Review of the Nathan Vapor Howe 2.0 Hydration Vest

Review of the Nathan Vapor Howe 2.0 Hydration Vest

Nathan Vapor Howe 2.0 4L

Listed-Weight:

6.3 oz (without flasks), 10 oz (with flasks)

Volume:

4L

Storage Breakdown:

11 Pockets

• Rear: 3
  • Top drop-in for hydration reservoir if used
  • A second full drop-in pocket
  • A third with weather-resistant external zip
• Side / Lat
  • Two smaller lat pockets
• Front: 6
  • Upper capsule or GoPro battery sized pocket which houses emergency whistle
  • Two chest bottle pockets
  • Two additional velcro’d drop in lower front pockets
  • One weather resistant zipped chest seated behind bottle for phones (fits larger phones)

Features:

• 2-point slider rail sternal chest straps
• Weather-resistant chest phone pocket and rear zip storage
• Shoulder pill pocket
• Reflective hits
• Exceptionally soft / light / breathable fabric construction
  Hydration:
• Two  20 oz soft flasks with extension tubes
• Room for 1.5L bladder with swivel magnetic chest clasp

Poles? No

Price: $165

For Sp21: Howe series will drop, replaced by top tier new model of the Pinnacle series – amazingly light and soft

Wear-Test and Review By: Sheena Heise

Pros:
The women’s specific fit is great, room and stretch in all the right places, no bouncing. Water bottle placement and up/down chest strap adjustment were on point. The vest material is super soft and breathable. It rides well regardless of whether you’re wearing multiple layers, a tank top or just a sports bra. The first time I wore this vest was for a 20 mile run, I returned with zero chafe. Another great feature on this vest are the zipper hoods, keeping long hair from getting caught and tangled. The straw top flasks at 20 oz are easy to hold, fill and drop back into the vest pocket, the flask
necks are wide and there is a plastic shank like stint that keeps the flask upright even when empty.

Cons:
My main issue with this vest was the length of the straws, the bite valve rested and bounced directly on my collar bone which was uncomfortable and distracting. To finish the long run I was on I folded the straws over and tucked them into the pockets. Before taking the vest out again I modified the straws using a razor blade and cut them down about 1⁄4 inch. This way they would clear my collar bone but still tuck into the shoulder strap. I had to tighten chest traps frequently as they don’t stay locked down tight. I found the front pockets to be pretty shallow, my phone (iphone 6s) fell out a few times and the back pockets were difficult to access while running. You had to stop, take off your vest and check your phone or get a snack or jacket from the large rear zipper pocket.

Overall I like the fit and feel of this vest. I would use this vest for up to a trail marathon or 50k effort.

Wear-Test and Review By: Nichole Cappadora

The Nathan Vapor Howe has options for bottles in the front and a bladder pocket in the back. I used a 2L bladder (vest billed at 1.5L, 2L will fit but is not included) on my run. There’s a cool clip that hooks to the straw and separates by a magnet for easy access, so there was no fussing with getting the straw back in place. The pack fit nicely, there was a lot of room in the back that I could easily have stashed extra clothes, headlamp, more food, etc. I was able to fit my phone in the zipper pocket that sits under one of the bottles on the chest. It was raining pretty hard, and my phone was not very wet, even with me taking it out a few times. There are lots of pockets for food stashing, even two side rib pockets. The whole pack was pretty comfortable. With lots of room for storage for a longer training run. My favorite of the mix.