hydration pack/vest

Gary Ohm · 02-06-2010, 03:47 PM

Hi All,
I am in the market for a hydration pack or vest. I have a camel bak HAWG that I use for cycling and short day hikes. I am looking for one to use for trail running. I have seen a number of different makes of them. Some things they have in common are: 100 oz bladder, very light mesh construction, pockets on the shoulders and hips, chest strap, and not too large compartment in back.

If anyone has any experience with things like this I would certainly appreciate some input. Here are a couple of the ones I’ve looked at:
http://www.rei.com/product/792408
http://www.rei.com/product/767745
http://www.rei.com/product/800531

What some other alternatives?

Thanks in advance.

Mike Prevost · 02-06-2010, 05:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gary Ohm

Hi All,
I am in the market for a hydration pack or vest. I have a camel bak HAWG that I use for cycling and short day hikes. I am looking for one to use for trail running. I have seen a number of different makes of them. Some things they have in common are: 100 oz bladder, very light mesh construction, pockets on the shoulders and hips, chest strap, and not too large compartment in back.

If anyone has any experience with things like this I would certainly appreciate some input. Here are a couple of the ones I’ve looked at:
http://www.rei.com/product/792408
http://www.rei.com/product/767745
http://www.rei.com/product/800531

What some other alternatives?

Thanks in advance.

Gary

I hate running with a camelback. I tried the camelback flash flow and did not really like that either. In the end I went witth the Amphipod and 4 bottles. It was the least offensive while running, plus it had a pouch for gels and an ID. Fuel belt would work as well. I resisted the belt style hydration systems at first because I did not want to refill a bunch of little bottles, but in the end it was the most comfortable solution. What I like about the Amphipod is that it is scaleable.

Gary Ohm · 02-06-2010, 05:33 PM

Thanks Mike,
I'll take a look at the Amphipod. My hesitation with the belt style is also filling bottles, but additionally the bouncing and lack of stability. Do you ever have hip pain where the pack sits?? Thanks again for the alternate point of view.
Gary

William Hunter · 02-11-2010, 09:53 AM

I run a lot of trails. I was never able to get comfortable with either the camelbak or the belts. In the end I've settled for hand helds (one or two depending on the distance). Some will complain about sore elbows/tendinitis...but most trail runners don't lift weights and have weak arms. I've never had a problem. YMMV

Mike Prevost · 02-25-2010, 08:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gary Ohm

Thanks Mike,
I'll take a look at the Amphipod. My hesitation with the belt style is also filling bottles, but additionally the bouncing and lack of stability. Do you ever have hip pain where the pack sits?? Thanks again for the alternate point of view.
Gary

Gary

I have done many 15 plus mile runs with the system and had no problems. You really don't notice it much at all. It is asjustable enough to put the bottles where you want them. You can also get a large bottle for it and just use one or two bottles.

Mike

Craig Brown · 02-26-2010, 10:49 AM

I used to run with the Mule and a hand held bottle with a strap...the waist belts never had the capacity I needed, and I had to carry food as well. Of course four hour runs in the high desert may not be what you are into!

Gary Ohm · 02-26-2010, 06:18 PM

I stopped by Runner's warehouse on the way home from work and picked up the Camelbak Octane 8. I tried on the Nathan 2.0L and it was really neat, but I could not even carry a rain jacket in it.
I'm not there yet, but a four hour run in the desert would be great some day... What kind of strap did you use for your hand held bottles? Runners warehouse had some for between $16 and $25 with straps. I'm not sure about the straps...

Shane Skowron · 03-02-2010, 06:07 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by William Hunter

I run a lot of trails. I was never able to get comfortable with either the camelbak or the belts. In the end I've settled for hand helds (one or two depending on the distance). Some will complain about sore elbows/tendinitis...but most trail runners don't lift weights and have weak arms. I've never had a problem. YMMV

Same here. Packs tend to mess me up, but running with stuff in my hands is fine.

Gary Ohm · 03-02-2010, 06:41 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Shane Skowron

Same here. Packs tend to mess me up, but running with stuff in my hands is fine.

Do you carry gels (munchies), keys, phone, first aid, GPS type stuff? Do you use the bottle straps with the little pouches built in? How do you manage inclimate weather ie: rain, cold mornings to warmer afternoons, and ect...

Craig Brown · 03-02-2010, 08:14 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gary Ohm

I stopped by Runner's warehouse on the way home from work and picked up the Camelbak Octane 8. I tried on the Nathan 2.0L and it was really neat, but I could not even carry a rain jacket in it.
I'm not there yet, but a four hour run in the desert would be great some day... What kind of strap did you use for your hand held bottles? Runners warehouse had some for between $16 and $25 with straps. I'm not sure about the straps...

Gary, I used an old version from Ultimate:

The high dessert/dry mountain stuff is a blast, but sometimes you have to haul two full bladders to get where you want to go...the cool thing where I was (Flagstaff) is I could easily overnight out of a camelback Rim Runner.

Craig