As I've done more and longer ultras the distinction between running and hiking has got a bit blurred**. Last summer I spent 2 weeks in Snowdonia and the Lakes walking & running every day, and although I had my 12l race vest with me, I tended to find that I just picked up my 15 litre running pack and threw some clothes and food in it.
Race vests are intended to be worn rather than carried. You don't really intend to be fishing in the back section during use, that's mostly for mandatory kit that you have to carry for emergencies. Taking off a race vest and digging around in the back section is a bit of a pain - the lack of structure makes them flop about and things fall out of the dump pockets.
So I end up using a rucksack for a lot of more relaxed and solo use, where I'm looking for extra layers and food etc. from inside the body of a pack fairly routinely.
Fast forward to the Lady Ann Way 100 in Jan, and I couldn't get everything I wanted to carry in the 15l pack. The 32l running pack I ended up using was much too big for the purpose. As well, for races especially I like to have food and water easily accessible. I've tried pockets that attach to the shoulder straps, but found them not to be very secure.
Once I decided something between the 15 and 32 size would be useful I decided to look first at Ultimate Direction, mainly because they are sponsors of Runfurther so I feel like I owe them first look.
Looking on the website, the FastPack 20 looked like exactly what I was after. I ordered one from Ultramarathon Running Store in time to use it on the Anglezarke Amble a few weeks ago.
Initially I wasn't sure about the roll-top closure. This is something used by a lot of manufacturers recently, but UD have added a zip that opens the pack right out or enables access without unrolling. I like this a lot. The roll top means I can load up quickly, while the side zip gives me quick access out on the hill. The long term durability of it remains to be seen but so far it's really practical. Inside the main compartment there's a sleeve for a bladder, and a small zip pocket for keys/wallet etc. There are large side pockets suitable for extra water bottles, or gloves/hat etc. I carried a life venture vacuum mug comfortably in one so you'll get a standard size 5-600ml bottle in neatly.
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| Reflective logo is very visible |
There are straps all over the place to help tighten the pack down when it's not full (and I've not managed to fill it yet - it's a very generous twenty litres), with elastic loops on the end to pull in the loose bits.
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| Neat strap tidying loops |
I don't tend to find anything flaps when I'm out running, the elastic loops seem to do a neat job. It took a bit of tinkering to get the tensioning right with less stuff in the pack, but unhooking the side straps from the D loops locked things down nicely.
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| Notched D-loop to allow shifting of straps |
Anyone who has ever run with me will know that I have quite bad OCD, and in particular I struggle with compulsive checking of zipless pockets. I really didn't expect to be able to use the large open pocket on the outside of the FP20 at all, but so far I've found it pretty useful. Even with the back lightly packed and tensioned, it's secure enough for carrying maps. It's also a useful place to stuff a wet waterproof in race HQ after a race.
Run/walking for about 7 hours the pack was really comfortable. The back panel is quite rigid, which probably helps with breathability since it has vertical air channels. In contrast to some reviewers I found the back quite long, and I was conscious of the bottom edge/bottom corners of the pack. It didn't rub though, and was never uncomfortable. On me the fit is slightly more 'tabard' than 'vest' - it feels like it's sitting on my shoulders rather than wrapped around my torso, but the straps keep it in place and reduce bounce to a minimum.
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| poles & bottle (red bite valve) visible |
The harness pockets are designed to fit UD Body Bottles. The FastPack doesn't come with bottles, but I had a couple of half litre UD bottles already - we hand them out as spot prizes regularly and I really like them. They sit comfortably in the pockets and are easy to drink from, although a short straw would probably be useful. The other harness pockets are fairly large - my Sony Xperia 10 won't fit all the way into the pocket and doesn't feel that secure, but it does kind of fit. If I'm only carrying 500ml of water the other water pocket is a good phone pocket. I dropped lip balm, hand gel etc in other pockets, stuffed lightweight gloves and a buff in another The zip pocket is fairly small, I'd have liked to have my phone in there but it's nowhere near big enough.
Pole carrying points on the front: these are really secure with my Harrier aluminium poles, with no bounce at all. That's an important one, as I'm starting to consider using poles on longer races (borrowed poles got me through the last few miles of the LAW100). My current race vest has terrible, bouncy pole carrying cords.
Key things I really like about the FastPack20:
- rigid back - this makes it a pack instead of a vest, and I find that a much more flexible and useful piece of kit
- water bottle pockets - I like to have soft bottles high up on my shoulder straps, this system works well for me
- big side pockets on the main body that will take rigid water bottles
- chest straps are well designed, with a conventional slide mechanism to adjust the height
- carry points for poles on the front - this is the best system for front pole carrying I've used, although I like the idea of the horizontal carry that Raidlight do.
- zip key pocket inside
- lack of a zipped phone pocket on the front - this is by far the biggest drawback for me. I'm currently using a neoprene phone case in the front pocket, but it doesn't feel very secure.
- the point where the waist strap meets the pack is just a little bit squared off and not ever so comfortable, at least on me. This might vary according to your body shape.
** I now do a lot of 'time on my feet' walking & run/walk training. I'd love Strava to reflect this with a combined 'on foot' activity type/summary.
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