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Gear$$$Mid: Roughly $50 to $500, or up to $50/month.

Running hydration vest

A trail vest carrying soft flasks or a bladder, plus fuel, layers and a headlamp

A close-fitting pack worn for long runs, holding water in soft flasks at the chest or a bladder on the back, with pockets for gels, salt, a phone and a jacket. Capacity is usually measured in how far it gets you between refills. Ultrarunners fit theirs in training rather than on race morning, since chafing and bounce only show up after a couple of hours, and many carry spare flasks or a second vest in a drop bag because a split bladder can end a race. Shorter road runs rarely need one; anything remote, hot or longer than a couple of hours usually does.

Who backs it

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  • Nick BareDoes it

    Hybrid athlete · Bare Performance Nutrition founder

    Ran Leadville in a Salomon vest holding 100 fluid ounces at a time, about 12 miles between refills. He lists spare soft flasks, bladders and a backup vest among the gear he had inspected the night before, in case something split mid-race.

    Source: BPN: What I Learned From My First 100-Mile Ultra

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Gear entry · notes paraphrased from cited sources, quoted excerpts copied from the transcript they link to. Not medical advice. Not affiliated with, endorsed by, or reviewed by anyone listed. How this works.