Words By: Sean James
I’m a very sceptical person when people tell me things. Especially if it comes from a marketing department. I always need to check them out myself. So when my task this month was to test a “veste de course” or a race vest that was totally black but claimed to be more reflective than other materials I smiled.
Most people in the UAE know Nathan as the guy at Premier Marathons who you email when deadline has passed and try to beg a late entry or who stands at the front of the RAK Half Marathon every year and apologises for the late start. In fact, Nathan is a market leader in creating groundbreaking “running essentials”. Running essentials is anything that helps you run faster and longer in races from 5km to ultramarathons. And Nathan has a full range of products from hydration vests, belts, handhelds, bottles, running packs, active visibility and reflective vests. Nathan is a US-based company with distributors worldwide. Their products feel like high quality and they have been awarded several design awards for graphic and/or product ideation and execution by industry bodies.
The Nathan product I was testing was the hydration vest. It looked awesome in black and the materials, meshing and clips felt so slick, tactile and of a very high quality.
It’s almost like a backpack, but it’s called a race vest. When you put it on it, wraps around your body so that when you are running, especially bumpy trails it doesn’t jump about. In the back section there is a two-litre reservoir with a drinking tube that stretches to the front. Hydration in the Emirates is essential when out in the mountains, wadis and deserts at any time of the year but coming up to the summer even more so. Running around the streets of Dubai in the evening in the summer you benefit from having the liquid and the reflection abilities of this product.
There are a number of selling points of this beautiful, iconic design but rather forgettable name, the HPL 020 Blacklight Hydration Vest 2L:
- Black reflective fabric is super-reflective and provides incredible visibility
- Patented three-way Propulsion Harness stabilises side-to-side/up-down movement of bladder and other contents for a bounce-free ride
- Wall mesh shoulder straps are highly breathable
- One front bottle pocket fits a 22ozTru-Flex Bottle and one front zip smart phone-compatible pocket
The whole vest weights 413g without the bladder. The bladder holds 2L of water which is 2kg so you want something that is comfortable and doesn’t move around. There is a breathable perforated back panel to cool things down a little and make your next 100-miler a breeze.
The stability and comfort is provided by the three-way harness which controls side-to-side/up-down movement of the bladder and other contents you might be carrying such as a phone, camera, gels or food. The breathable mesh material extends to the shoulder straps and feels very snug. All around the vest there are reflective strips that trim the black reflective fabric.
The straps on the vest mean you can pull it tight or loosen the fit according to how you feel and the front zip pocket and hooks safeguard your car keys etc. so you don’t have to run another loop and find them.
The material is actually black but glows when light is directed at it.
Overall, I found the vest very tactile and an object of desire. It fits and holds perfectly on the back and feels so nice to wear that you look for opportunities to use it. Maybe owning one of these will motivate you to get outdoors a bit more. The black material gives it a feeling of style and authentic design but it is also very functional, 2L in the bladder and space for more bottles on the front so you can stay out running for at least a couple of hours. Nathan has a whole range of products to suit different uses and demands. The HPL 020 Blacklight Hydration Vest is definitely one of my favourites.
