that the Nathan product was the way to go. I was in agreement just by looking at the HPL #008 1.5 litre hydration vest. It was almost clinical in appeal no bells or whistles, no neon colors, no overabundant branding. It seemed light and the mesh felt like something invented for NASA. I bought it eagerly awaiting to head out into the hills and have it quench my thirst.
I tested it out on a 30 degree Celsius morning at Shuswap Lake in the interior of British Columbia. I loaded up a total of about 1 litre of water, knowing I''d only need that much for the day''s hydration requirements. A logging road meanders through some low lying mountains on the north side of the lake, I headed out and back for a total of 24km. At the outset I simply threw the pack on without adjusting, then realized that it has a dual-strap adjustment toggle. It allows for the vest to move more fluidly with your body while you are in motion. I liked the idea of this while light-weight and simple in design, it incorporates some ingenius but subtle engineering that really benefits the athlete.
It took me a couple of minutes to figure out to pull the mouthpiece up in order to open the valve my bad like I said, I''m used to a water bottle. A bit of sloshing was evident, but I don''t expect any noise cancellation or motion control technology to be attached to my hydration vest... (yet!). The rear of the pack has an elasticized storage pouch, room for plenty of fuel, gloves or a headlamp. The two front pouches are perfect and easily accessed, one is zippered, the other is open for quick access to a few gels, an iPod or a small bottle of an alternative liquid. The mesh breathed well and I didn''t feel any irritation in fact it seemed to cling to my technical singlet so there was no real friction to speak of.
This is a fantastic product I highly recommend it, and will continue to look for Nathan products when they suit my needs.
I bought this water pack to use for the Grand Island Marathon in Michigan. The marathon has limited water stops so I needed something to stay hydrated. I like that this pack is 50 ounces (1.5 liters). I did not want something too heavy. The pack is light weight. I like that it has 2 side pockets where I can carry my 2, 5 ounce gel flasks. What I don''t like is refueling the pack with water is a pain. The water bladder does not fit well in the cloth pouch. I think the design is poor. I think Nathan has improved their design for other water packs but these packs have a larger capacity (100 ounce size). It is not easy refueling the pack. During the marathon, I don''t want to have to take a lot of time to refuel with water. The bladder clips on to a loop inside the cloth bag. The clip to hold the bladder to the loop is poorly designed. It is hard to unclip the bladder from the loop, which you have to do to open the bladder to put water in. I took the clip off and use a twisty tie instead. Also, putting the bladder back in the cloth bag is hard it does not fit easily. When I bought this pack, I did not think about how to refuel the pack with water. This pack is not user-friendly as far as refueling with water.
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I wore the hydration pack on a run of about 7 miles to see how I would like it. It is very comfortable as far as the mesh material against my skin. The cons that I noticed were: a. the fluid sloshes quite a bit while running, not a big deal but can be annoying b. when filling the bladder, it was somewhat awkward due to the opening location c. while running the fluid seems to leak when opening and closing the mouthpiece, if you have water this is not a problem, but I used powerade so my hands got sticky each time I took a drink; overall, I will use the hydration pack on my long runs and it is better than wearing bottles on my hips
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This is by far the most comfortable hydration option I''ve owned for running trail ultras. I''ve used a couple different Camelbacks and water bottle waist packs (both single and double) and this is by far the most comfortable and user friendly hydration pack out there. It is clearly designed for the ultra runner in mind with the easy access front pockets perfect for fuel and other essentials. I would highly recommend this to anyone looking for hydration for running. Keep in mind, however, that it is 50 oz and doesn''t have a large compartment for carrying a lot of stuff. It is fairly stripped down which is what I think is great about it.
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This hydration vest is amazingly comfortable! I hardly notice that I am wearing it at all. As a female athlete I find that is very comfortable in the chest as the belt hits about mid-rib. Perfect for long trail runs where you don''t have access to water. I find the front pockets are great for holding your phone or some gels. I would recommend this hydration vest to anyone looking for something to get them through a long run!
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But that''s about it. The belt fits snugly and the water bottles are a good size. The only complaint I have is that if you catch one squarely with your elbow or run up a steep hill, it is definitely possible for these to pop out of the belt. I have dropped a number of these already and lost one as well. I wouldn''t recommend this for anyone who runs a lot of hills or trails.
