I have been looking at Nathans HPL hydration running vest for quite some time but never saw the need with all the other options I had at hand. It finally came to pass that I had to replace a pack and I jumped on the chance to finally fulfill my want. Made by runners for runners this is a very light pack made to feel natural on your body. The bulk of the material is a soft mesh liner that allows air flow to and from your body. The front is a very short vest that reaches just below the pectoral muscles. Aside from the vest flaps which hold the pockets the vest has a chest strap with fastek connectors. The left side connector, the female end, also has a built in clip to hold the hydration hose. Two loops, one on each shoulder, round out the decorations on the vest. It is mostly for holding the drinking tube in place but you can be surprised at what else could be attached here.
The vest has three pockets; on the right side is a mesh pocket with a drawstring with cord lock. It can hold between 3-5 gel packs depending on your brand. It could also hold anything else of approximate size like food or hard items as a SPOT gps messenger or camera.The left side has a zippered nylon pocket with a mesh pocket on the outside. The zippered pocket is for securing more sensitive items. I have used mine to hold my iPhone to play the Oo Tunes or Endurance Planet podcasts while running. The mesh pocket on the outside of the zippered pocket has no securing so I have not used it for anything other than used gel packages or something light I could safety pin or dummy cord through the mesh. I may in the future add a velcro tab or my own drawstring with cord lock. The positioning of the pockets is low on vest and occassionally my arm would run it as I moved but it never impaired my form or felt uncomfortable.
The rear pack made of nylon is designed for the hydration bladder and minimal gear storage. It has a main zippered compartment for the bladder, a smaller zippered gear pocket on top and marginal but effective stretch cord to hold a light rain shell or hat. There is no outside stash pockets as this is the function of the vest in front.
Utilitarian in design, the gear pocket that is on top of the pack is quite small, with enough room for only items like energy bars, sunglasses, gloves, extra socks, a beanie or those small necessity's any runner might need such as chap-stick, TP, cash or sunscreen.There is a inner mesh pocket to hold the smallest items and a plastic d-ring for keys.
Utilitarian in design, the gear pocket that is on top of the pack is quite small, with enough room for only items like energy bars, sunglasses, gloves, extra socks, a beanie or those small necessity's any runner might need such as chap-stick, TP, cash or sunscreen.There is a inner mesh pocket to hold the smallest items and a plastic d-ring for keys.
The main pack is big enough for the 2 liter hydration bladder. It is made of very light material and reviews online have discussed this can leak. I have not had this problem thus far. The top is a fold over flap that you slide a plastic clip over. I have seen this on my my other drinking systems and prefer it to screw caps. Everyone has an opinion on bite valves, mine is that this is as good as any and I actually drank better from this than other so called, 'big flow' valves. At the top of the main bag is loop to hang the reservoir from so it doesn't collapse to the bottom of the bag as it empties. When the bladder is filled with 2 liter of water I have only been able to fit a long sleeve technical shirt in the same compartment.
Nathans touts this item having a 3 Way Propulsion system. This is a fancy way of saying the pack doesn't bounce around on your back. On the bottom of the main pack is a plastic tab. The side straps that control how tight you wear the vest weave through this tab. After a short run with the vest cinched tight like a backpack I had the dreaded runners-rub-rash under my armpits. After loosening the straps I no longer had this happen and while I felt like the vest was too loose to my liking, it actually feels better to wear and there was still no bounce in the pack. So the system does as designed as far as I could tell.
At $85, cheaper if you look online, this is not an item you buy on impulse. If however you are a runner and you use a pack to hold water, I strongly advise you to try one on before you buy something else made for mountain biking or intended to hold more than 2 liters of water. At less than 6oz empty a runner will be hard pressed to find anything lighter or more comfortable for the road or trail.
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