The verdict: The overall best running vest for trail running distances from 10km to 50 mile ultras. The Zephyr Pro is a versatile vest that would be a great companion for long weekend runs, or 100-mile adventure races. The solid breathability, thoughtful storage options, and overall comfort make this a great choice for pretty much any run you find yourself on. P art of Osprey’s ‘born to run’ series of comfortable hydration solutions, the Dyna (women’s) and Duro (men’s) ranges specialise in optimising fit based on our different geometries. Working with variable conditions is a constant in Trey’s outdoor life — from trail outings starting and ending on NYC trains; to Colorado multi-sport front door-to-door outings that might start with cycling and lead to trail running; to long-distance thru-hikes (on trails like the CDT, PCT, and Long Trail). Depending on the capacity of your hydration vest and how much water you need to take, you could even take a hydration bladder as well as a bottle or two.

Bottles range in size from about 250 to 600 milliliters and are a popular form of hydration for supported races, short runs, and routes near lakes, rivers, or other bodies of water where you can replenish your supply throughout the day. The advantages over hydration reservoirs are clear: Bottles are much easier to refill and don’t require that you take off your vest to do so, and they allow you to monitor how much remaining liquid you have far better than a reservoir. Finally, most runners carry two bottles (one on each shoulder strap), which allows them to drink two different liquids—often water and an electrolyte fluid—and balance the weight. The Salomon ADV Skin's HydraPak bottle Try and go for softer materials, padding, and adjustability. These are all things that will help you be more comfortable, and thus run better, while out on the trail. Visibility Some running companies understand that unisex just doesn’t cut it for everyone. Often women’s running vests are designed with the assumptions that women generally have shorter torsos, will have different places prone to chafing, require differently tapered vest straps for different chest sizes, and may want an alternative bottle design. The Nathan Pinnacle 12L has the best bladder design and hydration system of the running vests we tested. It ships with a 1.5L Hydrapak insulated bladder, insulated to help keep water cold on the hottest summer days. The shape of the actual bladder is tapered in the middle, creating an hourglass shape, which we found helped with the sloshing problem inherent with many running vest bladders. If you’re in the mountains, are there any opportunities to fill up water from natural sources? Just make sure to bring a water filter or some way to treat water if so. Sizing It’s important that whatever vest you go with fits well and doesn’t bounce up and down while you run; (photo/Ilana Newman)Designed by and for the fastest trail runners in the world, this vest has the fit and features to race fast Recently, the most popular design for running vests focuses on designs where the water is stored in two soft, collapsible flasks (and, less common, even a hard-sided bottle). Storage capacity

Many runners prefer one hydration method or the other, while others use both. However you choose to hydrate, you just need to make sure to bring enough water for your run. Capacity: Water & Gear The duration and intensity of your run will help determine how much water and storage capacity you need; (photo/Ilana Newman)How much capacity you need will depend on what your runs typically look like. Someone whose average run is a 5-mile road run will have different needs than someone whose average run is a 20-mile mountain run.