I LOVE running with a backpack and have for 5 years now. Even when I head out for a 5k I put a running vest on. Mostly I like to carry water and a cell phone. I especially like the vest when I do a long trail run. I've owned 7 hydration packs now this one being my 8th.
Pro's (as I see it)
It's made well and has plenty of storage.
The material is stretchy and it will compress and stay snug when there is not a lot of stuff inside
CON's
The bladder has a strong plastic taste. No matter what I do to clean it. I've tried vinegar, baking soda, Dawn dishwashing liquid, I stored it in the freezer, etc. If I taste plastic then I am ingesting the stuff and I DON'T want to eat plastic.
The vest is too tight on my chest. I was sure to let out ALL of the strap adjustments and still the vest was too tight on my chest. I just didn't feel like I could breathe well while running with this on. Several times I would have to pull on the vest to feel like I could get a deep breath. The vest was not fully loaded other than the bladder was full. Note: I am 5' 8" and 155 lbs. I am not a big guy and I ordered the large vest. This should have been outfitted with longer straps--sorry, fail here.
The bite valve is terrible. I pulled it out and replaced it with a CamelBak valve. In fact, had I decided to stay with this pack I would have replaced the entire bladder.
I also found the pack to be very hot and heavy. Unlike any other pack I have run with, this one was very hot and felt really heavy. This turned me off.
The waffle material that sits against my back tends to irritate my skin unlike any other pack I have used. I think part of this is because the vest is so tight.
I have to make a comment about Nathan Sports Support too. I lost the magnet that holds the hose to the pack when I ran through some brush. I emailed Nathan Sports to see how I could purchase another one. I never heard back from them. Product support is so key to the success of any business. I'll say this again, product support is key to the success of any business.
I am truly disappointed that they did not get back to me.
I decided to go with a time-tested ultra-runner's pack and I purchased the Ultimate Direction PB Adventure Vest.
Click Here For Most Helpful Customer Reviews >>
Have to jump in and say I agree, this thing is a winner. I tried on all the ultimate direction signature offerings, the ultraspire omega and surge, the solomon skin offerings and the other nathan products. Nathan fits me (180lb, 6' tall, big shoulders, 42" chest, 32" waist) quite well (L/XL in the Vapor Wrap). The Vapor Wrap has the right amount of storage for the all day (and night?) runs in the mountains. In my mind, the whole point of a hydration vest is to have storage up front so you dont have to stop to eat or drink. This is accomplished well with all the storage on the Vapor Wrap. I find it incredibly comfortable and I dont get any pull back or sag like I did on the Omega. This thing just sits up high on the back and comes along for the ride. I can access the side pockets under the arms just fine while running. What's the downside? It's heavy. The ultimate direction signature series has the upper hand there. Unfortunately, they just don't ride as well on my body and if I'm going to run all day in something, fit is pretty much the most important feature. There are times when light is right, but with the fit of this Nathan, weight is great!Best Deals for Nathan Vapor Wrap 2L Hydration Pack
For those of you who have been running with Nathan gear your satisfied, to a point. Now, this Vapor will for sure put you at the satisfied point of 100%. It is built to spec, storage, stretch, smoothness, pouched and compression wise. Enjoy the trail now with room to pack those additional items you probably taped on left behind or compression wrapped on in the past. For you guys who are thicker 48" chest, don't worry it goes around and your able to reach back and get into the side pouches.Honest reviews on Nathan Vapor Wrap 2L Hydration Pack
This is not my first Nathan product, but unfortunately it may be my last. I really wanted to like this pack. It is sleek, stylish, seems to have plenty of storage, is highly reflective for my numerous nighttime runs, and can fulfill the majority of my hydration needs for my long trail runs. Unfortunately with the shortcomings of this pack, I'm ready to swear off Nathan altogether. I have over 150 trail miles on the pack so far, and here is what I came up with.First, the good. It has plenty of storage, and with a 2 L bladder it holds plenty of liquid for my longer runs. If the bladder isn't enough, there are two bottle holders in front for additional liquid. The design of the pack and the numerous straps help keep it snug on your body and eliminate bounce. The pack is comfortable to wear. I've spent plenty of time in the military on long road marches, or running with ill fitting packs, where at the end of the day it felt like my arms were being cut off. That is not an issue with this pack. It is highly reflective so when you're operating at night people can actually see you. The magnetic tube clip on the drinking hose is sufficiently strong to hold it in place when you're not using it. This is a great feature that keeps the hose from smacking you while you are running yet still allows you to grab the hose and put it up to your mouth and then return it securely without being cumbersome. It has plenty of storage for long runs for food, hydration, and equipment. It fills the niche for my trail running.
Now, the bad. Unfortunately there are number of things. First, why aren't the straps on top for the trekking poles removable? I am never, ever going to use them, so why must I be forced to use a pack that has them, that slap me on the side of the face with every step I take? The emergency whistle is removable (and good thing too since it's pretty much useless for anyone over 50 feet away to hear you), so why not the pole straps? I only ran a quarter-mile and had turn around and go back and cut them off.
The hose is a few inches too long. As is it will pound you in the chest the entire way, or if you use it with the magnetic holder will form a big loop that hits your arm constantly. I cut about eight or nine inches off of mine. This is perhaps just personal preference.
The bottle holders will work with plain bottles, but not with a Nathan QuickDraw. So if you want to hold a bottle in your hand while you drink it and then shove it back in your pack when it's empty, you will have to shove it in upside down (still a pain and doesn't work well), or completely stop your run and fiddle around putting it in the back. It does not seem conducive to doing things while you are running.
It comes with a little Velcro pouch that is removable. It fits perfectly on the front around the main straps. Unfortunately the Velcro is so weak that bouncing from running on the trail keeps pulling it apart. I had almost nothing in it with just some fruit snacks but it could not even hold that weight. It needs to have stronger Velcro, or a strap/snap system of some sort to hold it on because it's simply not dependable. I kept having to reseal the Velcro every mile or risk losing it. Nothing is more annoying than the sound of velcro coming apart with every step you take for 26 miles.
There are two zippered pockets on the lower back of the pack. The placement is good and they are the perfect size for my headlamp or snacks. Unfortunately, the zippers face the wrong direction. The majority of the time you are taking things out of your pack, not putting them back in, so you want the zippers to be easier to open than they are to close. When they're on your back, you want the zippers to pull toward you (forward), not away from you (back). Not only for this reason, but so if you snag them on the brush, it will pull the zippers closed, not open them and risk losing the contents of the pocket. When I first looked at it I thought, those are going to open in the brush. I just had this happen on a 20 mile trail run. When I got back to my car, I noticed one of the pockets had been completely opened somewhere along the trail and my Clif bars were hanging out. This seems like common sense design to me. If I don't feel safe taking my gear on a 20 mile trail run with this pack, there is no way I would trust it on a 50 mile ultra.
There is a nasty plastic taste I keep getting out of the mouthpiece. Nothing is worse than being in the middle of a trail run and getting a wretched plastic taste in your mouth. I have washed it, and bleached it, and done everything in between. It goes away for a while and then the next time I use the pack it is back. In all my years of using camel backs I've never had this issue with a mouthpiece doing this.
The reflective tape on the back is great for safety, but it appears to have zero durability. I have only washed mine only once in the washer on gentle cycle and let it air dry, and already the reflective tape is falling off. So is the big yellow "NATHAN" lettering on the back. Come on guys, this is ridiculous. What am I supposed to do, not wash it and embrace the stench?
Nathan seems proud of their Bladder Control System, and even went to the trouble of trademarking it. The system works ok (when is someone going to design a tank baffle system?), but has one giant weak link. The bladder is hung upright in the pack by a little plastic hook at the top. The hook has no sort of positive retention device (like a carabiner), it's just an open hook that the loop on top of the water bladder slides into. On all but a couple of my runs the bladder came unhooked and ended up in a crumpled ball at the bottom of the pack, beating me in the kidneys the whole way. Why go to the trouble of designing and trademarking a fancy Bladder Control System if you're going to kneecap it with a cheesy little hook that took five minutes to design? That would be like NASA using duct tape to hold the space shuttle door closed. Why not use a simple plastic carabiner instead that cannot come unhooked?
At this point I have to wonder, did Nathan bother even field testing this pack, or did they just give it to the lowly intern in the office and have them run around the building a couple times? I don't expect this pack to withstand military testing or the stuff that I went through in combat, but it should be able to function on a simple trail run and perform the basic tasks of hydration and gear carrying. Unfortunately with the toxic plastic taste, accessories that smack you in the face, zippers that open during runs, water sloshing on your back hitting you in the kidneys because the bladder comes loose, and reflective material falling off after washing, this pack falls far short of expectations.
Bottom line: I really want to like this pack. It looks cool. Its fits comfortably. Unfortunately this pack falls way short of expectations. If I hadn't used it so much and customized it, I would have sent it back long ago. If this is the standard of Nathan products, I'm never buying another one.
-------------------------------
Update 9-22-13
I ran the Birkie Trail Marathon wearing this pack, a brutal trail run in Wisconsin with 4500' of incline on the hills. Somewhere around mile four the bladder came unhooked inside the pack and proceeded to pound me in the kidneys for the next 22 miles. This is the last time I buy a Nathan product. This pack is a piece of crap. Don't buy it.
Find helpful customer reviews and review ratings for Nathan Vapor Wrap 2L Hydration Pack
pros:very roomy
main water pouch bounces less with adjustable secure straps on bottom and top corners.
reflective.
accesible compartments on the sides.
does not cause any skin chaffing.
i specially liked the detachable magnetic clip on the end of the tube.
cons:
2 mini bottle pounch located in front, would bother you after around 30k, mainly because of the slight pounding on the ribs.
whistles are abit flimsy.
I used these for my first 50k trail. packed quite alot of fuel including headlamp.
I might have packed too much fuel, I'd say this is suitable for longer distances as well. 4.5kg is no problem :)
No comments:
Post a Comment