Try a few movies the place I’m organising the 7L for a 20M path race: HERE I’m planning my setup, and HERE is my video from the race.
Official Options
Match and Sizing
Intuition’s vests are one-size and unisex – counting on a bungee net adjustment alongside the aspect physique and a twin chest strap setup. Each are adjustable – the aspect bungees provide nice flexibility for sizing and likewise to place the entrance vest panels the place you’d like them.
The 2 chest straps are not any fuss, easy and straightforward to make use of buckles which might slide vertically alongside the within edge. Between the aspect bungees and entrance chest straps, I discovered it fairly straightforward to dial within the match completely, and haven’t needed to make any changes.
The general setup of the vest is that it rides increased on the physique, permitting good airflow across the decrease torso, with a low materials footprint on the physique.
The supplies are all light-weight non-absorptive engineered mesh throughout, with delicate and non-rigid edging all over the place. With the dialed match, and the light-weight really feel, it has extraordinarily snug match.
Hydration & Entrance Storage
Maybe the primary hallmark of Intuition vests is their “excessive and tight” entrance delicate flask storage. There are two devoted pockets which journey excessive on the higher chest – sized for big 650ml delicate flasks, that are included.
There is no such thing as a overlap with different storage pockets, so a key characteristic is that it’s straightforward to take them out, refill and reload them simply, and rapidly if you happen to’re at an support station.
On my 7L mannequin, there are two overlapping pockets under the bottle pockets on every of the entrance panels. The fitting aspect has 2 stretch mesh pockets and the left aspect has 1 zipper pocket and 1 overlapping stretch mesh. These pockets might look small, however being that they don’t overlap with the bottle pockets, you’ll be able to actually retailer loads in them. You possibly can simply load up sufficient gels for a number of hours of working, plus some smaller fast entry gadgets.
Rounding out entrance storage, there’s a decent-sized zip pocket on the left shoulder panel, nice for small gadgets equivalent to salt tabs or perhaps a satellite tv for pc tracker. I might have cherished to see the opposite shoulder panel utilized, even a less complicated non zip mesh pocket can be helpful.
When you’re not into entrance flasks (I’ve been primarily a rear bladder man myself not too long ago), there’s a separate bladder space within the rear which rides towards the again. A 1.5L bladder matches completely there and is tremendous safe with zero bounce. That after all frees up the massive entrance pockets for storage, or you would additionally do delicate flasks as properly for increased but hydration capability.
Rear Storage
The rear of the pack additionally affords properly thought out and designed storage. There’s a separate outer stash pocket which is situated excessive on the higher again – that is the spot to rapidly stash and pull out a wind/rain jacket. The placement is right and really straightforward to make use of for fast entry. The decrease pack includes a pass-through kangaroo pocket in addition to an overlapping top-access pocket.
The kangaroo pockets stretch tightly throughout towards the mid-back permitting a vertical opening on both sides which is straightforward to stuff issues into, but nonetheless holds gear securely. The highest-access pocket can be nice since I can truly attain if I unclip the decrease entrance buckle, pull the vest up and attain behind me with my different arm. It’s principally extra storage accessible with out having to take the pack off.
There may be additionally a regular essential rear storage compartment which can be utilized for extra long run storage gadgets. That’s principally the one pocket that actually requires you to take the vest off.
Pole Quiver Choices
I used to be very intrigued by Intuition’s quiver choices. I’ve lengthy been a quiver man, and I observed they provided a DUAL quiver – their ERGO Quiver II – with both sides holding a single pole. Additionally they provide an everyday quiver which holds two poles. Try my video HERE to see my testing of this characteristic. It’s undoubtedly a bit bit totally different, and maybe I would like some extra apply to get used to it.
It’s considerably non-intuitive to place one pole away (the primary one) whereas nonetheless holding the opposite pole. With a traditional quiver, you’d fold up each poles, then stuff them over your shoulder in a single bundle. I’m nonetheless not 100% positive if this one-by-one stowing operation is extra environment friendly or not. The benefits are a extra balanced vest, and probably much less twisting when you’ve gotten the quiver secured on a single shoulder. Additionally much less rattling round of the sometimes 6 pole segments in a single quiver pocket.
Efficiency & Ideas
I’ve been extremely impressed with my testing of the Intuition 7L vest. You’ve seemingly seen it in lots of my check movies on each RoadTrailRun and HumbleRunning. That’s due its versatility – it feels so gentle and comfy that I’ve no points taking it out for shorter runs. I discover the accessible storage choices really easy to make use of, that I’ve gotten used to them and it’s develop into considerably of a go to.
On the opposite finish of the spectrum, even supposing the vest seems to be on the smallish aspect, all the things is so properly thought out and arranged that it has a lot better purposeful capability than it will appear primarily based on its footprint and the way it seems to be. I might completely take into account this vest for a 100M race. I do have a few 100K’s arising this summer season, and I’ll undoubtedly use it for not less than considered one of them.
One other stunning efficiency characteristic is that the shortage of aspect physique storage permits for a way more free and pure arm swing. I’ve been a fan of aspect physique storage usually, however maybe this vest might change my thoughts.
The flexibility to maintain my arms free and never having them “hen winged” out to the aspect actually does really feel good on the run. I really feel like that is an underrated consolation side that would actually assist over the course of longer races.
I do have just a few minor nitpicks to say. Just a few of the bungees – for the bottle pockets, aspect pole attachments and aspect bungees – use fairly thick plastic tab pulls. I discovered that these tended to rattle round loads and make annoying sounds. I lower just a few of them off, and sure might do some extra customizations. It is a minor nitpick as I do that to all my packs anyway.
One other one is the pole quiver attachments. They use bungees to connect to a few shoulder tabs. This appears to be a bit extra of a finicky system than the extra customary steel clips (a la Salomon). There’s simply lots of additional clips and bungee proper on the space the place you slide the poles in. Maybe that is one other space I can customise so nothing will get in the way in which when getting the poles in/out. Intuition does present a information on their product web page on easy methods to connect the quivers and tuck away the surplus bungee. I would like to have a look at this extra carefully, however nonetheless, I feel the steel clip design is easier with much less fuss.
Other than these minor nitpicks, each different characteristic of this pack works nice and as designed. It is a excessive degree pack for each coaching and racing. High quality is prime notch, and I extremely advocate the 7L particularly as a common use path working vest. When you prefer to go lighter, or want large capability, undoubtedly try Intuition’s mannequin line. I might count on that every of their fashions are dialed for numerous particular wants.
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