Summer can bring severe heat and humidity, especially in the Houston area where I live! Hydration is essential for outdoor activities, and I have trusted products and gear from Nathan for years to keep me hydrated and fueled for my training runs and races. Nathan makes excellent handhelds and hydration packs, vests, and belts and is constantly looking for ways to innovatively meet the needs of runners, endurance athletes, and trail enthusiasts.

Let me start by saying that I have been a runner all of my life and have always liked to run without anything weighing me down including gear around my waist and on my back. As I began to train for marathons and longer distances about 15 years ago, I realized that I needed to take hydration along for my longer training runs and workouts. I have tried a lot of new hydration solutions from a variety of vendors over the years. I discovered Nathan several years ago and have trusted them ever since. My experience is that their products are built by runners and for runners. They just work, and they enhance my performance versus being a hindrance.

Over the years, my go-to Nathan gear in the area of hydration has consisted of the following:

• Mercury 2 hydration belt
• SpeedMax handheld
• ExoShot handheld
• ExoDraw handheld
• VaporKrar 4L race vest
• VaproKrar WaistPak

The thing I love the most about the handhelds, hydration belts, and race vests that I have tried from Nathan is that they do not disappoint when it comes to meeting my criteria for helping and not hindering my run or race. My experience with their vests and belts has been that they are:

• Lightweight
• Don’t significantly bounce
• Provide great functions and features
• Fit well and don’t rub or chafe my body

All of these features are important if I am going to wear or carry something during my run, and I have not experienced the same with other products on the market.

For this blog post, I wanted to provide my thoughts on two of their latest creations – the VaporZach and VaporMag hydration race vests. The VaporZach was designed in collaboration with elite ultra runner Zach Miller, while the VaporMag was created with input from world-class endurance runner Maggie Guterl. The features of both of these vests are essentially the same, except that the VaporMag was specifically designed to fit female runners.

For this review, I will be providing my thoughts on the VaporZach, which I have been wearing and testing, but they also apply to the VaporMag.

The VaporZach is a lightweight race vest that can be used in training or races to carry your water and hydration needs as well other essentials such as energy gels, cell phone, keys, and other gear. This race vest comes with 2 Exoshot soft flasks made specifically by Hydrapak in collaboration with Nathan. These soft flasks have a cap with an extended tube that allows you to sip water just by slightly bending your head during a run. The VaporZach keeps them secure in the 2 front pockets, and the extended tube is secured through a stable loop on the vest. Especially during long runs, I love the idea of not having to carry my water and being able to sip water at key moments during my run with minimal effort. I also love the soft flasks that decrease in weight as the water level decreases. The soft flask has an exospine on one side of it to maintain the form of the flask as it rests in the vest pocket.

Here are the features and specs for the VaporZach:

Features:

• Two 12oz ExoShot soft flasks, with extended strap tubes to easily sip fluids without removing flasks from the pockets
• Additional front storage for hydration flasks, phone, and nutrition
• Front adjustable sternum straps dial in fit and comfort  • Accessible lower back stash pockets for a jacket, layers, or extra bottle
• Upper back pocket for excess storage
• Lower back zippered pockets secure additional running essentials

Specs:

• Weight without Soft Flasks: 4 oz/113 g
• Weight with Soft Flasks: 7.2 oz/204 g
• Storage Capacity: 153 cu in/2.5 L

I have used both the VaporKrar 4L race vest – which I love – and the VaporZach. The VaporZach weighs less than the VaporKrar 4L by 2-3 ounces depending on if you wear them with or without the soft flasks. For comparison, here are some of the differences between the VaporZach 2.5L and the VaporKrar 4L:

VaporZach:

• Weighs slightly less than the VaporKrar
• Has mesh shoulder straps and mesh for the inside backing to make it more lightweight, breathable, and slightly cooler
• Zippered pocket on the lower back for storing gear such as a lightweight jacket or your cell phone including iPhone 8 Plus size

VaporKrar

• More storage, especially on the back for gear and essentials
• Two front zippered storage pockets for storing extra energy gels and chews or your cell phone including iPhone 8 Plus size
• Rear main pocket has a special internal bladder pocket that can support a hydration bladder like the hourglass 1.8L bladder from Nathan, which I have tested with it and provides a great option for even more hydration
• Adjustable side straps in addition to the front sternum straps to get just the right fit
• Secure side pockets to store extra gear or energy gels or chews

Similarities include:

• Front storage pockets for the soft flasks with extended tubes, which come with both vests
• Extra front storage for energy gels, fueling, and nutrition needs
• Upper back pocket for storage
• Lower back pocket for storing an extra soft flask or water bottle

One thing to note: The original Hydrapak soft flasks that came with the VaporKrar 4L initially had issues with the extended tubes and caps leaking from the top if you did not secure them exactly right. These tubes were replaced with new version two tubes and caps and fixed the issue. The soft flasks that come with the VaporZach are the third evolution of cap and extended tube and are even better in terms of cap security and preventing the flasks from leaking water.

Overall Thoughts about the VaporZach/VaporMag:

• While the VaporKrar and VaporZach can be used in the hot months as well as cold months, the VaporZach provides a great alternative for a lightweight, breathable training and race vest when it gets really hot.
• The VaporZach provides a great option when you just want to carry the essentials and not much more as it relates to hydration, energy gels, a phone, keys. It does provide enough pockets in front and back to store a handheld action camera and some lightweight clothing like a t-shirt or lightweight jacket if you need to.
• The VaporZach does not support carrying a hydration bladder, so you will want to look at other vests and packs like the VaporKrar 4L or 12L if you need this feature.
• In addition to the included soft flasks that it comes with, I have also put 8-18 oz handheld bottles in the front pocket, especially when I want to carry water as well as an electrolyte source like Gatorade. The combination of a soft flask in one pocket and a handheld in the other has not caused me any issues during my runs as it relates to the vest bouncing or moving around.
• You will want to make sure to follow the Size Guide recommendations on the Nathan web site when ordering the VaporZach. Their instructions are very good, and the key is to measure your sternum (pictures are provided on the site if you do not know how to measure your sternum). One thing I experienced is that I needed a smaller size in the VaporZach versus the VaporKrar. I think this was partly due to the fact that the VaporZach does not have the additional side straps to further adjust the fit like the VaporKrar does. You will want to make sure you measure and order correctly based upon your needs if you don’t want it to bounce during your runs. If you order the right size, it will fit well.
• I have not experienced any kind of chafing with either the VaporZach (or the VaporKrar) regardless of the type of shirt (running tank top, triathlon shirt, short sleeve) I have worn during my runs, which is great! When you are sloshing with sweat from the summer heat and humidity, the last thing you want to deal with is a big rash from your gear that is supposed to help you, not hurt you!

Overall, I think you will love the VaporZach or VaporMag as a convenient and lightweight option to carry your hydration and fueling needs during your long training runs and races. They provide everything you need and nothing that you don’t. When I am going for a long run, I step out with a lot more confidence knowing I have just what I need to support my optimum performance without sacrificing the ability to run free of any hindrance. In a phrase: “They just work!”