Disclaimer: I received a pair of Orange Mud – Gear Vest Pro to review as part of being a BibRave Pro. Learn more about becoming a BibRave Pro (ambassador), and check out BibRave.com to review find and write race reviews!
I’m a big fan of Orange Mud and the hydration products they come out with. So much so that this is the 3rd product I have of theirs, and each one is different than the others. I have the Hydraquiver Single Barrel (priced at $84.95) which is a water bottle hydration pack with the water bottle placed in the middle of your shoulder blades, the P.F.V. – Phone, Flask, Vest (priced at $99.95), which uses a smaller soft flask on the vest that is stored across the front of your chest and is designed for shorter runs (see my review of this product here), and now I’m testing the Gear Vest Pro (priced at $129.95) which uses a 1L bladder stored in the back of the pack in the middle of your shoulder blades. Orange Mud creates such a variety of products designed to fit your endurance sport needs, and once again, they did not disappoint with the Gear Vest Pro!
Let me share some of the specs of the Gear Vest Pro so you can understand the amount of fluids this pack can hold, and how much gear it can also hold…this pack isn’t just for hydration, its for all the gear as well!!
- 1L Bladder pack (included)
- 1 back zip pocket (perfect for money, keys, credit card, or anything extra you need secured or can afford to be out of the way during your run.
- 1 back cargo pocket and draw cord to hold something larger like a windproof jacket or a long sleeve shirt, if you need to take that off during a run, or even items like extra energy bars.
- 2 shoulder pockets with Velcro to close the pockets. I have found these great for energy gels or even my phone. I like that you can close the pocket and I’ve never had any issues with the Velcro coming loose.
- 2 front pockets with draw cords that are large enough for a soft flask (see next bullet), or also work great for storing my phone since you can use the draw cord to tighten them down so the phone doesn’t bounce out.
- Capability of fitting 2 more bladders (sizes 500-600 ml) in the two front chest pockets (these bladders aren’t included).
- 2 smaller front pockets that would make great storage for chap stick, or a sample size container of sunscreen. They would also work great for storing your garbage from your gels or energy bars.
- A safety whistle is located on the top front chest harness for that extra layer of safety if you are out in the woods.
- Option to add trekking pole hardware to this vest so you can store your poles while out on the trails (sold separately).
Ok, thats quite the list of items that are present on this small footprint package! Now that you have heard what is included on the pack, lets hear what I thought of it!
It doesn’t move!! If you follow the instructions and get this gear vest secured appropriately, then it doesn’t move at all while running. To do this you need to cinch up the two side straps first (like you would if you were putting on your school backpack). Once the sides are cinched tight, then you adjust the two front harness straps to a comfortable snug fit. Once it is fit to the appropriate size you shouldn’t need to do this process again. You may need to give the sides a little cinch every few times out just to make sure they haven’t loosened, but I haven’t even had to do that yet. This pack has stayed secure and in one place every time I have used it. There has been no chaffing or rubbing from the pack and I have run in both tech shirts and tank tops while using this pack. Even when the bladder starts to empty I haven’t noticed the pack moving around (I have heard a little swishing of the water at that point, but no movement).
It can store so much. If you are looking for something that is versatile, then this is the pack. I love knowing that I can fill up the bladder and be ready to go, or if I need to have this for longer runs, I can purchase soft flasks to put in the front pockets for extra hydration. I also like that there are so many pockets that would make this vest perfect for running with a pet (hold doggy bags), trail or road running (hold jacket, extra socks, trail hat, gels, salts, sunscreen, etc.), or out hiking (could hold day pack items like a compass or bear spray along with trekking pole holder add on).
The quality is spot on. I can tell by looking at the stitching and the feel of the material that there as a lot of thought that went into this pack. I have zero concerns with this pack holding up to extensive use. All Orange Mud gear I have lives up to this quality and I think it is something they are becoming well known for!
I would say there was two items that I am getting used to. The first is that the side cinch straps are long, so when I tightened them down there was a lot of excessive material on the strap that I had to secure down. I ended up looping it back down the strap line and using the provided clip to double up the strap. This seemed to work well. I am also considering just cutting the excess since I know the size I need it at and don’t really need to adjust anymore. The other item is that the bladder hose is long and bounced around quite a bit while running. I haven’t been able to find anything that tells me where exactly to place this hose while running so I have just started putting it under the top front chest strap. This seems to work good, but I would still like to know where exactly everyone else puts it.
The Gear Vest Pro comes in multiple colors and works for both males and females. Here are some of the reviews that other BibRave Pros did on this same pack (Brenda, Andrea – 1, Andrea – 2, Becky, Steph, Jonathan, Nicole, Emily, Angie, Vanessa, Sam, Linda, Samantha, Shannon, Virjinia, Christine).
If you want to try any of the Orange Mud products, including this one, use the code “BIBRAVEGVPRO” at checkout for 15% off all their gear. Orange Mud has some awesome gear and I am happy to own a variety of it, now including the Gear Vest Pro!!
Follow Orange Mud on social media to see this pack in action, along with all the other gear they have to offer:
Beardontherunblog 
Thanks for the review and glad to hear you’re digging our other gear too! Josh here, the designer of the pack to address 2 of your questions above. We leave the side straps long so they are a one size fits all, rather than having the challenges that having 5 sizes creates. With the excess I suggest cutting the extra about 6″ long from the plastic that it slides through, but only with the maximum amount of clothes you may where throughout the year. Meaning 6″ long in the summer might be ok, but in the winter you might need another 6″ if you run in a heavy coat. So good to double check. On the hose I suggest cutting it 4″ past the elastic keeper. This video shows how we suggest. Then no movement, easy access, and as a bonus, you just lightened up the pack by 0.2 ounces! https://vimeo.com/227204550
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Thanks so much for addressing these!!
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