OrangeMud Gear Vest Review

Previously on the blog, I have reviewed the OrangeMud single hydraquiver vest. So I’ve been running with OrangeMud utility vests for a few years now (including the Vest Pack 2 that I have not yet reviewed here but will soon).

The Gear Vest is different than the bottle-based vests, not just in the hydration area but also in the design and in how we carry items, as well as the total capacity for how much the Gear Vest allows us to carry.

Perhaps the easiest first distinction to make is the 1L bladder made by Hydrapak. This allows us to carry more water than the 20 ounce OrangeMud bottles. It is similar in that the water is still parked on our back but stays in the backpack (unless refilling it) unlike the bottles fitting in the holster or saddles.The water is dispensed with a leakproof straw. I was very impressed with how little water was spilled once I practiced how to drink and dispense the water correctly. Occasionally you may accidentally water your shoes, clothes or dog if you aren’t careful which direction you are pointing the straw. But simply squeezing the straw on the end tip dispenses the water. Very simple. The hydration bladder is very simple to fill: just slide the clamp off and fill it up no further than the max fill line. And it can be cleaned in the dishwasher. When you place the bladder in the backpack, there is a velcro faster to hold it in place. Just make sure to secure it with velcro so it doesn’t move around in the backpack.

One thing you will notice about the gear vest is the depth of the main side front pockets. I tried to stuff these full several times and it holds a lot of items. Up to 1L capacity for gear. Additionally there are two higher-placed shoulder pockets designed for nutrition but very handy for placing items like hand sanitizer (1 oz) and my asthma inhaler, kleenex, dog bags, etc. Basically smaller items that may not fit in the deep pockets that you might need easy access to. After a while, I began to see the upper shoulder pockets as mini paper-towel dispensers, especially for our dog waste bags.

There are two tiny pockets in front for trash/garbage. They aren’t very deep. One must be careful at times because these small pockets aren’t big enough to hold our phones (use the deeper pockets for this). So it’s just a matter of retraining ourselves where the phone goes. The single hydra has single pockets so it’s simpler. But I like the ability to compartmentalize trash into small pockets for easy disposal later.

When you first try on the gear vest, you will need to adjust the side straps so it’s not too tight/too loose and also the buckle straps in front. It’s double buckle straps instead of singles that we are used to with other OM vests like the hydra single or VP-2. So that just takes some getting used to. For some reason, I’ve had trouble remembering to buckle my OM hydra single vest before starting runs. With the Gear Vest, I haven’t noticed that. The buckle straps are handy for keeping the straw to the side (right side usually). Just slide the straw under one or both straps (your preference). If you run without your phone, you could probably just place the straw in the right (deep) pocket when you run. Even with your phone, too because of the leakproof design of the Hydrapak bladder/straw.

Before, I forget, OrangeMud is offering a 15% off code for purchase of the OM Gear Vest if you use the following code:”BRGV15″. So make a note of it and save some dough.

If you are used to running with the OrangeMud bottle-based vests, you might notice that you feel this vest a little more in the shoulders at first. After a while (maybe a week), it was pretty easy to adjust. The other vests center the weight in the upper back a little bit more. The gear vest has the front pockets closer to the shoulders than the others where the pockets are about midway between shoulder and neck on both sides.

There are helpful cargo straps in back that can be used to hold a hat, jacket, or other items that you may need on your runs/bike rides. I tested a visor and jacket with the cargo straps and it held these in place (in fact the jacket is visible in the photo above). I wanted you to see what the vest looks like with gear. I will show some photos of it without gear below.

The vest is very practical, useful, durable, versatile, and lightweight. It is strong and the pockets can be adjusted to make sure that your gear items do not fall out of the pockets. Just tighten the tightener straps on these if needed. With the depth of the pockets, I would advise placing items you need the most or soonest on top. Otherwise, sometimes I found I had to stop the run and dig a little to find what I needed. Or you can place some of those items in the upper pockets as I mentioned earlier. I did enjoy not having to carry items in my shorts or running pants pockets, especially keys. Just make sure you know which pocket your keys are in so you can find them easily.

Gear Vest performed well and allows for easy maximum freedom of movement, helping me even on days with more intense speed workouts.

Some days I tested the vest with full water capacity, sometimes without water (to test whether the vest felt lightweight), and a few days I filled it up halfway (1/2L). Even with the vest bladder filled to capacity, it still feels light. Lighter than a 2L bladder vest obviously. By the way, the OrangeMud regular water bottles do fit snugly in the side pockets if you need to carry one of those. I didn’t test that but checked that the bottle does indeed fit within the gear pockets. That’s how deep these are. If you think you will have to refill the hydration pack, just be aware of where you can do so on your runs/bike rides. Be safe!

The gear vest is ideal for short, medium, and longer runs. The liter capacity hydration vest is adequate for up to 10k or so (that’s the upper limit of how far I tested running with it). Beyond that, you may need to refill it (or if you get thirsty). I tested the vest in all kinds of running conditions, windy, rainy, hot/humid, cool, cold. It performed well in all weather conditions. Really the most challenging part of testing the vest was simply adjusting the expander straps in making it fit properly. It’s user-friendly, easy to use, well-designed, and impressive.

There may be days where I prefer running with the Gear Vest if I just don’t want to carry a bottle/bottles. It is easier to grab the straw from the front and drink than to grab a bottle from your back and drink. Just a different design.

Not many disadvantages to using this vest. It just takes slightly longer to pack if you have a lot of gear (and slightly longer to refill and seal the water bladder instead of a water bottle). But the convenience that it offers outweighs the disadvantages to me.

I highly and strongly recommend you consider this vest. So many of us have stuffed pockets in our shorts and running pants. Why not try the gear vest? Let the OrangeMud gear vest do the carrying for you.

Would you like to learn more about GearVest and possibly win one yourself? Please join us on May 1 for BibChat Twitterchat at 8pm Central time. Two Gear Vests will given away to participants who are following BibRave and OrangeMud. Mark your calendars!

Happy healthy running! (And I promise I will review the Vest Pack 2 soon;) If you need the OrangeMud website for shopping purposes, here it is: OrangeMud.com

P.S. At least one of the photos below will show the Gear Vest with the hydra single and the Vest Pack 2 for comparison. Just remember the gear vest is the green one (the others are orange). The gear vest does come in other colors, mine is green.