Ultimate Direction signature Ultra packs

For a good few years I have been lusting after a Salomon S-Lab running vest, but have never had the money to burn or the pressing need to actually seek one out and try it on. (Especially as the only places I could ever see to buy one were online...)
This weekend I had the pleasure of being on the general support for the Ultra Tour de Peak District in the guise of a massage therapist, I got to see a load of guys using one.

It rides pretty damn high. 

However, more interestingly, a good number of the competitors were using a seemingly lighter weight version of the same idea of pack, made by Ultimate Direction, and I managed get hold of 2 different versions to try on and generally play around with.

No I haven't actually worn one for running, sorry to say, but I don't quite have that clout...

Ultimate Direction are a company from the USA which has been in the ultra running market for quite some time, as such they have a fair amount of design experience. With this, the signature series of packs, they have roped in the design assistance of some pretty hefty names in the ultra world, including Scott Jurek and Anton Krupika.

First impressions of the packs is that they sit very high on the back, coming down to mid-back only, so it encompasses pretty much only the thoracic region, not extending down the the lumbar area, meaning that the motion of the hips when running should have no effect on the stability of the bag whatsoever.

The next thing to note is the ridiculous lightweightness of the materials used. The main material is a Hex-Mesh, which is pretty much see through, but has a reassuring non-rippiness to it, the pockets are very very stretchy, and seem to be made of some kind of power-stretch fabric, used in a lot of other lightweight kit, and the expandable parts of the main pocket is made of a thin white scrunchly material, somewhat akin to sail fabric called Cuban-fibre. It is light and tough. In fact, it seems tear resistant and nigh on indestructable. Apparently the fabric is the same grade of stuff used to make sails for the Americas yachts - it's non-woven, is not affected by UV rays, moisture or chemicals, and is 15 times stronger than steel. So they say.

There are 3 different signature models to choose from, The Jurek Ultra vest is 9.2 litres, and boasts attachments for ski poles or an ice axe, the mid-range model the Adventure Vest- designed by Pete Bakwin is 8.5 litres, and apparently has a specific pocket for a locator beacon (this is the one that I didn't have a chance to try on), and the smallest version, the minimalist Race Vest has an expandable back, which goes to about 4 litres or so.

Each of these vests share some generic detailing, with the twin bottle holders on the front, the gel pockets in the top front of the vest. zipped pockets on the "wings" and the elastic compression across the back.

The Ultra Vest

Ultra Vest - Back

Very briefly - this has more pockets than you can shake a stick at. It would take a good memory, or a whole lot of practice at packing, racing and re-packing this bag in exactly the same way to ensure that you don't forget what you have stowed in each pocket, else you'll spend half the race trying to remember where you put that special caffiene gel.
It is relatively easy to get to most of the pockets, on the outside of the bottle holders, underneath the bottle holders etc. but because the vest sits so high, the underarm zipped pockets do need a bit of flexibility to be used on the go.

Pockets under the Water bottles- a feature on the Ultra vest and the Race vest

The expandable back piece looks like it could comfortably hold everything I'd need for a fell race, up to and including the Trigger, and maybe even with a small waterbladder in there as well. I'd be happy on solo runs for a very long distance. Which is kind of the idea.

Gel pockets on the Water Bottle pockets- a great idea

Cuban Fabric. You can also see the compression hooks, and the tops of the 2 zipped pockets. 

Hex mesh. See through, hyper-lightweight. Somewhere to store a waterbladder if you need to. There are various routing options for the tube as well. 

Everything looks to be to hand, except the stuff that you'd want to take the vest off for anyway- waterproofs etc.

The Race vest
A very pared down version of the Ultra Vest. Less pockets, less weight. The basic design is the same with the double bottles on the front, and a small back pouch, but this time with no zips. The pockets on the sides of the drink holders have gone, but the ones under the bottle remain, which is a nice touch. The wing pockets under the armpits are even smaller on this model, making arm/shoulder flexibility an absolute must if you are going to access these while on the move. This is the only one of the 3 which has an adjustable strap under the arm as well as over the shoulder, so it is a bit more tighten-up-able.

The rear pockets are small, and pretty far back, but the vest is crazily low profile. You can also see the strap to tighten in around the side of the body. 

No zips. Just a lightweight closure to keep stuff in and compressed down. 

Again, rides high on the back, has gel pockets above and below the bottles. 

This, the lightest and most minimal of the lot, I can see being of use on long Trail Races in the Summer, or on the continent. Though to be honest, if I needed to, I'd only really use the one bottle on a race, and use the other bottle holder to carry a map, or something along those lines- but then I don't tend to drink crazy amounts of water when running anyway.

You may have noticed the bottles.... they have a camelbak type opening thing, this is the bottle in the closed position

And this is open. They seem pretty robust, but only time will tell what repeated pulling on them with your teeth will do. 

Both of these designs are a quantum shift away from the classic bumbag, with the constriction around the waist. Yes, they provide constriction around the upper thorax, but also distribute the weight across more area of the body. Would breathing be compromised on a huge or fast uphill? I'm not so sure, as the material is pretty stretchy. Yes, there may be some compromise, but maybe less than with a bumbag.

Overall then, yes, lightweight. Yes, very handy bits of kit. Yes, I can imagine running with one and feeling better about it than with a bumbag.
However, these things come at a cost. £75 for the race vest, £95 or thereabouts for the Ultra Vest and £125 for the Adventure vest.
For dedicated Ultrarunners, comparing these to the S-Lab vests, this is almost a no-brainer, so too is the weight, 212g for the Jurek Model, in comparison with the S-Lab 5 litre Hydration system at 313g, and £120 (but it does come with a water bladder) or the S-Lab 12 at £150 and 400g or so.

So it would seem there is a new voice on the Ultralight Ultra running market. I'm not sure that it will penetrate into the tightfisted world of the fellrunner, though I suspect we will be seeing more and more of these excellent packs around and about the place in the coming months.

Should I get a version to try on and run around the Peaks and the Lakes, I'll stick up a review to show how it goes.

One of the Vests about to be used on the 30 mile Intro Ultra at the UTPD this weekend just gone. 

Scrambling in Wales

Spent the weekend scrambling in Wales with a small and select group of people.
Despite rain threatening to ruin the weekend by falling on Friday night as we drove over, Saturday and Sunday were beautiful days, but with a bit of low cloud base at one point on Sat which saw the top of Tryfan and the Glyders swallowed by the grey stuff.

It was a scrambling weekend, and so we were helping others gain their "legs" on steep ground, increase confidence, and also give pointers in terms of route choice, and, perhaps more importantly, route finding. The guidebooks can be written in sometimes esoteric English, which has been known to cause a few issues in terms of knowing exactly where one is going.

Saturday saw us meet in a cafe for the obligatory pre-scramble coffee. Pinnacle Cafe in Capel was the place of choice, where we looked at the weather forecast, discussed the process for the day and generally got ready.
Routes of the day consisted of Nor Nor Gully on Tryfan, followed by Bristly ridge on the Glyders. Both Grade 1, and with the exception of a bit of a step on Bristly ridge, not too technical.
After driving to the side of the road at Tryfan, we got some helmets on and did a little bouldering, to see how everyone moved on rock, saw what kind of confidence each individual had, and pointed out a couple of learning issues, and satisfied that all was well, continued up to Heather terrace.
I think the biggest problem with the guys we were helping out was the route finding to the base of the scramble, decyphering what the book says into what is going on around you. Obviously word count is always an issue, and sub-editors are notorious for cutting out key words in descriptions, however, with a measure of practice, it becomes almost second nature.

After a few stoppages to work out just what the book was saying, we reached the base of the scramble, (the difference between a scree path and a scree slope was an interesting discussion for a few minutes). The actual scrambling was good, and, as ever, it was a case of follow the polish on the rock.
My knowledge of Safety on steep ground was renewed and practiced, ready for the ML assessment that I need to take at some point soon, and with in a couple of hours we were at the top having lunch.
The gulley itself was delightfully quiet and secluded, but all illusion of that was blown away on getting to the top where hordes of people were gathered around Adam and Eve, eating lunch etc. Not my ideal spot for stopping, I would rather have stopped in a more secluded spot, and bashed on through the more crowded areas as soon as I could, but there you go.

After a spot of lunch, we headed on down the flank of the hill and then up to Bristly ridge. Helmets on was a very good idea, a lot of loose rock and a large amount of people on the hill, and in particular in the gulley, made it potentially a bit of a dangerous place to be. However, it all went off without a hitch, and we were on the top and ready to head down before long.
There were a couple of tricky moves in there, and again, the safety on steep ground training came in useful- not in terms of saving people, but more in terms of giving them the confidence to go ahead and do the moves.

The descent was long, but uneventful, as you tend to hope that they are. Most accidents occur on the way down.

Second day was led by the clients, and we were taken up a lovely little scramble Y Gribin. It was gratifying to see hordes of people heading up Snowden by various ways and means, and there we were, on our own, quiet and secluded, without the madness of the crowds churning around us.
Properly nice.
The Midges were out in force on top, and so we soon had to wander our way down.

Here is a link to photos of the weekend on facebook

Throughout the entirety of the course I wore my Dragon Jacket- although some would say it is too hot, I found that with only a long sleeved t-shirt under it, the vents and zip were enough to give me the flexibility to be warm or cool enough right the way through both days (except the final descent where it got up to about 28 degrees), without actually having to stop to put on or take off any layers.
For general mountain days, I have to say that I am very impressed, even though its meant for cold days only. I think by modifying the type of base layer underneath, it will continue to be a very versatile bit of kit.
My OMM Jischirinca stood up well, but I was a little concerned that the material wasn't all that tough so was worried about scraping it over rock all the time. Its a great light rucksack, but I think I need something a little more heavy duty for scrambling/ mountaineering. The only issue is, all the Alpine sacks have removable waist harnesses- I understand why, but I do like to have things like hats and gloves in accessible places like in hip belt pockets and other "useful" places- which seem few and far between on "robust" packs.
Again, I understand why, but will have to keep searching for a rucksack that meets all my requirements...

Osprey Talon 5.5

So for the 15 trigs, I decided not to take my tried and trusted berghaus bladdered- which is now, somewhat disappointingly discontinued, and managed to blag the Talon 5.5 from Lynne to run with. It was a slight gamble having only walked with it once before, and never having actually run with it for a short while, let alone a long run.

Looking at the bits and bobs that I was going to need for the run, it normally all fits quite well into the 8+2 of the bladdered, but would it fit in the Osprey-when it only allegedly takes 5.5 litres.

All packed up and ready to go

3litre bladder, food, spare hat and gloves, a map, waterproof and a minimalist first aid kit (with spare socks). The osprey swallowed it all very well indeed, though with the 3 litre bladder full, it was a little uncomfortable- at least until some of it was consumed, and then it sat very well on the back indeed.

For food on the go, the Talon boasts 2 elasticated pockets on the shoulder straps- just like all other Talons, and that is the only place you can really store stuff- there are no pockets on the hip belts- which is a real shame- I know that it is meant to be pretty minimalist, but even an elasticated one like on the Raptor series would have been a really good touch- nevermind. I could fit 3 geobars in each of the shoulderstraps, so that was potentially about 6 hours food there without stopping anyway.

Geobars stuffed in the front pockets and you can see the full bladder in the pocket- bulging out the back panel

I was wearing the Small/medium back length sack, which was just about perfect for me, Medium/large would have pretty much swamped me, though being pretty much a Medium fit means that I can get away with either.
It was a comfortable fit as soon as I put it on- except for the minor issue with the overfull waterbladder- and I have to say that as time went on and I refilled a couple of times, it was always a bit of an issue getting the bladder in and out of the section made for it.
(I should point out here that I was using an Osprey 3 litre Hydraulics bladder with the slightly re-enforced back to help it retain a specific shape as you fill it up - as opposed to being a sack of water- but I think that it detracts from the concept especially as it just felt like it was causing a pressure point against the middle section of my spine which a camelback would not have)
Maybe I would have been better off with a 2 litre bladder which wouldn't have filled out so much space in the pack- however, it worked, if with a bit of pain for a short while every time I filled it up to the brim.

The harness fit snugly around me, and I was astonished to find that as we ran, my top did not creep up my back. No matter which rucksac I have used for running with in the past, I have always had that annoying issue of my top slowly riding up my back so that I end up with flesh pressed against the rucksac. The way to prevent this was always to crank the harness down as much as I could- which actually ended up melting a couple of my t-shirts because of the friction. (I still use them, its just that they aren't quite as photogenic anymore)!

It was comfortable, held all the bits and bobs I needed it to, it didn't melt my top, or let it ride up, however, it would be perfect if it had a few more little pockets around the bag which you could get to as you are wearing it, instead of having to take it off everytime you want to get hold of something else other than chocolate bars and water. (like a camera or such like).

A good running bag, but not perfect- and if you use it with a bladder, use a 2 litre one, or a 3 litre that isnt quite full.

Osprey Talon series

Osprey Talon rucksacs.
They look pretty- and have just had a bit of an update as well- with bike helmet carrying tabs attached on the 5.5, 11 and 22 litre models. They are lightweight, and they seem to be semi-water resistant.
Are they any good though? I mean... its a lot of money for what looks like a pretty flimsy rucksac.

Simple answer- yes- if it fits your back.
These rucksacs have a flexible back system, and a big thing at the moment, is to ask for a rucksac with a "frame thing that keeps it away from my back- I hate having a sweaty back".
Unfortunately I have news for you.
If you dont want a sweaty back, dont wear a rucksac. I dont care how "ventilated" a back system is, or how much air it claims to circulate around your spine, if you wear a rucksac, you will have a sweaty back. End of.
So, the key is to find a rucksac which is comfortable, doesnt dig into you, and supports the weight of all the stuff you are lumbering around with.

The Talons do a remarkable job of this, especially when you consider the generous sizing. The 22litre certainly seems to be a very big 22 litre, especially when you look at other 25 litre sacs on the market which seem a goodly amount smaller, and I swear that the 5.5 that we took delivery of recently holds the same amount, if not more than my old beaten up Berghaus Bladdered 8+2.
The carrying capacity is excellent. Thats all you really need to know about the sizing. Think of a rucksac of that size, and what you could probably fit into it, and then add another jacket- thats the size.
The weight- ridiculously light. In fact, when trying these on, make sure that it has some kind of weight in it, or else you'll just stand there going... well... I cant feel it.
Even when you do have weight in there, it doesnt feel like there is. The amount of people I have persuaded to put this on, with weight, got them to do up the straps correctly- and then wander around and then exclaimed about the weight carrying properties of this sac is quite unreal.

It must be pointed out here that the fabric does feel a little flimsy- and in fact this was one of the reasons why an independent store didnt stock Osprey for a good long time- they thought the build quality wasnt good enough and that theyd break within a small amount of use and abuse. The store was given a couple to try and break- this was about 5 years ago- and despite large amounts of effort on rock, scree, gorse etc, and several times through the wash, they are still going strong.
They now stock Osprey.
The series follows a general trend, they use the same back system- which can be adjusted- each litre size comes in a Small/med and a Med/large back length- and the only one which has a "frame" is the 44- but it is so light as to be barely noticable. They all have one main pocket, a spare stow pocket, a pocket on each side of the waistbelt- (SO handy), a stretchy stow pocket on the back and space for a hydration system. The 5.5, 11 and 22 have zip closure on the main pocket (which I have never seen break), and the 33 and 44 have flip open lids like "normal old school" rucksacs- and the 44 has an extendible lid as well.

Its almost like I have nothing bad to say about these rucksacs.
But hang on.There is a small niggling thing that gets to me. The waterproofness and a minor design feature which can spell disaster in particularly bad weather.
In between the back system and the rest of the rucksac is a pouch where a hydration system is meant to go- (and you can see the hydration system in the picture of the red rucksac). In really bad, properly apocalyptic rain, the water goes straight down this hole, and although there is a drainage hole at the bottom of the bag, anything inside the bag gets soaked. Its like having a direct rainspout into the section next to the main compartment.
(this can obviously be remedied by drybags and the like- but it is a weakness in design in my book- as there is only a piece of fabric dividing the H2O section from the rest of the bag).
Apart from that though, seriously, these are great bags. In the past few months I have seen many more of them around in London on the backs of commuters, Ive seen them in the hills, on bikers, hikers and climbers.
There appear to be a lot of fiddly straps and clips and stuff when you first get your hands on it- but the great thing is, you dont HAVE to have them. I know one guy who on buying a talon 44, ripped all the extraneous straps and bits and pieces off it, and then proclaimed it was a "perfect" sac.

So- all in all, good, light, robust, useful features, a minor defect (if you are in the rain), but a brilliant buy, that just doesnt die. (well, the 22 in our house hasnt yet, but we are continuing to use and abuse it and we've only just got the 5.5...)