Not for Long Haul Racing

By J David Shabat Ranked #496 - Trail Running Hydration March 13, 2009

If you are racing a trail marathon or longer, you may need the bladder refilled. Fuggedaboudit. You will lose precious time trying to get that thing opened up and refilled - or you may rip the bladder apart if you try to open it too fast. This is another GREAT idea that just suffers from poor execution. The pack is EXTREMELY comfy (I ran with a Camelbak Flashflo and always got sores on the small of my back, not with this pack). However, like the Salomon Packvest - the idea needs some more fine tuning before it will work in a racing situation. Bottles are still the easiest items to carry/open/refill. But Mountainsmith doesn't make a bottle-holder version with the same suspension system. But, hey, for the SAC price I paid, I will just take this on hikes, but not to the races (unless someone can suggest how to handle this issue). Also - when I lash the drinking tube down using the built-in holders, my left hand keeps whacking into the drinking valve, because the valve is very long and protrudes a long way from the end of the tube. That can get annoying, unless your shoulders are VERY broad compared to your waist, and you run with your arms at shoulders' width (which I have a typical athletic physique - shoulders far broader than waist - but run with my hands close to my waist). We'll see if I can modify this thing so I can race with it. I would love to try.

View Details: Mountainsmith Epic Lumbar Pack

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