Bryce Thatcher is a pack design genius. Most of us have worn or carried one of his designs from Ultimate Direction, Nathan, and now, UltrAspire. Sometimes you just don’t want to carry a water bottle. The solution besides a hydration pack is the race vest that carries bottles and your essentials – the UltrAspire Kinetic.
INITIAL IMPRESSIONS
First, you will need to measure for the correct sizing. On the UltrAspire website, they state the following sizing:
- Small (Purple) – 28” to 44” (waist size)
- Medium (Red) – 30” to 46” (waist size)
- Large(Blue) – 32” to 46” (waist size)
However, with the Kinetic, I wanted a more precise measurement such as the measurement from the back of the waist to the front of the mid-chest (considering torso length). Thus, the size I chose was a Medium due to my long torso (my waist size is 29”).
See pictures below. Don’t forget to mouse over the pictures for details of the features.
TRAIL TESTING
Wow! Absolutely love it! It was the perfect race vest, that is, I have my hands free to eat food at the race buffet table, but don’t need to take off the vest to fill-up a hydration bladder. The Kinetic is perfect for those days you don’t want to hold anything in your hands and/or don’t want to carry a hydration bladder, but need to run 20+ miles. The Kinetic has ample storage and contains two 26 oz bottles. You can store an extra bottle in the back pocket or front right mesh pocket.
The Kinetic moved freely with my body. I didn’t feel any rubbing or anything restricting my running motion. I did not notice any wear on my running apparel (a negative aspect of most hydration vests/packs in my opinion). Attention to detail was put into the Kinetic to save our favorite running apparel.
This is one piece of gear I have many runners stopping me to ask – what are you wearing? I had some great conversations on the trails describing my experience with this vest.
There were several (minor) things I noticed that could be improved:
- Have a bigger lip on the water bottle nipple. I really had to bite down on the nipple to get it to open.
- Remove the magnet on the bottom of the water bottle. I initially thought it was used to keep the bottle in place in the bottle holster. UltrAspire states it is a Polarity System.
Overall, a great vest for racing and/or those days you don’t want to carry a handheld while carrying everything you will need for a longer run.
TECH SPECS
- Soft, breathable, lite weight mesh hip support featuring biodesigned optimum efficiency.
- Lite weight adjustable Speed Hook™ attachment.
- Low profiled dimensional zippered pouch on the right side of waist piece that does not impede natural arm movement.
- Quick stash right pocket is large enough to hold a spare bottle or other essentials and it uniformly compresses with cord.
- Patent pending Magnon Electrolyte Pocket™ with easy magnet closure.
- Light weight zippers pulls easily grabbed even with gloves, cold or numb fingers.
- Left mesh pocket over zippered inner pocket for securely essentials.
- Roomy back pocket with magnetic closure.
- Ergo aligned and angled bottle holsters allow for ease of access; plus, patent pending* new feature aids return of bottle between usages, keeps bottle in proper position and aids stability.
- Comes standard with two Human 26 oz finger loop bottles.
Weight Breakdown
CONCLUSION
I love the following features built into the Kinetic:
- No velcro – magnetic closures (great idea)
- Speed hooks – no velcro or clips
- Attention to designing a vest that doesn’t destroy your tech-apparel (keeping anything that may rub and/or seams from ruining your favorite running apparel)
- Water resistant “pill” pocket with magnetic closure (for your electrolyte pills or things you don’t want to get wet)
- Ample storage (but not too bulky)
- Great fit, comfort, and movement with the body
A recommendation I would suggest is to communicate a better sizing guide that considers an individual’s torso length.
The Kinetic, a great product from UltrAspire. I wonder what product Bryce will design next.
I was under the impression that the Polarity system is exactly for keeping the bottles in the pack, I seem to recall a magnet on the bottle and the pack this way you don’t worry about them falling out. Seems as if the “heatlh polarity” is a side effect:
“2. Polarity: Magnetic energy is lighter weight, ad saves time ad effort retrieving, stowing ad keeping bottles in your pack; it may also impart substantial health benefits to the liquid enclosed. We did some research, we are convinced, that like water emerging from a mountain spring infused with the magnetic energy of the earth – it’s simply healthier for the human body. “
Hi Ron, I initially thought the same thing. Specific to the Kinetic, there are no magnet(s) at the bottom of the bottle holder (tested by running a magnet both inside and outside of the bottle holder). However, other packs do have a magnet to hold the bottle in place. If it is a health benefit, I haven’t notice it (but it sounds good). Thanks for your comments.
Love the Kinetic. The only improvement I could suggest is a bungee cord to hold gloves or a windshell.
I have recently purchased a Kinetic in a size small – I’m 1.65 tall and 57kg’s, I love the pack, but if they do in future make a newer version, they should definitely make the small even smaller. I have to adjust all the straps to its ‘smallest possible’ to get a snug fit. I also have to run with my arms more outward to not hit the bottles in the back.
So too big a size is my only concern, otherwise I like it a lot!
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