May is my birthday and I plan on ordering a new hydration vest - the Osprey Rev. 1.5 (I’ll explain why at the end.) But before I can feel somewhat clean about that decision, and justify it to Kimme, I’m going to talk about what I brought with me.
Followed by brief comments as to why I brought them here and how I’m using or not using them, from top right to lower left:
Ultimate Direction race belt with 10 oz. flask
Nathan race belt
Gossamer Gear medium pocket
First aid kit
U.D. flask holder
Simple Hydration 13 oz. bottle
5 oz flask
Camel back 24 oz. bottle
Orange Mud Single Quiver
Nathan 1.5 liter race vest (bladder below)
Hydrapak .5 liter vest (bladder to the left)
Geigerrig bladder with filter
I haven’t used the U.D. race belt here. I wasn’t sure whether I’d be racing or not or how aid stations would be spaced or would even exist. In the one race we’ve run here they had bite, squeeze and throw plastic bags filled with about 12 oz. of water. This arrangement is great for drinking on the run but very wasteful of water and I thought would lead to a large amount of unsightly plastic being distributed along the very scenic road to Cerro Punta. But they did a great job cleaning up afterward. This 10 oz. belt doesn’t hold enough water for our tempo runs.
The G.G. pocket I used for the first time yesterday for carrying my phone on our trail run. I don’t usually carry my phone. I do on the bike, and Kimme has been urging me to do so when we run, but I’m a stubborn guy and would rather just bring my small digital camera and I just don’t want to make space for something that’s so expensive when I tend to roll every once in a while. But I’m going to try and capitulate and start taking pictures with the phone and leave the camera. My only problems are adapting to using the phone as a camera and what to do if I don’t like the quality of pictures I’m getting, finding an easy access area for the phone, and adapting to the hassle of removing my gloves or buying gloves that work with the phone.
Long story longer…the pocket on the Nathan belt, which has a small stash pocket where I put my small first aid kit, worked much better than I expected and I’ll be using that combination on our trail runs until I get the new pack, or become frustrated with the phone, or break it in roll over. If it continues to work, and I hope it does, I’ll no longer have to find a spot in my pocket or a belt for my camera.
The U.D. flask holder seems like one of those handy items that should get a lot of use and though I use a flask, I just don’t like things on my waist so I don’t use it. That goes a long way in justifying the new pack. Everything I need will be stashed in the vest with easy access to the phone/camera and without the need for any other holders; belts, pockets, or otherwise.
The Simple Hydration bottle I use every week on our tempo run. It holds 13 oz and is the only hand held I’ve ever used. Small enough to be comfortable carrying and shaped so you can stash it behind you in your waistband if you want your hands free.
We ran out of gels here and we’re now making our own based on a recipe I was using in the States so a flask is indispensable for long rides or runs.
A water bottle, like the Camel Bak, on a bike or bottle pack, which I prefer for racing over a bladder system, is essential. I like the lockout feature of the Camel Bak.
The Orange Mud Single Quiver is my favorite bottle pack, though I do have some quibbles with it. The capacity limitation is one though with a 32 oz water bottle from a grocery store can serve to stretch it as far as a small vest pack like the Hydrapak. And the small gel holders on the shoulders are awkward and small. The double vest pack in the Orange Mud arsenal goes a long way in mitigating these gripes, but it’s not cheap at $150. For half that I can get the Osprey whose only small disadvantage I can see is its use of a bladder, and even that quibble is largely overcome with the bladder’s ease of access screw top. Though I wouldn’t use either of those in a race with a decent amount of rest stops and would still opt for the Hydraquiver single. I’ve been urging Josh, the owner, to develop a stripped down racing version that would forego the back pocket and just function as a gel/bottle holder and I hope he doesn’t forget about me once that’s in the works.
The Nathan vest I’ve used twice. I like it’s 1.5 liter capacity for longer runs but I’m always fidgeting with it. And there’s space for a pocket on one of the shoulders and for some inexplicable reason (cost?) , Nathan left it out. If this pack could hold my phone or camera in a decent spot, I’m sure I’d make more use of it and live with the niggling.
The Hydrapak is my favorite vest to date even with it’s limited fluid capacity of .5 liters, which I’ve been stretching over 3 hours; hence the desire for a larger pack. The pockets are also too small for a phone or camera, but if I wanted to wear a vest in a race, this would be the one.
The Geiggerrig bladder I’ve only used once; in the Grand Canyon where it’s unique feature of being able to purify water through the hose in the bladder, would’ve come in handy if access to water became problematic. I doubt I’ll use it here because if or when I filter water, I still prefer my MSR pump filter. I’m a bit of a priss and when it becomes necessary to filter here, seeing all the cows that are out and about, I’d prefer a system where I could avoid getting my hands in it. But Kimme may want to play with it and I’m sure I’ll use it for some hiking situations in the states or elsewhere. It was just too clever to leave behind and I didn’t know that cows are everywhere here. It also fits perfectly in the Nathan vest with that vest having a pocket the perfect size and position for the hand pump. So there’s a reason to hang on to that as well.
Throughout I’ve been dropping hints to my editor as to why I’m purchasing the Osprey for my birthday. But to summarize here briefly; I’m hoping that it’ll comfortable carry all that I need with ease of access for our long trail runs without the additional use of any other belts or pockets. And even it is perfect for my needs, I still wouldn’t promise it will be the last vest I buy. I was toying with the Raidlight Zone R Olmo because it uses bottles instead of a bladder, but the positioning of the bottles looks problematic for me. If anyone can come up with a two bottle pack that is comfortable and reasonably priced, I’d be tempted. But I am hoping the Osprey will fill the niche I would like to fill now.
No comments:
Post a Comment