running rucksacks for ultra - Ultra / Adventure racing

T.blair

03/07/2011 at 22:59

What rucksack would people recommend for ultra running, I'm wondering about North Face Enduro 13 or the Raidlight Endurance 10 litre. Thanks.

Squeakz

04/07/2011 at 08:41

I would advise that you have a look at the Salomon XT-10+3 wings vest it has 13 litres capacity which is collapsable incase you do not need that capacity, its features a hydration pack and also works with Camelbak bladder

http://quest390.files.wordpress.com/2010/03/salxtwings3.jpg

The best thing about the pack imho is it speads its load really well across your chest and does not have a gret deal of movement without having to be done up mega tight, this is due to it not having traditional straping but being attached to a running vest, which itself has pockets for all the stuff you want to get to quickly such as sweets or money.

http://www.trailrunner.jp/2009/11/10/vest5-thumb-200x200.jpg

A well thought out and well designed quality product imho, I really rate my wings vest, it is also great at repelling water when it rains.

Edited: 04/07/2011 at 11:36

Ben Davies 15

04/07/2011 at 22:39

My advice above all would be to try it on before you buy it.

Having a pack that fits properly is nearly as important as having a shoe that fits properly.

Also, get a lot of training miles in carrying the pack before you use it in an ultra.

mr f

05/07/2011 at 07:16

Inov8 do some excellent packs too, and reasonably priced.

seren nos

pirate

05/07/2011 at 08:26

I love my raidlight...............I was lucky as I only bought the night before my ultra.and it was really comfortable and no rubbing at all.

Rich1

05/07/2011 at 10:03

I have a Raidlight 10 too and it is incredibly comfortable. I particularly like the bottle holder on the waist being a non-reservoir kind of person

Bret Runner

05/07/2011 at 15:30

I have a battered old rucksack with bladder that cost me about £10 around 3 years ago. It looks rubbish but is the most comfortable sack I have used. As said you need to try a few and see what works for you....

Smalleyboy

05/07/2011 at 15:39

Inov-8 Racepro 12 served me well on a recent 28 mile off road race.

hellen

05/07/2011 at 22:36

I love my solomon xa20

DECAMP

06/07/2011 at 21:08

OMM classic 25 or last drop

Flat Foo..ted

06/07/2011 at 21:12

Decathlon do a great 17L sack that is way cheaper and just as good (IMO) as the other more well known brands..it's worked for me for the last 4 years.

Sam Robson

18/07/2011 at 13:26

I have a Salomon XT Advanced Skin S-lab which has got me through a couple of 100+ milers with no chaffing issues. It's incredibly comfortable, and, like the packs suggested by Squeakz, hugs you in a really comfortable way. It's not huge, but can fit all my essentials (first aid kit, gels, spair lanacane, waterproof, etc.), and I use an OMM frontpack if I need a bit more gear with me. I also have an OMM Ultra 15L for when I need to take more than I can fit in the Salomon (change of clothes, etc.). As Ben says though, your best bet is to try things on to find what suits you personally. Good luck!

greg ashley

01/08/2011 at 21:36

Does the Salomon come with a bladder as standard? They are quite hard to find, Amazon have one but it doesn't mention the bladder!

I want something with a bladder and enough space to carry the essentials!

Anybody recommend anything? I don`t want anything massive!

mr immune

01/08/2011 at 23:17

I use the New Camelbak Octane XCT which comes with the new Antidote 3l bladder, its light, small, has got mesh zipped hip belts and a main zipped storage compartment. Check it out on-line, and if poss go to a shop to try one on before buying, although I didn't. One of the best bits of kit i own, used it on my quadruple marathon in April with no issues. Lots of choice out there just make sure it fits your requirements.

brand birdter

02/08/2011 at 07:52

WiB

04/08/2011 at 13:28

It depends how much you need to carry as well. I personally use the OMM 15. It does the job for me, I have used it for a weekend away in the hills and also over the weekend at the Lakeland 100. I didnt even nearly fill it for the Lakeland race. Very comfortable and no complaints after 100 miles with it on! It is horses for courses though, what suits one may not suit another. Figure out what size you are likely to need and try a couple on. I find the Inov-8 sacs rub my neck with the shoulder straps but that aside they are very good.

Sam Robson

05/08/2011 at 19:14

Greg, the Salomon XT Advanced Skin S-lab pack comes with a 1.5L bladder. It's a top filling one and really easy to access which is great for fast turnarounds in the aid stations. It also holds 2 bottles on the shoulder straps which sit nicely out of the way so no banged elbows. I have used it for everything from marathons to 100 milers - you can fit a surprising amount in there, but it depends on how much you need to carry as WiB says.

Drunken Euphoria on tour

08/08/2011 at 17:04

Without spending a fortune I can recommend the OMM adventurellight 20 and last drop 10. The good and bad bits....

Both are really light material so weigh less than many other brand smaller packs. 10 is a great training runaround, but I've used it for ultra's before. The 20 has more padded straps and two pockets on waist strap for easy access, the angled mesh pockets are great too as you can get two bottles in them and retrieve easily on the move. I'm a convert to the ease of bottles rather than faffing refilling hydration packs and never knowing how much liquid I have left, so the bottle carriage is important to me. The raidlight packs with front bottle holders look good to me, but expensive and from trying on the OMM pack I find bottles attached to front straps bounce too much (maybe just the OMM system?) and its nice to have them out of the way, accessible just above waist height.

The 20 can also be compressed down quite a bit so it fills the capacity gap between 20 and 10L packs well for me. Despite less features I love the 10, compact and sits tight to your back (neither bounce, unlike many ultra runner's packs I see - that would drive me mad over several hours), also has side meshes which bottles can go in, but due to size of pack these aren't angled so not as easy to withdraw bottles while still running.

Never had 'rubbing' problems I can recall and the 20 has seen me around a 100 and several 50+'s. never filled the 20 other than when doing Coast 2 Coast and nearly did on Fellsman where there's a strict kitlist and I've downsized my gear since then.

Though have to say that Saloman pack Squeakz recoomended looks really good. Does the price reflect the innovation? Does the mesh vest bit cause the chest to heat up any more than with a standard vertical strap pack.

Edited: 08/08/2011 at 17:14

Dronfield Runner

09/08/2011 at 13:23

I have completed a Ultra with the Raidlight 14lt (the 10 has grown to 14) and would recommend. I also use bottles, its a lot easier to change drink flavours/contents at each aid station than with a bladder. I found I could reach the waist bottle very easily and same with the side pockets. I have tried the 5ltr omo ? and it felt like a childs rucksack on my 6' frame.
I have tried the add'l bottle holder on the straps, but found it feeld heavy on the chest when full, ok when half empty but makes a great storage for the event map/Buff...
It has the important waist pocket and a nice internal pocket for keys/money etc.

The quality seems to be better than the previous 10lt, which was one reason I orignially went the OMM route.

I also have an OMM 15ltr which is great but the Raidlight wins for me due to the add'l bottle storage, however the mesh waist pocket on the OMM is better to store a compass if you need to access it frequently.
Its a case of seeing how much kit you need to carry and then finding out how it fits, my orginal intention had been to get a smaller sack not same size

I have also purchased the small raidlight pocket for a waist strap, which holds a good supply of food and gives another option if your chosen sack does not have enough pockets, I wanted to avoid having to go inside the rucksack during the course of the event and in this case I was looking for storage for 8-9 hours of food

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