CamelBak Marathoner Vest Product Review

I am starting this week with a sponsored post. In June I was given the opportunity to review product from CamelBak and selected the CamelBak Marathoner Vest with hopes it would arrive before darling daughter and I headed to Texas for three weeks. Luck was on my side.
I love reading that running is an easy sport to start since you don't need much equipment. Yes, that is true to a degree. I am in the process of registering darling daughter for soccer and just this weekend we went shopping to get her soccer shoes, soccer socks, shin guards, and yes, a pink size 3 soccer ball to practice with at home. It added up quickly but not as quickly as one pair of running shoes for me. The irony of it all!
And yes, when I began running I didn't have much. Running shoes, socks, and something to run in. I quickly added tunes to listen to and that grew into carrying a means to track my miles and time. I think you can see what came next....hydration. I needed a way to stay hydrated on the go and please welcome a water bottle. But let me tell you, carrying that thing got tiresome so I tried a hydration belt and quickly realized, that is not the thing for me. My rounded hips didn't provide a firm resting groud and I chafed left and right. No fun...back to the handheld bottle. Argh says the tired arms!
Once my running goals grew to longer distances so did what I had to carry with the addition of gels. One or two gels were easy to slip into my running skirt but by golly, my distance continued to grow and that little pocket wasn't big enough. I felt like I was packing a mule to go out and run and yes, I did try to keep it simple. So simple that I opted to drink the sports drinks I don't like and really don't want in my body just to be able to go with one handheld bottle during races. Carrying extra sports drinks packages wasn't really ideal as much as I wished there was an easier way.
I saw runners with their hydrations packs and was envious. It seemed like it was such a cool idea to carry all I need to carry and drink what I want to drink. I viewed them as a way to take the leashes off and to run without too much worry about the next water fountain or where I would squeeze everything on my body. But there was one thing holding me back - I run in a running skirt and bra top, the hydration belt tore me up, and I was afraid of chafing all around my core. That scared me enough to stick to what I was doing.
But you see, my running goals are growing and I knew eventually something was going to need to change and in all reality, I thought it was me. I had to learn to run in a tank top. Yikes....why did that bug me so much? Would it be the worst thing in the world if it meant I could carry more hydration and fuel? You would think I wouldn't let it bug me so much.
Then the day came...the opportunity to try a vest...and I was heading to Texas soon and would be running outside almost daily in the heat. I was already trying to envision water refills in my Mom's neighborhood and it wasn't looking pretty. But luck was on my side. The vest arrived just two days before darling daughter and I headed out. This was my chance to give a vest a try and to run free! I was excited! Okay, I was beyond excited! I tried the vest on. Darling daughter tried the vest on and scoped out all its features. She really loves the whistle and how it can unattach and then go right back into place. She tweeted...a few times. It is loud but not piercing. She was happy. I was happy.
But the true test isn't an empty vest in your house. The true test is a vest with water on a run. For my first run I put in one bottle of water (my bottle holds 16 oz). I was going out only for a bit and figured the first run shouldn't be fully loaded. I was amazed by how comfy the vest was, how easy it was to take sips, and how it didn't seem to make me feel any hotter. Yes, I was worried about that too. In fact, I wasn't any hotter or sweatier than the runs I did without the vest. Cool!
It didn't take me long to fill the vest to capacity (2L) and hit the roads. I stashed my phone in the left front pocket and a couple of applesauce to go in the right front packet. In the back pocket I was able to stash my Mom's garage door opener so I could get back into the house when I was done. I was fully loaded but yet I felt naked. The vest obviously weighs more with all the goodies inside but I never felt heavy or weighted down AND the vest never changed how it felt on me when I was drinking up the water. In fact, I noticed no real difference at all. And that chafing? Well, it never happened. My only issue was when I put four frozen applesauce to go in the right front pocket. After that run I did have some minor irritation on my side but in all reality, I think it was from the cold, solid applesauce containers which could be easily stored in the back pocket away from my skin.
The vest is awesome and easy to clean. I rinse it down with water post run to get the sweat off and hang it in the shower. The inner bladder is easy to clean and quickly disconnects from the drinking tube. I am seriously considering running the Maui Marathon in this vest come September to see what I think of it for racing and I have an inkling I will be doing the same in December for the Honolulu Marathon. It is nice to have empty hands and yes, it is nice to be able to get to my phone if I so choose in order to take a picture. It doesn't happen often but sometimes you need to stop and enjoy life...or take some pictures of bunnies for darling daughter!
Once again, I received the CamelBak Marathoner Vest free of charge from CamelBak to review. The vest retails for $100. I did not promise a positive review and the opinions expressed in this post are soley my own opinions.
Daily Gratitude: I am thankful for blue skies.
Daily Affirmation: My heart is full of love.