Hey what’s up PBers!
Coach Kyle here and I work primarily with plant-based distance runners all over the world to improve their running through optimizing their strength work, mindfulness, nutrition, sleep, of course their run training, and anything else we can work together on to improve.
Today you’re going to learn about what I think will end up being the number one best running purchase for myself in 2020, the Osprey Duro 1.5 running vest, so let’s get to it!
First off I’m going to talk about why I initially started the search for a running vest and what I used before having one, then I’ll talk a little bit about why I went with Osprey, and then go in to what you really want to know about and that is the vest and what I think of it.
Why I went with the vest.
Due to the pandemic of 2020 the majority of races in the summer and spring have been canceled. However myself, living in the low population and spread out state of South Dakota have been very fortunate in regard to how hard we had been hit.
As of writing this, I’m confident my marathon taking place in 3 weeks will happen so I began the search a few months back for hydration and nutrition options.
This is the Sundance to spearfish Marathon that crosses the Wyoming South Dakota border, I ran a 259 here last year and hope to better that for round two. Looking back to last year I believe I did slightly under fuel myself during the event and I’m hoping to remedy that this time. Due to Covid19, the race will have limited aid stations with no bowls of gels or banana slices and only cups of Gatorade that will be put out for runners to grab. With these limited resources on the course I decided it best to take matters into my own hand in regards to my hydration and calorie intake.
I had a client of mine run the London Marathon a few years back and that race of course has plenty of aid stations but he decided to go with a vest in order to bypass these and enjoy running past everyone trying to grab from the volunteers or tables. I figured I would take the same idea and carry everything on board my body, So I began to search for a very lightweight vest that could hold all the water and calories I want to run 26.2 mi in 2 hours and 57 minutes. Initially I was considering just a handheld but decided that I really did not want to risk under hydrating or fueling.
Making the selection.
When looking for options there were a few considerations and characteristics I thought important. The first one is the ability to either try the vest on in person locally or have it shipped to me for free with the option to return it for free with a full refund if it doesn’t feel well. The other important characteristic I wanted was a good warranty. If I’m going to spend $100 on a vest I want something that’s going to last. Osprey has an almighty guarantee where they will repair any damage or defect for any reason free of charge whether as they say it was purchased in 1974 or yesterday. If they are unable to perform a functional repair on the pack they will replace it.
Osprey packs and bags are available locally so I was able to check them out and I’m super happy with the decision. The company was founded in 1974 in Santa Cruz California where they eventually relocated to Colorado and specialize in fantastic bags and packs, I’ve actually owned one of their travel packs for a number of years now and have been very happy with it.
Bonus points in that they put a little effort into the sustainability behind their brand and products. As you are aware reduce and reuse comes before recycle so anything you can do to repair a product versus replace it cuts back a lot on waste and going back to the almighty guarantee I value the option to repair any defect or break in a product rather than cost me money and cost the Earth resources with purchasing a new one. They like to source high quality materials and consider the environmental impact of it all including using blue sign approved and recycled materials, using coloring that is safe for the environment, and implementing a world-class factory code of conduct using third-party auditing to confirm the compliance.
All this came together to make me very comfortable with my decision to invest in a third product from osprey as I already bought the duro 15 locally as well as the travel pack.
The pack itself.
So let’s get into the goods, shall we?
The first thing I’ll say is that after having used this for a few long runs and medium distance runs I think it is the best purchase I’ll make all year and it’s also my greatest regret and not having gotten a vest earlier!
Having always been a handheld guy out there on long runs rationing my water to a sip every mile to now having the near-unlimited supply of water and pockets and calories for my long runs is so fantastic, I really wish I would have invested in one sooner. I recently told the client that even for my 10 to 12 mile medium distance runs I’m still enjoying having the vest with me to have my phone in my front chest pocket, a couple gels over on the other side, and as much ice cold water as I want to drink.
Some vests have just a pocket in the back with soft flasks up front however I wanted to have a small bladder in the back and the ability to put my phone and calories up on my chest, some people might like it the other way around. The 1.5 l bladder is plenty of water for my long runs and it doesn’t weigh me down. One thing I noticed right away is that there is only a very thin mesh between the bladder and my back and the pack actually does a nice job of keeping me a little cooler if I have ice and water in the bladder.
There is a small pocket on the top outside of the rear of the pack that I was pleasantly surprised to be able to reach into without having to take the pack off my back.
Up front there are six total pockets and the two large ones are plenty for just about any phone you could want to carry with you, for my long runs I’ve put three or four gels in each pocket without any problems. Two of the smaller ones are zippered and the other two are open top up front above the large pockets and that’s where I stash my wrappers.
The nice thing about this is that it does come with a reservoir. I was shocked and annoyed to see that some companies don’t include bladders with their $90 vests. The bladder seems to be very well made and I love the quick connect feature as well as the strong magnetic sternum strap to hold the bladder in place. As I was looking at some other vest options I noticed that not all of them appear to be nearly as well made and lacked the quick connect feature that I have really come to enjoy.
In regards to fit and how it feels the vest stays in place super well. I’ve seen a lot of vests and packs that people have been wearing that noticeably move around as they run and this sucker doesn’t budge. It features a lower stabilizing or expansion compression strap on each side but I like that there’s no belt around the stomach on here or needed, snap in adjustable or removable dual chest straps, and I’ve worn it for a couple runs of 90 to almost 180 minutes without a shirt on and have not experienced a single bit of chafing. That being said for the race I will put a little bit of Vaseline on my neck area just in case.
In conclusion
So that’s all I got for you today folks! I’ve already suggested this to a couple of my clients and I would highly suggest it to you as well. These types of suggestions for products and how to use them are part of the way I help my clients what they’re running success. I don’t just tell them what to run but I try to cross all the t’s and dot all the i’s to make sure everything is aligned to make their running as enjoyable as possible. If you want to jump on a call to chat about how we can work together to make you a better and happier runner, visit kylekranz.com and let’s talk!
You can purchase the item here and a little bit of that comes back to my channel here which is always appreciated. As always, you keep running and I’ll keep coaching!
