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| Ultimate Direction North Vest Review |
Speedy Summary Review
This Trail Running Vest is very lightweight and very breathable so its great to use on hot summer runs. It has plenty of pockets on it and pouches for water bottles. There is a clear plastic waterproof phone carry case that can clip to the front too. The vest has a waterproof rain cover that can be pulled out over the back too to keep your gear dry in a shower. There is more than enough storage space for a spare layer of clothing or rain jacket for inclement weather as well as pouches and pockets for snacks, your keys and wallet and bug spray or sun tan lotion.
A great lightweight Trail vest for running in hot and humid conditions.
In Depth Review
Hot off the back of a dabble on the Appalachian Trail I was on the look out for a new trail vest from Ultimate Direction. Its my personal tin hat conspiracy theory that running clothing manufacturers avoid pockets on running gear to make you buy a race vest. My original Ultimate Direction vest got left behind in the UK so I’ve missed having something for the shorter single day trail runs so it was time to see what was on offer.
These days there is a rather bewildering array of Ultimate Direction gear and I always find myself moaning that a vest ‘needs more pockets’. My Fastpacks are perfect for the bigger multi day adventures but I was looking for a vest to see me through the winter on longer trail runs where I need to carry water and spare clothing but don’t want to feel like I’m wearing a pack.
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| Ultimate Direction North Vest Review |
At first glance this trail vest surprised me a lot. Its features managed to win me over fairly quickly despite its godawful 1980s ski jumpsuit color scheme.
12 Litres of Storage Space
When you’ve been trail running for a few years you get to know straight away what to look for in a race vest. This kind of set up is looking to be your companion on supported long distance runs. 12L capacity is more than enough to carry anything you’ll need on a mandatory kit list and a few extras. I always want a main compartment for my spare layers and waterproof jacket and smaller pockets for my gloves, hat, sun cream, snacks etc.
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| Ultimate Direction North Vest Review |
Bungees for mounting folding trekking poles
Firstly there are loops and bungees mounted near the bottle holders to mount Z trekking poles. Perfect for tough terrain and steep climbs and easy to grab on the go. There is a medium sized pocket above the right breast water bottle holder that I’m going to guess is for sunglasses in a case. I’m not a hug fan of the small velcro square to hold it closed, Id prefer a secure zip but the bag kept my sunglasses safe anyway.
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| Ultimate Direction North Vest Review |
Bottle Holder Pouches and a GPS pouch
There is a second mesh pocket on the other shoulder section that’s smaller. Its about the right size for a digital GPS tracker. Other than that you could probably fit a snack bar or gels in there too. The bottle holders are nice and stretchy and easily hold a 500ml or 600ml bottle. The vest doesn’t come with bottles but these days I recommend a flexible bottle like the hydrapak up to a 700ml as they are more comfortable against your body.
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| Ultimate Direction North Vest Review |
Breathable Cool Mesh Fabric
Internal storage is accessed from a zip along the top. the material on the vest is ultra lightweight and mesh like and is very breathable. This is great in the summer when you are sweaty, but be warned…if you are a very sweaty guy like me you’ll need to put all your clothing inside a small drybag or all your gear will be wet from sweat in no time.
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| Ultimate Direction North Vest Review |
Side Zip Pocket for Your Keys and Valuables
There is a great side zip on the back to get wallet and keys in. There is even a small plastic clip to attach keys too. This is great as I often stop at pubs and shops on long runs to refuel and I like to be able to get to my money easily.
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| Ultimate Direction North Vest Review |
Raincover
Inside the back of the pack you’ll also find a yellow raincover that’s fiddly and pointless. If it really rains your stuff will get wet anyway from the sides, so again I recommend a full small drybag inside for your gear and not worry about the rain shawl it has. However the reflective ‘white blaze’ of the Appalachian Trail design is a nice touch.
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| Ultimate Direction North Vest Review |
True to Size
The sizing is weird for this vest….and by weird I mean normal. With the fastpacks I find they are true to the sizing chart, and its the same here for the North Vest. I can easily wear a S/M of this vest with a 42inch chest. The reason I mention this is all other UD vests I’ve ever worn or bought I’ve needed to wear a Large. Same manufacturer but I’m a large in their old race vests, a small in their fastpacks and now a SM in the north vest.
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| Ultimate Direction North Vest Review |
Adjustable Strap Positions
I love the adjustable strap positions. Something they’ve taken from the Fastpack design. They can be moved up or down through 5 positions simply by threading a plastic anchor in or out. Wearing this vest is great. After mainly wearing Fastpacks it feels light and almost like I’m not wearing one at all.
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| Ultimate Direction North Vest Review |
The Weird Plastic Phone Holder
Finally we need to talk about the clear plastic phone holder. Its an absolutely awful execution of a reasonable idea. Firstly the holder is too small for my Sony Xperia, and anyone with a phone small enough to fit in it finds its grippy and impossible to get the phone in and out of easily. The touchscreen works through the clear plastic but the on off mechanism for the pouch to read it is fiddly and infurating.
My advice? keep the pouch and put your keys, wallet and spare torch batteries in it and leave it inside the pack where you now know they will stay dry.
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| Ultimate Direction North Vest Review |
