Test Review of New Inov-8 Ultra Pack

Brendan Davies / 10.11.2013

Inov-8 athlete Brendan Davies has been testing out the companies new ultra racing vest ahead of its release early next year.

I have been using the ultra vest – which will be available to buy from February – for several months and recently wore it when finishing fourth in the Hakuba International Trail Race in Japan.

This race did not require copious amounts of mandatory gear - just a Windshell jacket (inov-8 Race Elite 105 Windshell), a phone and 500ml of water. Throughout the race I was never more than 8km from an aid station where I could refill my bottle with water.

My setup was one inov-8 500ml bottle filled with water in one side pocket of the ultra vest and my gel flask, electrolyte capsules and a bar in the other pocket to balance it out.

If the race hadn’t had as many aid stations, or the temperature was hotter and fluid requirements therefore higher, I would have used both 500ml bottles in the side pockets and used the top pockets of the vest for the other gear. I even may have even decided to go with the more familiar bladder option.

This is the beauty of the Race Ultra Vest - it has immense flexibility when it comes to race day setup. It enables you to cater specifically for the individual needs and requirements of different races.

I put my windshell and phone in the back compartment of the ultra vest. The interchangeable straps on the front allowed me to form the vest snug around my body without it ever feeling constrictive and the main back portion of the vest formed around the shape of my back very comfortably.

The race was a mixture of some tough ascents, steep slippery descents, technical trail and flat gravel road running.

Throughout the run there was no movement or bounce at all from the pack around my body or back.

Although the conditions on the day were quite muggy, it did not hinder my body heat dispersion. This is a classic trademark of minimalist inov-8 gear; you have all you need with this vest but nothing extra to weigh you down!

I was perspiring a lot throughout this race, but due to the non-absorbent material used in the ultra vest, it did not become a 'weight' on my back.

I guess the real workout for this vest was on the many steep, muddy, technical descents during the race. I found I could comfortably bomb down these without having to worry how the ultra vest was going to behave on such sharp corners requiring a range of motions. It stayed stable and secure at all times.

The drink bottle elastic that secures the bottle by looping over the top did the job and the elasticised side pockets kept my other gear and nutrition snug to my body. The same went for the gear in the back compartment.

During the race, using the drink bottle was fast and simple, the bottles came out of the pocket easily and slid back in. It is possible to do this with one hand. Like any race, I chose simpler, less technical sections of the course to take a drink or a slurp from my gel flask. Likewise, refilling the bottle at aid stations required just a quick and simple unscrewing of the lid.

The standout feature of this pack is the unique position of the side pockets for the drink bottles. The pockets sit above the hips on the side of the body between the arm swing. No other pack I know of has tried this positioning. It works so well!

My arms swung freely in my natural running gait and never once touched the bottle. I've used the pack many times now and am amazed at how much room there is between my body and arm swing. This is real innovative design at work!

The ultra vest ticks all the boxes. It is light, comfortable, secure and offers several race day setup options.

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