Ultimate Direction Jenny Ultra Vest Review

I am in love with a hydration pack. I didn't think it was possible- but then the UD Jenny pack came into my life and my shoulders, diaphragm and back are all happy again after every long run. I have been running with the Nathan HPL for the last 2 years. The Nathan pack fits well and doesn't bounce or slosh, but I could never get it to feel secure across my chest without pinching my breath or irritating the crap out of my shoulders/trapezius muscles. I dealt with it though, because the only other options with more than one front buckle were Salomon packs that were out of my price range.

This season, both Nathan and Ultimate Direction have stepped up their game and have introduced quite a few nice packs. At first, I really wanted the Nathan Vapor Shape due to it's amazing storage capacity. However, when trying it on at the store, even the smallest women's size cinched down as much as it would go still left way too much space and would not fit snugly. The sizing chart online even says 31-36 compared to UD XS/S which is 26-38.  I then tried on UD's Jenny pack and it instantly felt right- like a nice hug.

Why I'm in love:
1. The most critical reason for needing a new pack was that I needed to have 2 buckles in front. I realized that the main issue I had with the Nathan pack was that it only had 1 buckle up front and in order for me to make it feel snug and not bounce around, it ended up putting too much pressure on my chest/diaphragm and made it hard to breath. The Jenny pack solves this with 2 buckles, and they are both moveable so I can get them in the optimal position to not restrict my breathing.

2. It comes in 2 sizes, so the XS/S actually fist a small/skinny runner without it having to be cinched as tight as it can go, so I have options to make it tighter or bigger. Measuring my chest around my diaphragm/rib cage is 26.5" and around my "boobs" (ha) is 30". The XS/S fits very well and would fit someone even smaller if need be.

3. The bottle holders on the front counter balance the weight so that the entire pack is evenly distributed across my shoulders, and I never feel like my trapezius muscles are going to explode. With a hydration pack that only has a bladder in back, it seems to put too much pressure on my shoulders/traps and I am always sore by the end of a run. This also adversely affects my breathing. I was nervous at first about water bottles on my chest but I haven't even noticed them. Well- that's not true- I do see them, which reminds me to drink and I've been better hydrated this past month then I have been in a while!

The two bottles up front don't hurt and they remind me to drink!

4. It's pretty :) I don't like overly girl things, so the purple strikes a nice balance of feminine yet non-girly.

5. The flexibility of storage is amazing. There are 4 pockets in front- 2 for water bottles (but they can also hold Gu or a knife if you're scared of mountain lions like I am), a zipper pocket for my phone (fits the iPhone 5s with a case on it), and another velcro pocket that can fit at least 3 Gu's and my chapstick. In the back, there are 2 main pockets. One pocket has bungee cords that can secure a bladder. The other pocket has been perfect for stashing my jacket and gloves, as well as additional food. The amount of stuff I've fit in this pack is amazing, considering how lightweight it is when empty. It also has a key pocket and extra bungees on the outside of the pack in case you want to strap more gear to your back.

6. I love how high up on my back it sits. It almost sits between my shoulder blades it's so high! This again takes the pressure off of my shoulders and makes it easier to breath overall.

It sits in a perfect location on my back. And it matches my shirt AND shoes!

I have now run with this pack for 3 weeks and have no complaints. I even used it while riding my bike! (Well, we rode 12 miles to then go run 12 miles of the Colorado trail)

I have used a bladder in the additional storage pocket on multiple occasions and have been very happy with how it felt. On each of those runs I also counter balanced the bladder by having an additional bottle up front and that seems to help a lot. The only thing to know about using a bladder is that it loads from the side, so there is no easy access to the top of the bladder. The only time I think this would be an issue would be during a race, but it is something to consider.

Right now this is my favorite piece of gear!