REI Co-op  Swiftland TT Hydration Vest - Men's

Attention to detail comes through in every aspect of this running vest. The fit can be precisely adjusted, and straps are built into the design to manage any excess fabric at each location. The pockets are numerous and secure. While running, items in each area stayed secure and didn't bounce unless the main rear compartment was loosely packed. The vest provides space for a hydration bladder (not included) if desired instead of the provided water bottles. My only concern is that the stretchy nature of the fabric on the main rear compartment does not feel as durable as designs I have encountered on other running vests, but only time will tell how it holds up.

There is too much extra fabrics and strings on this pack. My first use the zipper got mangled with some useless string with a clip on the inside of the pack. I didn't want to cut it so I tried maneuvering it out gently. The cheap zipper broke with almost no force. Not happy spending $120 on rei quality. Hard to find zipper that fits and I have to cut and resew the zipper. Look elsewhere.

Tldr: This is an amazing running vest that covers all the corners. There is ample space to store your keys, wallet, small snack, water filter, and provided total 1 liter of water storage. Adding a jacket or puffy to the list is pushing it but is still viable. I would recommend choosing a smaller size if in between sizes. My only complaint is that the front buckle is a slide buckle. See below for more in-depth review. I, male 23 220lb and semi-fit, got the XL/XXL running vest. I want to disclose that is this also my first running vest. My first impression of the vest was very good. The vest felt well made and did not have an excess of materials. The materials used were all lightweight and breathable. They used metal YKK zippers that are truly easy to pull on. The two included .5 liter soft bottles were also a nice surprise as they are the hydrapak brand. Some things I would recommend changed after my initial reaction are as followed. The front buckle is a slide buckle that would require you to loosen the straps before you can slide them out. I would much prefer the standard pinch style bucks for a quick release. The large bottom pocket below the soft water bottle pocket did not have anyway to tighten the opening. This I fear will cause small objects like earbud case to fall out if not secure. There is a vest pocket that seems like an optimal spot for a phone. This pocket exactly fits my iPhone X with a slim case. Larger phones or phones with larger cases will have a hard time being able to fit for fitting in that pocket in general. This pocket might be better as a gate keycard or metro card holder. Another thing to note is that it is only on the left chest side. I don’t see why a mirror zipper pocket wasn’t made for the right side for left handed people for easy use. The vest could have also included some reflective branding of lining on the back and front side. Night runs are a pretty comment occurrence. Another small thing to note is that I don’t see much of a use for the small pockets above the soft water bottle pocket. Too small and no security placing anything in those two pockets. I used tested this product three times before writing this review. Two times at a local park with a paved trail, and doing 2.5 miles run and 5 mile run. I packed just my keys, wallet, phone, AirPods, and fully filled water bottles the first run and a small snack, and a puffy jacket in addition to my second run. For these runs, I would like to say the vest did an incredible job of not moving around and keeping my items secure after some moving stuff around. First off, the vest I got was just the right size when tighten all the way. Any bigger and the vest would have been loose. I would recommend getting the smaller size if you are in-between sizes. It has more than enough adjustment for you to get the smaller size. I can say I’m a slightly larger build and the XL/XXL barely fit. The water bottles start slushing around after you drink about 70% of the water. I don’t see any way to solve this but they do have bungee cords to keep the bottle cap from sinking in or flying out of the pocket. Because of this, I would just recommend filling the bottle all the way full. Also, I recommend pulling the whole strap upward to drink instead of just by the bottle cap. When you’re tired, it’s easier to grab for the whole thing than fumbling for the bottle cap. If I throw my small items into the big zipper bag the items will jump around. It does have a tighten bungee cord pull tabs near the top of the shoulders and the bottom of the backpack. The bottom backpack location tightener can also second to carry something on the outside as it had hooks to connect it to the bungee cords tightening the large compartment. Lastly, the front chest straps did end up annoying me. While I had to tighten the straps all the way, the straps bounced around while I was running and it got really annoying. Even with a smaller size, I wish they added some way to keep the loose straps in place. After a long run, I also ended up being annoyed by the slide buckle. Being tired, and having to loosen the straps and fumble with the slide buckle is frustrating when you tired from a long run. I might end up cutting them off and installing the standard buckle myself. During my test use on a trail, hiked, ran 7 miles, a few more things came up. This vest has a surprising amount of storage but I wouldn’t recommend doing that as this is a vest to keep you streamlined. The addition of the water filter and larger snack really pushed the compartment space ( see attached image of the puffy and filter zipped in the main compartment. Made me wish I didn’t bring the puffy but a small towel to keep items from bouncing around. I kept bars in the slide-in mesh pocket that sits at the middle back area. If you for some reason bring a sandwich or the such, store it in the main compartment wrapped in a towel. Or just bring a backpack since it’s not optimal for the vest at that point. In all, this is an amazing vest in my opinion and I don’t see myself needing another vest. I keep my items to a minimum and stay light and fast.

I have been using this pack for about 6+ months. It has seen over 500 miles of running both on trail and road. I love using this pack. The back pocket functions very well to carry the essentials when in remote areas but it is also very functional for just hydrating during road running. Frankly I have zero complaints with this bag. The only change I may make it slightly larger pockets on the inside - phone barely fits.

As prologue, this is my first experience with a vest-style hydration pack. For fit, I'm a thin guy with a 36" chest, and the smallest S size is pretty well fitted to me at default settings, so to speak. It's cinched down, though, so if anyone out there's skinnier than me, I don't know that you'll be able to adjust this to sit tightly without some layers on ya. The front webbing sliders are convenient for both adjustment and easy sliding apart for getting it on/off. There's also even more size adjustment available on the sides, so it can adjust upward in size quite a lot, with some degrees of freedom for torso shape. Putting it on, it definitely rides a lot higher than any pack sort of thing I've ever worn, but it actually bears weight quite well. Even with a couple of liters of water weight between the front and back, it keeps the weight close enough to your center of gravity to make it pretty effortless. Didn't seem to affect my balance while running on slopes at all. The included soft flask bottles are well sized to their pockets, and they're reasonably easy to get in and out while moving. After 2-3 miles of running, though, I found that the harder plastic of the lids digging into my chest or chafing a little. After longer jaunts, I was also left feeling like I might be slightly too skinny to get this perfectly tight, overall. For features, there's a lot of pockets. And some more pockets. And then, if you need more, a lot of attachment points and elastic cords. And probably another pocket you missed the first two times. It's all pretty exciting, but it would be difficult to use all the storage options at once without everything bouncing around ridiculously, I feel. The big main gear pocket in the back is a good size for a dayhike, but the mesh material is light and stretchy enough that I'd worry about durability if I were to regularly use it for anything but extra layers or other soft stuff. It's also surprisingly insulating, adding a noticeable layer of warmth over part of my core. This could be a concern in warmer weather, but I'll definitely want to try to see how some flat ice packs in the back and front may help keep me cool in hot weather. For me, it's quite a good tiny pack that I can even wear under a loose shell. It does its job well in most circumstances, but it's just something that fits dramatically different than anything I've worn before. I'm pretty certain this vest will be prefect for a lot of people, but it's not yet something I'm comfortable enough in to enjoy as much as I want to.

I am 6’ 250 lbs. I’ve used this vest for trail runs, half marathons, and running portion of half Ironmans. I’m not the smoothest runner. I bounce. The earth bounces. It might register on the Richter scale. This vest does not bounce. I use the two bottles on the chest full, my phone, car keys and gels. This vest is solid.

I'm a 60 year runner with a dad bod and the L/XL fit me well. I am 5'-8" and wear a 44 coat. The chest straps are at midpoint and I was able to adjust so it was comfortable with the two hydration flasks and no bounce. I also carried my phone and two gels. I'm a sweater to begin with so I was pretty sure the vest would run hot and it did. I took it for a 9 mile run and it was comfortable. The flask was in easy reach and I didn't have to remove them to take a sip. This is not the lightest nor minimal, but it is good for training. I think it will perform well with a larger bladder in back. I was able to get it 50% off, but I would pay full price if had to buy again

I run hot and I was expecting this vest to run hot based on the material of construction. After my first run, it was no surprise I was sweating. I found the hydapak 500 ml conveniently located. I was able to sip without any issues. At $40 for two flasks, it is a great value that it is included. Plenty of pockets makes this vest very versatile. For longer runs, the vest holds my 2 liter bladder with ease and comfortably. I would recommend, especially if you can find on sale. I did at $60.

The cinch around the bottom has been a game changer for me and comfort, really like that every wear the adjustment is simple. It has taken a little while to adjust to the Hydropak versus the legacy bladder pack, but I have learned to really like the collapsable bottles. Overall, this has lived up to everything I hoped for in a hydration vest.

i have a running vest made by a running company. this one far exceeds the other. the REI brand product is lightweight, well supported (straps and velcro everywhere to readjust to your chest shape), and easy to use. i love having two bottles, although i often only need one (i keep my phone in the breast pocket instead). the back pocket is great because it has dedicated storage for small items like cash or keys. i also love that you have the option to add a bladder for even more water if you wanted. i ran 18mi with this on this weekend and it felt great, i barely noticed it. i even took off my gloves and windbreaker at one point, and this pack handled the extra weight like a champ. i'd highly recommend this to anyone! hiker or runner!