Disclaimer: I purchased this Ultimate Directions vest on my own-this is not a sponsored post. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
As a running coach and marathoner, I often am asked about
hydration belts, bottles, and vests. I trained for and ran my first two
marathons with a Fuelbelt hydration belt with 2 small bottles (that I picked up
at a Marshalls on sale). I was never a fan of it, but it seemed to be
an okay solution to carrying water on the course. My 3rd marathon, I
ran with a handheld water bottle. For my 4th through 6th
marathons I haven’t carried water on the course, but have relied on the
on-course water stations. With big marathons such as Chicago, Philadelphia, and
Boston there are so many water stations that it is easy to not carry any
hydration gear with me if the weather is not hot.
The problem has been training in Baltimore hot & humid
summers for long distance races. I have been using a Flipbelt with a water bottle or this Peak
Hydration Nathan pack for training. I tried a Camelbak on a couple runs a few summers ago and did not like all the sloshing as well as cleaning out the bladder. This summer anything on my waist has been
really annoying me. That fact, plus toying around with the idea of running a
50K later this Fall, I decided to start looking into purchasing a hydration
vest with bottles.
After much deliberation, I decided to bite the bullet and
purchase the Ultimate Direction Race Vesta 4.0 which I found on sale for under $80 (it retails
for $114.95). This isn't a sponsored post, I am just sharing my thoughts on the vest because I've gotten a some questions about it. I chose it because it has two bottles that sit up front on the
chest, it’s lightweight, and it had good reviews. I ran with the Race Vesta for
the first time and had not properly watched the videos on how to
adjust it so it bounced a lot. Since properly adjusting it, it has minimal
bounce and is my new go-to long run gear. Here’s an overview and my
thoughts on the Ultimate Direction Race Vesta 4.0.
Overall
(All information via Ultimate Direction)
-Available in two sizes: XS/SM, MD/LG (I bought the
XS/SM version)
-Available in two colors: pink or blue
-MSRP: $114.95
-Materials: 4-way stretch woven mesh, 30D coated nylon
ripstop, micromono mesh, and 150g flex mono mesh.
-Includes (2) BodyBottles 500s (500 mL soft bottles)
-Volume Capacity: 494.29 in3 /
8.1 L
-Weight: With Bottles-9.56 oz. / 271 g ; Without Bottles-6.1 oz.
/ 173 g
According to Ultimate Direction, the women’s Vesta
differs from the men’s Vesta in that it has a different configuration for pole
attachment, is compatible with a 2L hydration bladder, includes two zippered
pockets instead of stash pockets on the bottle pockets.
This vest is one of the more lightweight hydration vests from
Ultimate Direction, with larger vests including the Ultra and Adventure Vestas.
Features
-Sliding Rail Sternum Straps (adjustable!)
-Extensive Front Storage (2 zippered and 2 bottle
pockets)
-Trekking pole holders
-Comfort Cinch TM Technology
The Good
I love how lightweight the vest is. It doesn’t add a lot
of bulk and feels really breathable on the run. The fabric is really stretchy
too so the vest fits well to my body and feels like it moves with me. I have
never used soft bottles before but like them so far. From the placement of the
bottle pockets on the front, I am able to use the bite valve on the bottles to
drink easily without removing the bottles from the vest. The bottles in the bottle pockets sit right
above “the girls” and feel comfortable and aren’t right up in my face when I’m
running either.
I have been using the zippered storage pockets for my
gels and fuel as well as my debit card. I love that the zippers mean everything is nice
and secure. The fabric of the vest is stretchy so I can even fit my Samsung
Galaxy S9 phone in one of the zippered pockets, but prefer to have it more
easily accessible in one of the bottle pockets. I’ve been running with one of
the bottles filled with water and Nuun Hydration in one of the bottle pockets
along with an extra bottle filled with plain water in the large back
compartment that I can switch out. Since I have been using this for running, I
cannot speak to the trekking pole holders.
I love that the vest is easily cinched with the shock
cords on the top and bottom in the back. On my first run with it, I did not
pull the bottom shock cords tight enough and really tighten up the cords in the
back to stop most of the bouncing. Once I adjusted it properly, the vest and bottles
bounced barely at all.
The fact that you can move the placement of the sternum
straps up and down is awesome. I am 5’4” and bought the XS/SM size based on the
sizing chart and did not adjust the sternum straps from their original placement.
The Bad
I love the light pink and blue color
options, generally speaking but always worry about gear getting dirty. After a
handful of runs, I already have a dirt spot on the front of my vest. Sure, it’s
easy enough to just throw the vest in the wash to clean it, but I would
appreciate a gray color option as well.
As I mentioned, the pack is really
stretchy. I haven’t tried to use a hydration bladder in it yet, but have been
putting a filled water bottle, extra gels, or something like a light rain coat in
the large back compartment. The large compartment doesn’t have any extra
support on the bottom so I’m not sure how heavy it would feel if I loaded up
the back compartment for a longer race and am worried it might wear out the
fabric quickly due to the sagging strain on it.
One last nit-picky detail is that in
the right side bottle pocket there is also an emergency whistle which has its
own little pocket. It sometimes comes out of the pocket and bounces around
which can be annoying. I wish it was just a bit more securely fastened in the
pocket.
Takeaway
I think the Ultimate Direction RaceVesta 4.0 is a great, lightweight
option for marathoners or ultra marathoners who want a hands-free way to carry
a smaller amount of fuel and gear during training runs or for a race. It’s a
great option for ladies like me who need to do some longer runs with just the essentials-phone,
fuel, and hydration.
Do you use any sort of hydration belt or vest? How do you carry your gear with you on longer runs?
Great review. Good product photos too. Looks like a good option. I picked up an Orange Mud bottle holder (they call it a quiver) this summer which I am really enjoying. The idea of the flat bottles is intriguing.
ReplyDeleteThanks-there isn't many reviews out there for it so I wanted to contribute! I have heard really good things about Orange Mud and would love to try one of their packs in the future-especially since I'm a bottle fan.
DeleteThis is such a helpful review! I've never tried a hydration vest (for the amount of running I do, it's never seemed worth it), but they always looked SO heavy, uncomfortable, and hot to me. I'm happily surprised to hear that's not the case! I carry a handheld water bottle with me on any run 13.1 miles or shorter (usually not during races, though), and once I get above that, I wear a Nathan hydration belt. It's all right, but I do feel like it really weighs me down - but I suppose that's impossible to avoid when you're lugging a bunch of water around on your person. The water bottle weighs me down too, I'm sure - I just don't notice it as much since I'm so used to it.
ReplyDeleteThanks-like I said I'm not a huge fan of having lots of gear, but the humidity has been really getting to me this summer. Like I mentioned I've used the waist belt before but am just OVER it this summer lolz!
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