From GRP biathlete Hallie Grossman.

At this point in my life, I’d call myself a veteran cross-country skier. This is my sixth year as part of the Green Racing Project and I have eleven years of training logs to look back at, which means literally thousands and thousands of hours of training. What else does this mean? A couple thousand hours of running and hiking, much of it while carrying water. These hours have led to getting either particularly bruised hips from a water belt, chafed shoulders from a somewhat ill-fitting backpack with a bladder in it, or a tired hand from carrying a water bottle with a hand-held carrier. Last summer, amidst a long training camp in Lake Placid, I made a purchase that changed my life, or at least the comfort of my adventures: the S/Lab Sense Ultra 8 Set running vest.

Water carriers of all types in this photo! Though both these ladies have since gotten similar vests to me.

The Salomon version is the only one I own. I did try on a few others before purchasing this one, but after just one run with the Salomon vest I was hooked. Since then, my running vest has accompanied me on adventures of all lengths; from hour-long run-hikes in the Green Mountains to six-hour run-hikes in the South Tyrolian Alps. This summer, I started using it biking too! My three favorite parts of the vest are: 1) how comfortable it is, 2) how accessible the water is, and 3) how much stuff I can fit in it.

Kelsey rocking the vest while mountain biking. She may be responsible for getting us all into them!

Salomon makes an array of different vests with a wide variety of storage capacities, from 2 to 12 liters. I chose 8 liters because it seemed big enough to carry everything I would need, but not so big it would run the risk of getting bulky.

Comfort: I’ve worn this vest with everything from a light down jacket and a raincoat to just a sports bra, and it’s adjustable enough that I can achieve a snug fit with all that variation in thickness. Every once in a while, with just the right humidity, I get a little bit of rubbing along my neck but that can definitely be mitigated by wearing a shirt with a little more coverage (not a thin-strapped tank top or sports bra) or using an anti-chafe product. I barely feel the vest or it’s contents when running, which is some impressive engineering.

Water accessibility: The two half-liter flasks that come with the vest have designated pockets with bungees to keep them in place on the front. Using only one hand, you can easily drink from them on the go. They’re made of flexible plastic, so they decrease in size as you drink. For longer adventures, I also throw my third flask or a one-liter bladder in the back pocket. I use the one-liter bladder to fill up the two front flasks when they are empty, but I think you could also hook up a hose and use it like a more traditional running backpack too. The only time the water hasn’t seemed super accessible is while biking, because you have to look down while drinking, which isn’t ideal on the road. But then again, the vest isn’t touted for biking.

Also, the flasks can be used as a water vessel apart from the vest and fit nicely in small places, like a pocket.

All the stuff I can fit in it: This is my favorite part! I am a notorious over-packer, whether it’s for a run or three months on the road. My running vest readily supports this habit. For an adventure of four hours or less, I usually bring 2 liters of water, a wool shirt, and a slew of snacks. For something longer or a session with more variable weather conditions, I will bring a lot more. The vest can easily and comfortably (though it may start to look a little dorky) hold: windbreaker, wool shirt, buff, hat, and enough snacks to feed approximately four people for eight hours. Also, because I am a millennial, I know my phone fits well in the front pocket.

A sample of what may go in there on a long day

Alps hike. Note the windbreaker in the back pocket and the bladder poking out the of the top. There were also two flasks in the front. And this was a long hot day.

This spring, I’ve been testing the versatility of the garment and using it for running errands too. Still gets an A+ rating!

Eggs fit well too! Though I did try to avoid the potholes.

*This may sound like a sales pitch, but I promise Salomon isn’t paying me.

Things we're digging: Salomon running vest