Trail Running Made Easy with Orange Mud

Disclaimer: I received an Orange Mud Phone Flask Vest to review as part of being a BibRave Pro. Learn more about becoming a BibRave Pro (ambassador), and check out BibRave.com to review find and write race reviews!

Trail running has become a bigger part of my life since moving to Portland. There are trails right behind my house that are easily accessible and make trail running possible any day of the week. Portland is a great state for running and living so close to the Columbia River Gorge allows for endless trail running experiences. Part of enjoying trails is going prepared. I always like to bring water, my phone and a light jacket in case the weather turns unexpectedly. Summer weather in Portland is amazing, but the rest of the year can be unpredictable.

I am always trying out new packs to make running with gear easier. I admittedly have hated wearing large packs in the past. They tend to hurt my shoulders and just make me sweat during longer runs. I was really interested in trying out this new Phone Flask Vest from Orange Mud.

The Pack

What I like about this pack is how small it is and how high it sits on my back. It only covers my shoulder blades, leaving the rest of my back room to breath during longer runs. It also fits snugly and doesn't bounce around like other packs and vests I have tried in the past. I could set this pack up, cinch it in and not worry about it at all.

The water flask is smaller - which is a plus for shorter runs. It sits right in a pocket on your chest and on top the water pocket is a perfectly sized pocket for my iPhone 6+. I was able to easily access my phones for music or photos and then slip it back in. Other packs have been more difficult for this since they tend to require a lot of adjustments or removing the pack altogether to reach my phone. With the Orange Mud pack, the water and phone accessibility on your chest is ideal.

My pack came with a 450 ml flask - but the pack fits up to 600 ml. One of my favorite features is the dust cover on the left side of the pack that keeps dust  and grime off the bite valve of the water bottle. Genius!

If I were training for a marathon I would like there to be more room for water, but that also would defeat the purpose of this lightweight pack.

This vest also has a convenient shoulder pocket for nutrition on the go. It easily fit some Nuun tabs and my electrolyte gummies.

Who It Is Best For

This pack is best for those looking for a lightweight vest to store the essentials. You can bring water, your phone, fuel and a light jacket. It won't weigh you down and will let you run hands free.

While I was only able to test it out for running and hiking, I can imagine it being great for mountain biking and other adventures where you want to bring a few things with you but feel relatively unburdened with a large bag. I may even take it on my next paddle boarding adventure!

Discount for You

Orange Mud is offering a 10% off discount with code: BRPPFV. I encourage you to check this pack out. I really believe you will fall in love with it as much as I do. While you are there you should check out the Transition Seat Wrap as well - it has saved my car seats! I only with I had purchased them sooner.

Happy Trails!