The CamelBak Trail Run Vest Has your Back!

Spring days bring prime trail running weather to Oregon, with many runners plotting longer weekend adventures in the woods. These adventures call for appropriate trail running gear, including a good hydration vest or pack to carry water, snacks, extra layers and other long run essentials. Always looking for new favorite running gear, I was excited to get the CamelBak Women’s Trail Run Vest to test on long runs.

Looks

This particular vest is a women’s fit, and it comes in a pretty aqua shade and muted pastels (other colorways and a men’s fit are available). There’s a lot of mesh, including the full panel that sits against your back, and the vest is very lightweight – nothing about it looks or feels bulky.

You can immediately tell that you’ll get lots of adjustment options; there are pockets, loops, straps and buckles to hold and organize everything you may wish to carry with you, though the design is fairly plain and simple. It also has a few reflective elements both on the front and the back. It’s a good start – top marks in the looks department!

Function

I took the vest on a few long road and trail runs. Those maxed out at 2 hours and the weather was decent, so I didn’t need to carry a lot with me. The capacity of this vest was perfect for my needs. A hydration vest is a convenient way to carry water and fuel, but it was also easy to fit in my phone, keys and a small stick of Body Glide – with plenty of room to spare. Or rather, it became a lot more spacious once I figured that I much prefer a hydration bladder in the back to bottles in the front pockets.

This vest comes with two soft 17oz flasks in the front pockets, and on my very first run I used those. The caps lock with a simple twist to keep them from leaking, and the soft, collapsible design undoubtedly makes for a more comfortable fit when compared to hard plastic bottles. It’s also great for those who like having water in one bottle and electrolytes or carbs in the other.

However, as I drank and the flasks emptied, it got increasingly difficult to get the floppy, half-empty bottles back in the pockets on the move – they don’t have long straws, so you have to take them out to drink. I ended up having to stop to secure them back in the pockets and readjust the chest straps every time.

On my subsequent runs, I decided to try the vest with one of my existing hydration bladders instead, and it was a very different story! A 1.5-liter bladder fit in the back pocket with ease, freeing up the front pockets and giving me a much more comfortable fit.

The pockets in the front are actually pretty large and can hold a lot – one of them also has a zip, which makes it more secure. Once the bouncing flasks were out of the way, the chest straps also held really well, with no need to readjust. For me personally, this was a much better option, and it’s nice to have this versatility.

Construction

The CamelBak Women’s Trail Run Vest is made with recycled materials and safer chemicals, with a 3D vent mesh that’s engineered to maximize airflow. It definitely felt very breathable in the temperatures I wore it in – admittedly no higher than about 60. The chest straps are securely attached with a hook-and-loop mechanism, with great adjustability to find your perfect fit.

The slight elasticity of the straps was something that in my opinion made the fit better and added to the comfort. As mentioned, pocket space is pretty versatile and I found the size and capacity of the pockets excellent for my needs once the flasks were out. The vest also comes with a trekking pole attachment, safety whistle and a tube trap for a hydration bladder.

Fit

The fit is a women’s one size, but of course we’re all different sizes and shapes. For me personally, the fit was much better when used with a hydration bladder versus the flasks that came with the vest. Some of it is just personal preference, but the vest also stayed in place much better when I opted for the bladder. With the bottles, I found myself tugging at the chest straps to adjust the tightness on the run – this wasn’t the case with a bladder.

Overall, the vest is lightweight, very comfortable and easily adjustable. It didn’t bounce, press or chafe anywhere – I was barely aware of having it on while running, which is exactly what you want! Getting snacks out of the pockets was easy enough while on the move.

Overall

I really enjoyed this vest once I figured out how I wanted to use it and what the best adjustments were. It has a good amount of capacity and storage options for a couple of hours on the run. It is a hydration vest, not a pack, so it’s not big enough for very long runs in hot weather or if you need to carry more than one lightweight layer of clothing, but for everyday runs it works great. I enjoyed it and will continue to use it as my go-to hydration option for longer runs.