Orange Mud Gear Vest Review
Disclaimer: I received an Orange Mud Gear Vest to review as part of being a BibRave Pro. Learn more about becoming a BibRave Pro (ambassador), and check out BibRave.com to review find and write race reviews!
UPDATE: Since writing this review I've tested a few new Orange Mud products and run almost exclusively with the new Orange Mud Gear Vest Pro which has gotten me through plenty of training runs and several ultramarathon.
Orange Mud Gear Vest Review
I never used to carry a vest with me on a run, I actually tried to carry as little as possible because I couldn't stand the idea of being "bogged down" by excess gear. When I started marathon training though, I knew that there was no way I was going to be able to handle carrying a hand-held bottle with me on every run.
As my long runs climbed up above the 10-mile mark I decided to give hydration vests a try, and since then, I haven't looked back. I was excited at the opportunity to test out a new vest design and am happy to share my thoughts in this Orange Mud Gear Vest review.
I had this vision in my head of a heavy vest weighing down on my shoulders and sloshing back and forth with every stride. Sure, wearing a vest took some getting used to but after the first three or four test miles, I hardly notice it anymore. I bring the vest with me on virtually every long run because it just makes carrying fluids and fuel so much easier than stuffing my pockets.
How Does the Vest Fit?
The Orange Mud Gear Vest is only my second hydration vest and is the first vest I've tried that stores the water on your back. Again, I was worried the water would rock back and forth or feel awkward resting on my back but it sits perfectly balanced between your shoulders. Sitting so high on your back there's no issue with the water shifting around, especially with how well the vest fits (more on that later).
The fit as a whole is just so comfortable, especially with the addition of extra adjustment straps under the arms. With two adjustable straps across the chest and one on either side of the vest, finding the right fit for your vest is a breeze. The straps across the chest can also be slid up and down along the vest so it's even easier to find a more customized fit.
Hydration with the Orange Mud Gear Vest
The jury is still out for me on whether I prefer carrying water in a bladder on my back or in water bottles on the front but with the Gear Vest, you don't have to choose. I've been using the vest almost exclusively with the bladder on the back, but you have the ability to strap in two bottles on the front of the vest if you prefer that option instead. I'm actually looking forward to bringing the vest with me on a long-distance bike trek I'm taking in May so that I can use the bladder in combination with the bottles on the front. That should be plenty of water for the ride.
One thing I'm definitely sold on is the sealable tip on the hose from the reservoir. It makes snagging a quick sip of water so much easier midrun and on bike rides. Another design piece I'm really enjoying about the bladder is the fact that it can be turned inside out. This may seem like such a simple concept but it makes drying this thing a breeze! My other bottles have to sit out for a day or more to dry out but the Orange Mud bladder dries overnight no problem.
The Fuel
You'll notice a lot of the features I mention just have to do with convenience and ease of use. It's clear that Orange Mud understands the taxing nature of endurance sports and have put a lot of thought into the vest's design when it comes to access to gear. With dual fuel pockets on the shoulders, gel packets are conveniently at your fingertips. The elastic opening to the pockets keeps everything held securely in place, even when the pouches velcro strap is open.
The fact that the openings for those pouches are also velcro is another simple concept but made such a difference on colder runs. On my last vest, I'd spend so much time awkwardly fumbling with straps and cinches when wearing my mittens so I'm glad everything is so much easier to access on the Orange Mud Vest.
Other Gear Vest Features
As phones keep getting bigger, I'm actually starting to get frustrated with the feel of wearing my phone on an arm strap during my runs. I was happy to find that the pockets on the front of the Gear Vest were also designed with size in mind to fit even the new plus-size phones. I was worried that my smaller phone might bounce around in the large pockets but the adjustable cord on the top keeps the phone held tightly in place.
Final Thoughts on the Orange Mud Gear Vest
As I said, it really just seems like this vest was tested and designed to be as convenient as possible for athletes to make access to fuel and hydration as convenient as possible. The vest is not only easy to adjust and use but there are so many storage pockets for you to customize based on your individual needs. You can even strap extra gear like jackets or hats to the back of the vest which is an awesome feature as temperatures are finally starting to warm up!
If there was any question about just how cool of a company Orange Mud really is, here's a video detailing a bit of their history: