Outdoor Retailer Summer 12: Running Hydration, Nutrition, and Packs

Salomon Soft Flask and Glove

Another very clever Salomon creation in collaboration with Killian Jornet, the great Spanish mountain runner. Killian suffered mightily in the heat at the 2010 Western States 100. He doesn't like to carry a pack or bottles and says he isn't a great hot weather runner. The answer, prototyped at the Western States in 2011, which he won, a soft flask glove combination. The glove flask combination feels fantastic. The flask is made of a soft hydration bladder material from Hydrapak. Bite on the valve and water flows.

The 5oz soft flasks can be purchased at Running Warenhouse now. I was told the glove flask combination will be on sale at REI in September for $45. Right and left gloves and one 8 oz flask. The 500 ml (17oz) flask shown here will be available about the same time. Use one 5 oz flask for water diluted gel ( the valve is liquid specific but a wider gel nozzle is planned). Use the 10 oz for liquids.

Sip N'Go Foldable Water Bottle
Nothing fancy but an effective way to tote 500ml 17 oz of water on the run or on the go. The Sip N'Go collapses, snapping into a compact package. We tested on a couple of runs since OR and it does the job. Price: $7.99.

Ultimate Direction Signature Series Running Vests
At every Outdoor Retailer there are products, in smaller booths, amid all the clutter and marketing of the big guys, that stop me in my tracks. The Ultimate Direction Signature Series AK Race Vest and SJ Ultra Vest were such products.

Ultimate Direction AK Race Vest

Ultimate Direction AJ Ultra Vest

Ultimate Direction has been around a long time, one of the original hydration carry companies. Slimmed down and newly refocused with trail running legend Buzz Burrell as Brand Director they launched some fantastic trail running vests at OR.

Until I opened the marketing materials away from the show I did not realize the AK was designed by Anton Krupicka and the AJ by Scott Jurek. So, Killian Jornet is not the only top ultra and trail runner with a lab cooking up personalized innovations we can all also use and enjoy.

Both vests are incredibly light, 9.5 oz for the AK and 11.0 oz for the AJ, including two 20 oz bottles!  My Salomon S-Lab Advanced Skin vest weighs 22 oz including the 1.5 liter/53 oz bladder.
Unlike the padded mesh of my $180  and very functional Salomon S-Lab Advanced Skin running vest,  the Signature Series have a tightly woven single layer of very light mesh. This mesh provides some structure to the otherwise whisper light vests.

Plenty of pockets in all the right places. The AK has a very stretchy open back compartment, the AJ a zipper compartment. I might chose the AJ with 9.2 liters of volume vs. the 4.5 liters of the AK for the extra carrying capacity with no additional weight to speak of.

The vests are supplied with two of the great 20 oz Ultimate Direction bottles with Kicker Valve, a soft nipple you pull up with your teeth to open and push sideways with your mouth or hand to close. No real need to close on the run as the valve is self sealing unless squeezed. Both can also accomodate a hydration bladder.

$90 for the AK, available January 2013
$125 for the AJ, available November 2013

Nathan Sports New Bottle Design
Not sure of the name and price of this Spring 13 Nathan  Sports 20 and 10 oz hand carry bottles. The narrow neck and gray trigger grip made these very easy and comfortable to grip.

Nathan Sports 2013 trigger grip water bottle

Nathan Sports 2013 trigger grip water bottle

Nunn Hydration Tablets

Nunn was the first company to introduce a Alka Seltzer size tablet which when dropped into 16oz of water creates an electrolyte drink. Tasted a sample of the tea flavor. Not sugary, subtle easy to swallow flavor. Will be in my bottles and packs in the future. 

Power Bar Energy Gel

Used samples of Power Bar Energy gel  from the show for my Jupiter Peak Steeplechase race this past Saturday. 

Warm day with many getting cramps on the 3000 foot downhill run after the climb to Jupiter Peak. Not me and plenty of energy to the finish. Much more viscous than other gels  "PowerBar Energy Gel is the first gel to provide the carbs and electrolytes of a high end sports drink, and contains 4 times the sodium of leading competitors."  Power Bar Energy has 200 mg of sodium and 20 mg of potassium. Priced at about $1.35-$1.50 at retail. The only gel with similar sodium is Gu's Roctane with 135 mg of sodium and 35 mg of Potassium but priced at about $2.50 per gel.