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Super Speedy Summary Review

This stealthy Halo race vest from Ultimate Direction is designed by Jason Schlarb to be as light as possible with maximum storage. For an astonishing vest that only weighs 6oz you get 11 litres of carrying capacity which is more than enough for a mandatory Trail Race Kit list well into the depths of winter. There are pouches for Waterproof Rain Jacket, Snacks, 2 Softflask 17 oz water bottles and various smaller pouches for power charger packs, phone, sunglasses, bug and suntan lotion. The vest also has a pull toggle cinching system so you can adjust this vest to suit many different shapes for greater comfort.

It’s easy to criticize and ask for a few more features like zipped pockets but the remit here is stealthy, minimalist and light. You’ll buy it for the badass stealth fighter color scheme but you’ll love it for the huge load carrying capacity and very breathable fine mesh fabric which makes this vest perfect for hot humid summer runs.

PURCHASE $169.95

Full In Depth Review

Some of the Ultimate Direction Race Vests have been getting a bit ‘samey’ in the last few years as the range was dominated by Jurek concepts. This Race Vest from Jason Schlarb offers a very different take on what a trail runner might need. Its obvious from first glance that this vest is designed to provide a large amount of carry capacity with a very lightweight vest that’s very breathable making it as comfortable as possible. Finally its clear that this vest is designed to allow you to reach almost everything in every different pouch without taking the vest off.

Breath a Sigh of Relief

The fabric is a strong and see through shiny silver weave that is very very light and breathable. This makes this vest great to wear on a hot or humid summer day. I noticed that it sits well on your shoulders when the vest doesn’t have a lot in it, but when its quite full and heavy it pulls and squeezes the shoulders into a thin ‘scruffled up’ segment rather than a flat flush shoulder segment. The vest is easy to wash too on low temperatures.

Stealth Bomber Payload

The real party piece of this vest as its payload. 11 Litres is room for a lot of gear. I tested this vest configured for a long 50 mile + trail run or race and found there was plenty of storage for my headtorch, rain jacket and extra layer, hat and gloves and electronics and spare batteries and charger.

Pouches and Pockets

The rear pouches are thought out to allow you to grab and stow things like gloves, hat or rain jacket without taking the vest off while the side pouches have enough space for things like snacks and folding cups and sunglasses.

The phone pocket is good but not big enough for some of us that like the super sized smartphones. My Samsung Galaxy Note 8 sticks out the top a bit too much for my liking which is a shame. For shorter runs there is no small mesh zip secure pouch for your keys for car or house which is also a shame. I know zips etc add weight but this vest really could do with a valuables secure area.

Water Bottles

Its great to see the water bottles included with the price. Its a shame that the threads are not compatible with the BeFree purification filters and hydrapak bottles so that you can scoop water from streams with confidence. The pouches the bottles fit into are rather tight and I found I had a struggle getting them in when full but when I’m generally running on trail I’m lazy and nod my head down to the bottles to drink without taking them out of the bottle. If you do find getting bottles out to drink a bit of a pain you can add water bottles with built in straws to drink more easily hands free.

There is also a clip near the top of the main storage compartment at the back to allow you to hang a hydration reservoir water bladder. I actually don’t recommend or use this type of bladder for two reasons, firstly the weight distribution on your body is worse with all the weight at the back and secondly you wont know how much water you have at any point out running and refilling is cumbersome on race day.

Trekking Pole Storage

The water bottle holders have sturdy bungee straps on each side to allow you to attached a Z Folded trekking pole on the front in a place that you can easily stow and deploy on the move.

Adjustment and Fit

I think this vest comes in a ‘bit large’ so you may want to size down if you are near the border of two sizes. Keep in mind if you are more of a ‘running in the summer in a T Shirt’ kind of person or if you are likely to use this in the driving cold winter rain with 3 layers on as this may affect your size choice as well. There is a ‘corset style’ weave of bungee at the back that allows you to adjust the fit of the pack on you via a quick pull drawcord.

The two sternum straps simply clip into daisy chain loops on the opposite side. I would recommend marking the daisy chains that work for you with a blob of white paint so you can find them easily when its dark or you are tired.

The pouch areas on the back of the pack also have straps to allow you to tighten them and keep stowed gear more secured.

The breathable material is clearly very strong but its also quite ‘hard’ against your skin. With a T Shirt or clothing on its very comfortable but unlike some of the other Ultimate Direction vests with the Infinknit fit I think this might chafe if you wore it without a T Shirt on in the heat.

Clips and Zips

For long races that go into the night and when I’m super tired I would like to have seen the sternum straps in any color other than black to help and tired runner fumbly me find them more easily. This vest has a simple loop and clip set up to save weight compared to the usual clips you get from other Ultimate Direction vests and Bags. It works surprisingly well and the strap height/position can be moved up or down to suit your body shape. I suspect that with some experimenting you could even do away with one of the straps entirely because the race vest sits so well on your body.

The vest also comes with a whistle which is useful as this can be a mandatory piece of race kit in many long distance Trail Ultras.

Gripes

I know its designed as a minimalist and lightweight solution but I cant help feeling I’d be willing to take another 1oz of weight to get a zip to hold the phone pouch and a zip on the back for one of the pouches for security of some items there too. On long races when you are bouncing around and clambering over and under things like rocks and trees you start to get this creeping paranoia that something might have fallen out. I love the black stealth color scheme but feel for the price this vest could have had a reflective strip front and back for safety.

Finally the breathability means this vest will not keep the rain out. You will need to think very carefully about configuration and small portable Drybags to ensure electronics,jacket and spare layer, salt tabs/ medical or batteries etc stay dry if you are expecting prolonged rain on your run.

Closest Contenders

If you want a little bit more storage capacity and waterproof fabric with secure zips then the Bakwin FKT vest might be worth considering but it is heavier.

If the price is a little high then the North Vest has the breathability and 7L of carrying capacity for $50 less if you can handle the primary color scheme.

Verdict

This stealthy Halo race vest from Ultimate Direction is designed by Jason Schlarb to be as light as possible with maximum storage. For an astonishing 6oz vest you get 11 litres of carrying capacity which is more than enough for a mandatory Trail race kit list well into the depths of winter. There are pouches for Waterproof Rain Jacket, Snacks, 2 softflask 17 oz water bottles and various smaller pouches for power charger packs, phone, sunglasses, bug and suntan lotion. The vest also has a pull toggle cinching system so you can adjust this vest to suit many different shapes for greater comfort. It also comes in a ladies version too.

Its easy to criticize and ask for a few more features like zipped pockets but the remit here is stealthy, minimalist and light. You’ll buy it for the badass stealth fighter color scheme but you’ll love it for the huge load carrying capacity and very breathable fine mesh fabric which makes this vest perfect for hot humid summer runs.

PURCHASE $169.95

Features

• Volume Capacity: 11 L / 671 in³
• Weight: 175 g / 6.2 oz
• Materials: Flex Mono Mesh, MicroMono Mesh, Stretch Woven Nylon/Spandex With DWR
• Sternum Straps: Yes
• Ice Ax Loops: No
• Trekking Pole Holders: Yes
• Whistle: Yes
• Front Phone Pocket: Yes
• Reservoir Compatible: Yes
• Bottle Included: 2 Body Bottle™ 500
• Reservoir Included: No

Sizing at Bottom Ribs:

• SM: 23 – 32 in / 58 – 81 cm
• MD: 30 – 39 in / 76 – 99 cm
• LG: 37 – 46 in /94 – 117 cm