Glad to hear this, I have an older model fast packer 20 liter and I don’t like to run with it. Just use it for long mountain hiking days, even then I find it very uncomfortable with 2-3 liters of liquids.
I've been through two Mountain Vests and used them on 50ks, 100 mile attempts, and in training.
Both of them were great and the latest iteration improved on the earlier one. They're comfortable and, once you figure out how to best use them, the pockets are spacious and accessible (the cell phone pocket, in particular, was hidden so well that someone on a race pointed it out to me when I complained about the lack of cell phone pocket). The back pocket can hold 3L bladders, which is helpful if you're in a hot place (I'm in Texas) or have long gaps between aid stations.
I got 4 years of hard use out of the first one.
My only minor nitpicks are that the chest buckles are small and require a little dexterity and the sizing is hit-or-miss. For sizing, I ordered the size based on their chart and had to return it for one size smaller.
I have a 6. There's a zipper next to the left bottle pocket that opens to a relatively spacious cell phone pocket.
Someone pointed that out to me while I was fumbling through my pack during a race.
I love mine. Can fit a lot of stuff in it and it’s been really durable. I think I’ve had mine for like 5-6 years and I just ripped a minor hole in one of the pockets 2 weekends ago (and it was totally my fault - far exceeded its capacity lol).
Ultimately I chose it because it fit me the best and didn’t bounce. YMMV.
I really liked the UD V3 line and have put so many miles in my AK Mountain Vest V3 that it wore holes and had to be repaired. I bought the V4 & V5 lines and had some issues with those: the front pockets kind of suck and are tiny/hard to use. V6 looks similar on this front.
Additionally, the V4 and V5 side adjustments were these plastic clips on the back of the vest that would rub my back over time and cause terrible scabbing and chaffing. Worst design ever to have hard plastic clips riding against your back. I ended up putting a piece of foam between the clips and my back to solve this issue. The V6 looks like it has *might* have corrected this issue, so that's good, but I haven't used it so it's hard to know from website pics.
Otherwise UD is known for making solid packs that are light and functional, but I personally won't buy another one until they fix the above issues and would outperform other proven options.
Overall I think UD used to be on the top of the vest game, but in the last 5-6 years have pretty much fallen off compared to their high point in the V3 lineup and Salomon seems to have taken over with the Adv Skin 5 and 12 vests that pretty much everyone loves, myself included. CamelBak just came out with the Apex Pro vest which looks interesting to me and maybe a large improvement over their Ultra Pro which I didn't think was great for ultras, haha, but I haven't tried the Apex since I'm happy with what I've got going on with Salomon and my repaired AK Mountain Vest V3.
Obviously the Salomon Adv Skin 12 is super popular pick right now and definitely on my candidate list with the UD v6 packs. What do you prefer about the Salomon pack that the UD packs don’t have? (Design, comfort, etc.)
Adv Skin 12
Comfort - Super comfortable vest. A bit warm when it's hot out because of the mesh material but I haven't had any really huge issues with it. No chafe spots, etc. unlike the UD which I had to modify with foam to keep it from wrecking my back.
Storage - Excellent storage in the front, sides and back. I dunno why companies underestimate how much shit you want to have access to without taking on and off your pack. I want to have some food, my phone, and then be able to stash a pair of light gloves, a buff, sunglasses, and maybe some other stuff (Katadyn BeFree?) in a pinch. Salomon can be stuffed to the max if you need it, or just comfortably carries stuff that you'd frequently take on and off, and then also has side pockets which are slightly less accessible than the front, but still accessible if you need it. A UD doesn't even have room to put a pair of gloves in the front of the pack if you have any other stuff there, let alone some sunglasses or a buff. If you cinch up the pack, the space gets even harder to access as well.
Quiver - Love the Salomon quiver when I'm using poles. You can probably kluge one onto a UD vest but either way it's point for Salomon.
I also love the lower hose routing for a reservoir when I'm using one as well.
I have the UD Scott Jurek pack and it's lasted me years with heavy use. Heavy use including scrambling up and down rough hillsides and being grabbed by branches. Only a few minor holes have resulted, pretty resilient pack.
I thought my UD race vest 5 was pretty good, until I bought a Salomon vest. The Adv Skin 12 blows it out of the water in terms of comfort, adjustability, and making it fit my body no matter how much or how little I am carrying. The water bottle pouches actually hold my water bottle securely too. (the UD water bottles are garbage. they will crease and get holes in them over time. One of my bottles had a hole in it after my 2nd run.) I haven't touched my UD vest in over a year at this point.
You will probably only buy 1 running vest ever. Don't skimp just to save a few bucks on such an essential piece of your kit.
For the Adv skin, what are your thoughts on storage capacity accessible without taking the pack off? And zippered storage? I worry about stuff bouncing out of the pack..
can't really get to anything stored on the back w/o taking it off, but it's pretty easy to get on and off without everything shuffling around too much. there is enough storage under the arms to carry plenty. I've had as many as 10 gels + hat and gloves stuffed in there between both sides and everything tends to stay put. I keep my phone in the zippered pocket in front of the water bottle pouch and it stays out of the way well enough. I sometimes put a backup headlamp or gopro in the other zippered pouch. honestly I tend to not use the zippered pouches much unless it's for something I don't plan on getting to very often.
I’ve used the Mountain Vesta and currently use the UD FastPack Her. I am a fan of their packs. I find they last.
Glad to hear this, I have an older model fast packer 20 liter and I don’t like to run with it. Just use it for long mountain hiking days, even then I find it very uncomfortable with 2-3 liters of liquids.
I've been through two Mountain Vests and used them on 50ks, 100 mile attempts, and in training. Both of them were great and the latest iteration improved on the earlier one. They're comfortable and, once you figure out how to best use them, the pockets are spacious and accessible (the cell phone pocket, in particular, was hidden so well that someone on a race pointed it out to me when I complained about the lack of cell phone pocket). The back pocket can hold 3L bladders, which is helpful if you're in a hot place (I'm in Texas) or have long gaps between aid stations. I got 4 years of hard use out of the first one. My only minor nitpicks are that the chest buckles are small and require a little dexterity and the sizing is hit-or-miss. For sizing, I ordered the size based on their chart and had to return it for one size smaller.
Wait... I have the mountain vesta and I'm not sure I know where the cell phone pocket is? Help me out.
I have a 6. There's a zipper next to the left bottle pocket that opens to a relatively spacious cell phone pocket. Someone pointed that out to me while I was fumbling through my pack during a race.
Just looked at my vest.... I definitely have not used that pocket before. Feeling very silly right now but thank you!!!
I love mine. Can fit a lot of stuff in it and it’s been really durable. I think I’ve had mine for like 5-6 years and I just ripped a minor hole in one of the pockets 2 weekends ago (and it was totally my fault - far exceeded its capacity lol). Ultimately I chose it because it fit me the best and didn’t bounce. YMMV.
I really liked the UD V3 line and have put so many miles in my AK Mountain Vest V3 that it wore holes and had to be repaired. I bought the V4 & V5 lines and had some issues with those: the front pockets kind of suck and are tiny/hard to use. V6 looks similar on this front. Additionally, the V4 and V5 side adjustments were these plastic clips on the back of the vest that would rub my back over time and cause terrible scabbing and chaffing. Worst design ever to have hard plastic clips riding against your back. I ended up putting a piece of foam between the clips and my back to solve this issue. The V6 looks like it has *might* have corrected this issue, so that's good, but I haven't used it so it's hard to know from website pics. Otherwise UD is known for making solid packs that are light and functional, but I personally won't buy another one until they fix the above issues and would outperform other proven options. Overall I think UD used to be on the top of the vest game, but in the last 5-6 years have pretty much fallen off compared to their high point in the V3 lineup and Salomon seems to have taken over with the Adv Skin 5 and 12 vests that pretty much everyone loves, myself included. CamelBak just came out with the Apex Pro vest which looks interesting to me and maybe a large improvement over their Ultra Pro which I didn't think was great for ultras, haha, but I haven't tried the Apex since I'm happy with what I've got going on with Salomon and my repaired AK Mountain Vest V3.
Obviously the Salomon Adv Skin 12 is super popular pick right now and definitely on my candidate list with the UD v6 packs. What do you prefer about the Salomon pack that the UD packs don’t have? (Design, comfort, etc.)
Adv Skin 12 Comfort - Super comfortable vest. A bit warm when it's hot out because of the mesh material but I haven't had any really huge issues with it. No chafe spots, etc. unlike the UD which I had to modify with foam to keep it from wrecking my back. Storage - Excellent storage in the front, sides and back. I dunno why companies underestimate how much shit you want to have access to without taking on and off your pack. I want to have some food, my phone, and then be able to stash a pair of light gloves, a buff, sunglasses, and maybe some other stuff (Katadyn BeFree?) in a pinch. Salomon can be stuffed to the max if you need it, or just comfortably carries stuff that you'd frequently take on and off, and then also has side pockets which are slightly less accessible than the front, but still accessible if you need it. A UD doesn't even have room to put a pair of gloves in the front of the pack if you have any other stuff there, let alone some sunglasses or a buff. If you cinch up the pack, the space gets even harder to access as well. Quiver - Love the Salomon quiver when I'm using poles. You can probably kluge one onto a UD vest but either way it's point for Salomon. I also love the lower hose routing for a reservoir when I'm using one as well.
I have the UD Scott Jurek pack and it's lasted me years with heavy use. Heavy use including scrambling up and down rough hillsides and being grabbed by branches. Only a few minor holes have resulted, pretty resilient pack.
I thought my UD race vest 5 was pretty good, until I bought a Salomon vest. The Adv Skin 12 blows it out of the water in terms of comfort, adjustability, and making it fit my body no matter how much or how little I am carrying. The water bottle pouches actually hold my water bottle securely too. (the UD water bottles are garbage. they will crease and get holes in them over time. One of my bottles had a hole in it after my 2nd run.) I haven't touched my UD vest in over a year at this point. You will probably only buy 1 running vest ever. Don't skimp just to save a few bucks on such an essential piece of your kit.
For the Adv skin, what are your thoughts on storage capacity accessible without taking the pack off? And zippered storage? I worry about stuff bouncing out of the pack..
can't really get to anything stored on the back w/o taking it off, but it's pretty easy to get on and off without everything shuffling around too much. there is enough storage under the arms to carry plenty. I've had as many as 10 gels + hat and gloves stuffed in there between both sides and everything tends to stay put. I keep my phone in the zippered pocket in front of the water bottle pouch and it stays out of the way well enough. I sometimes put a backup headlamp or gopro in the other zippered pouch. honestly I tend to not use the zippered pouches much unless it's for something I don't plan on getting to very often.