When it comes to running hydration vests, Salomon has things nailed down.听I find the听stretchy, T-shirt-like designs to be some of the most comfortable on the market, thanks to the body-hugging fit, which minimizes bounce without a proliferation of annoying buckles and compression straps. In fact, amid the mound of women-specific hydration vests I鈥檝e tried over the years, Salomon鈥檚 unisex S/Lab Sense Ultra 5 vest became the one I鈥檝e听used most.
So听when I caught wind that the French brand was coming out with a women-specific vest听called the Advanced Skin 8 Set, my ears perked up.
I checked out the new model in the flesh today at Outdoor Retailer听and was pleased to find that most of the things I already love about existing Salomon vests are staying the same鈥攚ith a few key changes.听
The听most notable point of difference is in the听bottles. The women鈥檚 Advanced Skin does away with the classic tall, narrow soft flasks Salomon has used in the past, in favor of shorter, wider bottles designed听to fit better under the bust, as opposed to awkwardly lying over it. The new bottles are also angled at the bottom, to better fit against the rib cage. Additionally, the women鈥檚 vest has a rear vertical zippered pocket that鈥檚 not on the unisex versions, and it has softer, slightly more substantial听fabric than the stretch mesh on the previous unisex Advanced Skin five- and 12-liter packs.
Both the women鈥檚 vest and the unisex five- and 12-liter Advanced Skin packs get a new听chest-closure mechanism that adjusts two different clasps with a single quick-release tab, rather than making you听tighten each strap individually. It鈥檚 an improvement over the existing version of that vest, which used thicker nylon webbing that hooked into loops on either shoulder strap. The family of vests also gets a new, softer fabric that鈥檚 slightly more substantial than the stretch-mesh seen on the original Advanced Skin series.
Otherwise, the women鈥檚 vest differs听only minimally from the unisex versions, which are also getting updated鈥攁nd that鈥檚听a good thing. They still have the side zippered pocket that鈥檚 perfect for storing an iPhone securely, the dual front pockets that fit soft flasks and snacks, and two rear pockets (one bladder-compatible, with a removable insulation sleeve).
All in all, Salomon鈥檚 new women鈥檚 vest seems to add key functionality while retaining all the elements that made the old, unisex versions so great for people of all sexes and shapes.