Gear Review: Ultimate Direction Adventure Vesta

When I started running ultra races, I was pretty content with my small vest pack. Once I started going longer and further into the mountains, however, I needed a pack with a larger capacity that would still allow me to comfortably run. The Ultimate Direction Adventure Vesta is that pack. This vest comes with a bladder, although I prefer to just use two 500 milliliter soft flasks that fit nicely in the front pouches. The two small zippered pockets are great for storing snacks and gels, and it even fits my iPhone 7 with a little squeezing.

When I go to the mountains, I have to carry extra layers in case the weather changes or if the temperature drops. For example, on my Mount Whitney trail run, I carried a light down jacket, a rain jacket, super lightweight rain pants, an emergency blanket, a personal locator beacon, food, and gloves. All of this fit nicely in the two larger main compartments on the back. There is also a rubber loop to carry a pair of trekking poles. It does get a little awkward having the trekking poles right against the upper arms, but it actually never rubs with the arms. It was barely noticeable! The stretchy material in the first compartment is not as durable, and it did rip, but I really put it to hard use by climbing and scrambling on rocks.

All and all I love this vest, and it is my go-to running vest when I go the mountains and for longer ultra trail runs with greater gear requirements. Note that there is a newer version of this vest: The Adventure Vesta 4.0 addressed some of the issues that this vest has, but even this older version can still hold its own.