Gear review: Salomon Adv Skin Set 8

 If you’re a woman who runs ultramarathons, you’re probably already fighting the battle to find the *perfect* hydration vest. 

All of our bodies are all different shapes and sizes. Unfortunately, women are not simply small men (although the major clothing companies seem to think we are--we aren’t). 

I’m a petite woman (5’2” with shoes) and I have a short waist, so basically everything in the regular section fits… strange. I’ve often resorted to the girls’ clothing section to find leggings and tops that fit properly. Even small and extra small women's clothes often don’t fit quite right. It’s frustrating. 

As you guessed, I’ve had similar frustrations with finding a pack that fits just right. Everything is either too long, too big or tight in strange places. 

After a rat (or a small animal) conveniently chewed through the pockets of my faithful Nathan VaporAiress vest, I was sent back to the terrible wasteland that is hydration packs made to fit petite women. 

I liked the Nathan VaporAiress (had the XS), but I wished it had pockets large enough for bottles on the front and some stretchy Salomon-style pockets that don’t require zippers. 

I used the VaporAiress for my first 50 miler, but I got some serious chafing from the bounce of my hydration bladder in the back of the pack. 

I knew I wanted something suitable for longer ultras, but something lightweight enough to wear on shorter runs. After a close friend used the Salomon Advanced Skin 8 on her latest 100 miler, I decided to give it a try. 

After taking a few measurements, I decided on the XS. For reference, I’m 5’2”, weigh about 130 pounds, and usually wear a size small in shirts, jackets and sports bras. If you're smaller than me, I think the XS would work for you. If you are especially small, there's the XXS option too.

The vest, which is the only womens-specific vest made by Salomon, comes in five sizes (XXS-L). It comes with two half-liter bottles. It retails for $150. You can find it cheaper at REI. I bought mine from a company called Enwild. (You can get 20% off a full priced item at Enwild when you join their Inside Edge program, which gives you points for reviewing products you buy from their site. They are not paying me to say this. I’m just spreading the good word). UPDATE: it's sold out at Enwild :(

The bottles are weird, and I wasn’t so sure about them at first. The bottles have a tapered shape, meant to follow the shape of the vest, which curves around your sides under your chest and ribs. 

These bottles also have that terrible tiny opening. It’s a pain at aid stations, I know, but I don’t see how Salomon could have made the opening bigger and kept the same shape of these bottles. 

The bottles also have very long straws. Like, 10” worth of straw (don’t laugh). 

You’ll be tempted to cut the straws when you first open the package, but DON’T. Keep the straws. You can always shorten them, but you can never make them longer. 

It has a huge zippered pocket on the back, great for stuffing in layers, more water, a small first aid kit or lots of snacks. 

The vest also has a space in the back for a hydration bladder. Salomon recommends a 1.5L bladder, and I would agree with that. I was able to fit my 2L bladder in the pack, but it was a tight squeeze and might be uncomfortable once you have all that water and whatever other gear you need for your day out. 

In theory you could carry 3L of water with a 2L bladder and both of the bottles, but that’s a lot of water (and it’s really heavy). Unless you’re doing a long section of trail with little access to clean water and no way to filter it, I don’t see a good reason to carry this much water, but that is a possibility. 

I’ve found I can run 10-13 miles on 1L of water on a nice day. If it’s really hot, I may need more. Either way, I think the two bottles is plenty for races and for training runs where you have access to extra water. 

My favorite part of this pack is the pockets on the front. There’s larger pockets for the bottles and then a pocket on top for a cellphone, or snacks or an extra shirt. Seriously. These pockets are super stretchy. 

There are similar stretchy pockets on the side and a zipper pocket for stuff you really don’t want to lose. 

I also really like how the bottles are positioned. 

If conversations about boobs and the female anatomy make you uncomfortable, you should stop reading. You should probably also unsubscribe from this blog. 

I’ve used a vest that had bottle pockets, but the pockets were higher up on the vest and sat right on my boobs. If you’ve never had boob chafe, I trust that you don’t need to experience it to know that it is terrible. 

But these bottles sit lower, much lower. They’re basically under my boobs, which means they don’t bounce as much AND what bounce that does happen doesn’t actively cause boob chafe. 

So far, this has worked out awesome for me. Very little bounce, and no boob chafe. Win-win. 

Although I’m not a large-breasted woman, I could see this pack being much more comfortable for my trail sisters who are.

So far I’ve only used the pack with bottles, and that’s only because I don’t have a 1.5L bladder and haven’t had a need for one yet. 

The vest also has clips for trekking poles, but I admit I’ve not tried them. The only reason is that I’ve not yet had a need to carry poles with me instead of using them on my run. 

As far as the overall fit, I’m happy with this pack. It fits snug, yet there’s plenty of room for stretching and movement. It’s tight, but not restrictive. 

The bungee system on this pack seems untrustworthy at first, but the albeit tiny cords are actually quite strong and don’t loosen even after hours of wear. Only time will tell how long they’ll stay that way. 

You can adjust the position of the bungees too, but I found the default setup to work for me. 

I’ve worn this pack both over lots of layers (shirt, thermal and jacket) and over a dry-fit shirt. I’ve not tried it over a tank top yet because it’s been cold. (I’ve only had the pack for around 6 weeks). So far, I’ve not had any issues with chafing or discomfort. 

Consider this part 1 of this review. I plan to use this pack at Lake Martin 50 later this month (eeek! So close!!), and I’ll likely write a part 2 after the race. I’m keeping my fingers crossed and praying for no chafing this time. 

If you’re a woman and have found a vest that you love, drop your recommendation in the comments.