Ultra gear . Whats missing?

Ultra gear seems to be designed by the top runners to help them go faster.

This is all very well but the requirements for the top runners on a race are not the same for us mortals bringing up the rear who are running for  twice as long and usually with no support team. I have a couple of suggestions.

1 --Race pack with serious carrying capacity within easy reach on the front.(Salomon are almost there but have low volume and an emphasis on min weight) . For a stiff old bugger like me I need to grab water bottles and food without taking my pack off (front clip on bags make taking off your pack a real pain)

 2--Combined gortex hood and short cape to cover your head and the pack to prevent rain getting between you and your pack yet allowing maximum ventilation.

 3--Method of preventing rain seeping between gortex gloves and top over prolonged periods.

 4--Cushioned long ultra shoes (good cushioning) with built in gaiters and a waterproof seal on the calf that lets you go through deep water with no leaks. La Sportiva are almost there but are not cushioned enough for 100mile+ races.

Anyone else got any wishes. You never know someone in design world might be reading this thread.

Suunto Ambit? Garmin fenix?

I'm with touie on the shorter back-length packs ... or just a few more women specific bits of kit ... preferably things that don't break the bank in the process!!  On the subject of packs Touie I have a Nathan vest which is fab for short races and fits like a dream (I am not very tall or large, I can't remember what their larger packs are like but going on this one I'd definitely recommend.

I guess if all else fails, we have to design ourselves! ... I have doctored my OMM 15 so the straps fit crossing my front as I can't get them tight enough and it works OK.

I had a Nathan vest on my Amazon Wish List and it's magically disappeared

Probably not to everyones taste but white compression gear for women for when it's really hot!!! Not sure if I'd like it or not but it seems to be something they make for men but not women? s-lab cerainly don't cater for women!!!

eta: ok so I found these but they just look like you have a nappy on  http://www.play.com/Sports-Outdoors/Sports/4-/38364545/2XU-Women-s-Compression-Tri-Shorts/Product.html?_%24ja=tsid:11518%7Ccat:38364659%7Cprd:38364659

touie - I ended up with a pair of mens compression shorts (skins 200) ones from chain reaction cycles last year (white) ... got REALLY annoyed that the majority of the ladies ones are actually quite short in length ... surely the whole point of compression is that it needs to cover most of the muscle, not just the top few " of quad!!!  end of rant!

Amazon wish list ... now I wish I'd thought of that one!

 Self modification of kit is one way forward for packs. I am about to sew my Raidlight bottle holder to the shoulder strap of my Raidlight run 30.( Fitted normally it bounces to much.)

 On the shorter back length for women I can see it can be a problem. Running packs do seem to be getting shorter and with the move to the vest like front storage model,  it should be possible to make a really short balanced pack.

The other problem with packs for women is just the length of the straps etc - I can pull the waist belt in on my OMM pack and it's still not really tight enough - hence the self-modification, and then you have to use plastic ties to capture all the spare strap that is flapping around in vile weather!

It should be possible to make an appropriately balanced/sized pack, and I would have thought with the enormous growth in this kind of event market, there is enough of a call for this sort of kit (ie not wanting to invest in making stuff that is not for a mass market). sometimes I think womens kit is still considered a bit of a niche market. Plus a lot of the smaller kit also works for slighter guys and more youthful entrants into these events.

Bouncing of bottles is what has always put me off the idea of the shoulder-strap mounted ones ... one of the other things I like about my Nathan pack is the way the bladder has a clip to hold the tube/mouthpiece in place etc

Less gear. One size fits all in most things except shoes.

That way there will be less agonising and fewer "what shoes should I wear?" posts on forum threads. Manufacturers could then pass on the economies of scale and stop charging us around £100 and rising for a pair of fell shoes that are fairly cheap to manufacture.

In Liptrot's Republic the only car would be a Nissan Micra and everyone gets one free.

. Yes I was pretty shocked at how much shoes seem to have gone up. Spend half my time trawling on internet to find stuff at reasonable prices ... so would up generally productivity at home ... less reason to be trawling on internet!!

I reckon everyone should run naked so no problems then1

 Re front strap bottle storage. If the bottle holders are built into the straps and the cross chest strap is in the correct position then they don,t bounce . The Raidlight Olmo 20 works really well  as the 2 bottles go a long way to balance the weight of the pack contents  resulting in the pack riding higher up your back .Volume of 20l requires serious ramming in of kit for mountain marathons. I think there is a smaller "Olmo" which could be useful  for women in events that require less kit.The front straps also have storage for energy bars and gels .

Race vests have come on a long way in the last while.  For those wanting bottles on the front which are sewn on and more stable, there the Raidlight Olmos (5l up to 20) or the new Ultimate Direction Signature Series.

For those who prefer bottles on the back/hips, there's the UltrAspire range.  Given all these new contenders I expect Salomon and Nathan may release some updated products to compete as these other ones are moving the game on quite a bit.