PB Adventure Vest 3.0

Took this pack on a 22 mile trail run in the Grand Canyon. Worked out extremely well. Carried 2 liters of water and had room for a thick running jacket when I got too warm. Also car keys, energy bars and my headlamp all fit perfectly. Position of the pack on my back resulted in no back pain after 5000 ft of climbing.

Posted by Jonathan Harris on Dec 26th 2017

I am just entering into the sport of ultra running, I've been running 50ks for about a year now, my last pack was a Camelbak, which i had plenty of problems with. This vest is much nicer, but i wish that the sternum straps had a tie down for the fly away straps. for now ive resulted in sticking the excess straps in the mesh side pockets, and any other pocket that isn't being used and is close enough to the straps.
Also, i got a 50 oz reservoir, although that has held its promise, the hose is a little too long. I have some spare camelbak tubes that i am planning to cut and try to use. but this is just another thing i found wrong with the vest.

Posted by Unknown on Nov 13th 2017

I got this pack to be my all around running pack and I think it is going to do a great job. So far it has worked well for me for runs up to 20 miles. There is an amazing amount of creative storage for easy access to things while you are on the move.

I am not used to so much access and pockets in the front so it does make me a bit warmer while running but it is a trade off that is worth it.

I've only been using it for a few weeks. The real test will be when summer rolls around again and I stuff it full of things and bounce around in it.

Posted by Unknown on Nov 5th 2017

I've used it for a few runs. I've never run with a vest before, but I really like how balanced it is and the amount of storage space. 2 liters of water aren't as noticeable as I would have thought, and I've passed a few people with camelbaks and I see how much theirs slosh around compared to mine - so I'm liking it.

Posted by Unknown on Aug 29th 2017

This vest is great for mountain running/long days of scrambling and stuff. There are ways to attach trekking poles on the back and the front, the front is nice if you need to stow one folded up for a downclimb or a gully where you will need it again soon. The loops on the back hold an axe tightly, and all the extra hooks for the bungee make for quick/secure stashing of haphazardly folded up stuff. The white material is fairly water resistant, if you get caught in some precip it will keep your ipod from dying too quickly. Lots of accessibility on the front for food, one soft bottle pocket is enough, the other zippered pocket is awesome for a camera (my sony a6000 fits perfectly). Be sure to use the bottle keeper on the front or it may pop out when it gets empty enough. I'm not a racer so I guess I don't really understand the purpose of a second soft bottle on the front, it fills up really fast from a camelbak hose or a stream. The most important part; it carries reeeeaaaal nice, loaded up or emptied out.

Posted by Jonny Carson on Jul 24th 2017

This is my first vest, but I've never been so happy hiking and trail running. It took some trial and error but I found a spot for my GoPro, phone, meat sticks, and other trail extras, and it holds my 2L water bladder perfectly. I used the sizing guide and ordered a Small and it fits perfectly. The best part is even running downhill, there is zero bouncing or moving around on my back or shoulders! I'm in love.

Posted by Melissa on Jun 14th 2017

I already have the PB Adventure Vest 2.0, but wanted another one with more capacity for longer ultras and fastpacking.

Pros:
- Very lightweight.
- Plenty of pockets that are mostly of good size, for various items that I want to have easy access to: mobile phone, gps, camera, energy gels, chocolate bars... I really like the fact that the pockets are not too tiny! So that I can decide myself what to use them for.
- The back compartment is also very spacious, and there is also the mesh pocket for wet items etc.

Cons:
- When I bought the vest 2.0, I was not sure how well it would fit on female runners. I was very happy to find out that the design was so good that even with the large water bottles in front it would not rub my breasts. But for the v 3.0 the design is much worse in that respect :( The water bottle bounces on my breast, and this is not tolerable on long runs :( I moved the water bottle to the mesh pocket in low-left, but that pocket has no compression straps and is too shallow to properly hold the soft bottle that came with the vest! (It falls out too easily.) With half-filled bottle it works ok, but that really is a pain :(
- Sizing instructions are not quite correct. I very carefully measured the rib-measurement with my t-shirt on, got 82 cm and ordered size M (I also want to use the vest for winter running). Now the straps are at the minimum length, and I would still like to tighten it a bit, but can't :(

Posted by Unknown on May 26th 2017

I have used the PB version 1(v1) for several years, but it is starting to rip in the back compartment, so I investigated the current vests on the market and settled on the PB v3, even though I was reluctant to give up the 2-front-bottle design. I have run 5 training marathons on mountain trails/roads with the v3 so far. Overall, this is an incredible pack, with a few caveats.

My lower rib size is 38, which is in the overlap range between men’s medium and large. I bought the large, but possibly should have gone with the medium. I use about 1/3 of the total length of the side straps. When I start with 100 oz in the back bladder compartment, I use about ½ of the length of the front sternum straps. By the time the back bladder is empty, I end up completely tightening the front straps.

FRONT SIDE
Top zipper pockets. Like the v1 design, these pockets are incredibly useful. Each pocket can fit 2 cliff bars, or 3 hammer bars, or a 4oz Nalgene bottle, or 3 packs of drink mix , or a pair of liner gloves, or a headband, or a buff… Note that if you put a rigid Nalgene bottle in the pocket over the bottle holster, inserting or removing a 20 oz bottle is difficult.

Bottle holster and pouches. Don’t bother with soft, body bottles here. They are too difficult to use on a run. A 20 oz bottle will fit, but the new 600 ml bottle will not. The pouch underneath has significant storage capacity, but I prefer the v1 design with the side pouches. Each v1 side pouch could fit a 6 serving gel flask, or a pair of sunglasses, or a baggie of electrolytes, or a 2 oz Nalgene bottle, or trash from gels, drink mix, etc. You can probably fit more in the single v3 pouch than in 2 v1 pouches, but if you put several small items in the larger pouch it becomes more difficult to get the single item you want. I put a baggie of electrolytes in the v3 zippered pouch, but it has room for much more.

Burrito pocket and pouch. You can fit a 20 oz bottle inside the burrito pocket. However, since I also carry 100 oz in the back bladder compartment, the pressure on my ribs is too irritating. Note that the pressure in front decreases as the weight in back decreases. The new 600 ml bottle fits just fine in the burrito pocket and avoids the front pressure. If you do not put a bottle in the burrito pocket, this becomes a convenient place for anything larger or heavier – a camera for example. The expandable pouch under the burrito pocket has huge capacity. It can actually hold a rolled up Patagonia Houdini jacket or running pants.

SIDES
The zippered side pockets are a huge improvement over the v1 design. It is much easier to add and remove items during a run and the overall capacity is significantly greater. For winter running, I put micro-spikes (in a zip lock baggie) in one of these pockets, and sun glasses, poncho, gloves, etc, in the other. Note that tightening the side straps will decrease the effective length of these compartments, but not the total volume.

BACK SIDE
The back side of the v3 is superbly designed for ultrarunners looking for max capacity. The bladder compartment for the men’s large size fits a 100 oz bladder. The 2nd full size zippered compartment will fit another bladder, or extra clothes, bottles, and all the supplies you might need on an unsupported run, but do not need to be immediately accessible. The half-size zippered compartment has a key clip and is also a great place for a wallet and extra calories or a first aid kit. You can quickly cram a running suit or clothes or empty bottles into the expandable pouches on back. Even though these pouches have wide openings on top, the contents are secure. The bottom pouch has a top clip which can be attached to the bungee cord. The top pouch has a loop which can be attached to one of the top bungee clips. Plus the entire bungee cord can be tightened to minimize movement of the back items.

OVERALL
This is an incredible, max-capacity pack for ultrarunners. However, I wish Ultimate Direction would go back to the 2 bottle design with side expandable pockets. I also wonder if they can make the bottom strap come in under the ribs instead of around them. The FastPack 35, for example, features an optional bottom strap which works really well to distribute the weight of a heavily loaded pack.

Note:
The UD blog picture of Peter Bakwin wearing this pack shows the top zipper pockets horizontal on the top of his shoulders. The video shows the pockets front vertical. I have been wearing the pack with these pockets front, vertical. I do not know how this affects the overall fit.

Posted by Greg Peters on May 8th 2017

Currently used the vest for 6 months on running and day hikes - in later summer and winter

I cant add much more praise than highlighted below - but believe the burrito pocket to be a very useful option.

It will carry a bottle, radio or snack pack very easily

This is an Adventure vest designed for adventures, not just ultra running.

Posted by Nick Lockhart (UK) on Feb 1st 2017