Naked Running Vest – Product Review

For the past few months I’ve been using and testing the Naked Running Vest for hydration and carrying gear on my longer runs. I also used it during The Guzzler Ultra 50km in conjunction with the Naked Running Band to carry all my hydration, nutrition and mandatory gear.

The Naked Running Vest is lightweight, breathable and snug fitting vest designed to carry up to 3 litres of water and gear and like the Naked Running Band promises no bounce or sag. A problem with some traditional running packs and vests is they can flop around when at their capacity. The Naked Running Vest boasts three large pockets, one at the centre of the back and two on the front of the vest. There are some small pockets on each side and comes equipped with emergency whistle attached. There are 12 different sizes that the user chooses from based on your overall chest circumference between 86-114cm.

On first thoughts when receiving the Naked running Vest and trying on I was hesitant at how tight the vest felt on my chest. I rechecked my measurements and was comfortable that I’d chosen the right size but the vest felt tight. I decided to take it on my next run and see how it felt. I loaded for my first run and took with me a 1.5 litre bladder in the back pocket. During this run I was acutely of the vest still being quite tight on my chest, however when running the vest felt quite comfortable and with a full bladder in the back pocket there was no bounce.

Since wearing the vest regularly over the last few months I’ve become comfortable with the fit of the Naked Running Vest. While the vest fits tightly, I’ve become used to wearing it and don’t notice it being on after a short period of the run. There is however certainly a period of time to get used to wearing the Naked Running Vest.

The Naked Running Vest is suited best to wearing over a t-shirt. In my case the seams under the arms of the best are higher than those on most my running singlets and I haven’t felt comfortable wearing over a singlet. Having said that I’ve seen social media posts of the vest being worn directly without a shirt or singlet. In my case I felt most happy with the vest over a shirt.

The pockets on both front and back are generous and can be used to carry hydration needs for even the longest ultras. I used this on my long runs of up to three hours with a 1.5 litre bladder in the rear and the two supplied 350ml soft flasks in each of the front pockets. Access to these pockets is still quite easy while running. The front pockets cover most of the front of the vest with a simple seam between the pockets directly in the middle of the vest and they cover from top to bottom of the vest. There is plenty of room for other nutrition or gear to be stored in the front pockets with a soft flask.

The back pocket covers most of the back of the vest and also top to bottom of the vest. It easily fits a large bladder and other mandatory gear. It also remains very comfortable as the pockets becomes full and as the claim suggests there is no bounce when running with a full 1.5 litre bladder. Other running packs and vests can’t boasts this and running performance is compromised when become heavy and flop about. The side pockets are only quite small but suitable for gels, keys or small items.

The Naked Running vest is made from a breathable mesh fabric that ensures the vest doesn’t become too hot during warm temperatures. As the material is quite thin the bladder and flasks are very close to the skin and offer a slight cooling affect when you run.

The best feature of the Naked Running vest is the running comfort when the vets is full and heavy. The design allows whatever is placed in the pockets to mould to the runners torso and be very comfortable. In hindsight from my initial hesitation, this is why the vets is required to be tighter than you would first think necessary but works fantastically well.

During The Guzzler Ultra 50km I wore the Naked Running Vest in conjunction with the Naked Running Band. In a race that had a moderate amount of required mandatory gear I easily managed to be able to carry all gear comfortably and without impact to running performance.

In the vest I carried; 2 x 350ml soft flasks, 1 x 1.5 litre bladder, 1 x long sleeve thermal shirt, 1 x compression bandage, 1 x emergency blanket, 1 x compass, 1 x supplied whistle. In the band I carried; 1 x rain proof jacket, 1 x head torch, 8 x GU gels, 2 x GU stroopwafels, 1 x mobile phone.

The vest/band combination was perfect for an event of this type. On an unseasonably warm July Brisbane day I was relatively unaffected by the heat. I attribute some of this to my hydration being close to my body in the vest and cooling me during the run. 

Overall I’m very pleased with the Naked Running Vest. The fit and comfort while it did take some time to become used to are very good. The running experience is excellent from both a bounce and comfort perspective. The storage is certainly ample for most ultra-marathons, and especially true when used in conjunction with the Naked Running Band. You’ll go a long way to find a vest as simple and easy to facilitate carrying hydration, nutrition and gear requirements on the run.

For more information go to https://www.nakedsportsinnovations.com/shop-online/naked-running-vest