Just when you thought a running hydration vest couldn’t progress any further in terms of design and fit, Compressport tip the apple cart over and come up with the ULTRUN 140G PACK which is available in a male and female versions. On test, we have the male version, you can view the female version HERE.
On first impressions, this pack is considerably light, good looking (red and black always works) and most definitely makes you look twice due to some very unique design features. The pack comes in one size and although Compressport say the pack will expand to many different sized people, I do wonder how big? I tried the vest on over a jacket and then a down/ padded jacket and it still fit with comfort. Ultimately, I think if you have a big chest, it may well be a good idea to try on in store before purchasing.
In total, the pack has 10 pockets that vary in size which are all made from expandable and stretchy mesh, The benefits of this are easy to see, if you are being minimalist, the pack remains small, lightweight and you have no excess material flapping around. If you need to carry anything from i jacket to a whole list of mandatory kit, the pack can expand and stretch to your needs. It can actually expand considerably. The other plus side is that mesh holds everything tight and therefore reduces bounce. The down side? Well, you just need to plan carefully on how you fill the mesh pockets. Just make sure essential items go in last so that they are near the top.
Weight of the pack on test is 169g which of course is considerably light. It’s closest rival/ competition would be the Salomon S-Lab Sense Ultra 3 which weighs 129g, review HERE.
Compressport say it has taken 3-years to develop the pack and it boasts the ability to hold 3.6L of liquid in addition to the usual mandatory kit for an ultra-trail race. The liquid capacity is calculated as follows:
- 2 x 500ml or 2 x 750ml bottles on the chest pockets.
- 1x 600ml soft flask sitting in the lower back.
- 1 x 1.5ml bladder in one of the compartments in the upper section on the back of the pack.
Unfortunately the pack comes with no bottles or soft-flasks. A major flaw in my opinion. I would at least expect 2 x soft-flasks for the front of the pack and due to the unique design of the pack, I would like to have seen a 1.5l bladder for the rear. I’m not a fan of bladders but I wonder how easy it is to purchase a bladder, off-the-shelf that will fit in the Ultrun 140G?
I must note here, the option to sit a hard bottle or soft flask in the lower back is an inspired idea. It sits in it’s own sleeve which can opened on the right or left. As mentioned, I am not a fan of bladders so to have 2 x 5-750ml bottles on my chest and a spare bottle in my lower back is ideal. To clarify, you wouldn’t want to keep adding or removing the bottle from your lower back. You can access it without taking the pack on and off but it would be a little messy while trying to run. The idea here is to carry a spare and then change it with an empty bottle on the chest. A soft flask does sit more comfortably here but is harder to add and remove. Don’t need an additional bottle? This pocket can be used for a windproof, gloves, buff, hat etc.
- Gloves
- Hat
- Windproof
- Lightweight trousers
- Buff
Compressport can be found HERE
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Not in the same class as Ultraspire…in fact when it comes to Minimalist packs with build quality The Alpha 2 still leaves the pretenders behind!!
Interesting Doc, have you used the Compressport pack yet?
Actually I sell them in our Trail Shop….only had a demo of this model which fell apart after a week of mild training. I am fortunate to Test all the elite packs and although we all have our preferences …you can’t match the build quality of Ultraspire!
Interesting, maybe the demo was a prototype? This one is well made and extremely durable but it’s all down to personal tastes and preferences. The UD’s just don’t do it for me, too many little issues and problems that cause me not to use them. The issues even crossed over to the Fastpack, I did a 2 day with the 32L and although it has so many pluses just 1 or 2 minor niggles spoilt the experience. I believe the new UD range (so I have heard) is excellent. Be good to see them.
Ian, thanks for the review of the Compress Sport hydration pack. Regarding your comment to Doc, I hope you are not confusing UD (Ultimate Design) with UltraSpire. The manner of your response would suggest this. As Doc states UltraSpire has everyone beat on quality though there is a lot to appreciate with the compressible designs of Salomon and the CS pack in your review. Thanks again.
I was referring to Ultimate Direction (UD). Doc was referring to UltrAspire I believe. I like UltrAspire and I have the Alpha, the older Fastback pack (can’t remember the name) that had 2 bottles that sit at the base of the back. All well made as Doc says but the way the vest fits just doesn’t do it for me. It doesn’t hold still or secure enough. All personal. Out of choice, the Salomon, inov-8, the new Scott Vest and now the Compressport are preferable for me in regard to fit and bounce reduction.
Can you show how you attach the BD Z poles?
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Agree with Ian that it is difficult to see how you can hold a lot of the mandatory equipement in this trail pack. I use it when I do not need to carry too much, than the lightweight has its advantages. However, otherwise I would choose the INOV-8 Race Ultra models with big mesh side pockets and on-the-run hydration system. See my review: https://dutchtrailrunner.com/2018/01/06/trailpacks/
Bought this pack in 2018 an i am very dissapointed. I live in Thailand, so 1.5L water bladder is always in there. With it, the packs bounces like hell. Had to tighten it well. If I add bottles to the front as well it gets better. all Rubber straps( not the xtenex) are worn and lost their stretchy-ness.
The Steel eylets are almost rusted through because of the agressive sweat. The velcro of for the water bladder came off. And there is no guide foe the hyrdation hose from the backside to the front. The clasp on the front would not hold the adjusted size, measns it loosens up over time.
I fixed it several times with cable ties and i stiched it up so often. And that after 6-12 months of use.
better buy a chinese pack and toss it when its broke.