Running water for you
How to carry water on a run has been a vexing question for as long as humans have broken stride in order to cover ground fast. The general consensus is that a hydro vest is about the best solution until autonomous personal water-carrying drones are ‘a thing’. These adapted vests began popping up in the late nineties on high mountain ultra-marathoners, who as well as wanting total freedom of movement, also needed both hands free with areas of scramble to negotiate in races. By chest mounting twin bottles, the sleeveless jacket or vest was surprisingly stable. Over the years the designs have become ever more fine-tuned, honing the position of the bottles, the fit, the compressive nature of the fabric, the breathability. Now pretty much all ultramarathoners and even many urban short-distance joggers use this style of the vest to ensure they’ve ready access to water without having it mounted on their backs or carrying it in their hands.
