Article by Mike Postaski
Evolution 7L Vest ($140)
Introduction
Instinct Trail running vests are a staple in the European trail running scene, but I’ve never seen one state-side. I have heard many good things though, and the RTR team raves reviews about their Reflex Belt here as well as their larger X-10 L vest here . I got a full demo from founder Sean Van Court at the 2024 The Running Event - he was very excited to explain how every single feature and detail of the vests were designed with funct ionality in mind.
The main focus of their vests are high capacity and accessible storage (especially up front) as well as comfortable and secure fit. They have a wide variety of capacity options from super lightweight short race options, to typical ultra-focused designs, up through larger multi-day or expedition/fastpacking type vest/packs.
I have been testing their Evolution 7L vest, which is in the middle of their range, and trail running and racing focused. I’d say for the distances that I focus on for training and racing, this 7L model is the most versatile option, offering range to go lighter and also enough capacity to handle longer stuff. The 10L model would also be suitable - it’s distinguished by a larger zipper pocket and capacity in the rear, likely better for colder races, where more layers are needed or other situations that require higher capacity.
Check out a couple of videos where I’m setting up the 7L for a 20M trail race: HERE I’m planning my setup, and HERE is my video from the race.
Official Features
Fit and Sizing
Instinct’s vests are one-size and unisex - relying on a bungee web adjustment along the side body and a dual chest strap setup. Both are adjustable - the side bungees offer great flexibility for sizing and also to position the front vest panels where you’d like them.
The two chest straps are no fuss, simple and easy to use buckles which can slide vertically along the inside edge. Between the side bungees and front chest straps, I found it quite easy to dial in the fit perfectly, and haven’t had to make any adjustments.
The overall setup of the vest is that it rides higher on the body, allowing good airflow around the lower torso, with a low material footprint on the body.
The materials are all lightweight non-absorptive engineered mesh all around, with soft and non-rigid edging everywhere. With the dialed fit, and the lightweight feel, it has extremely comfortable fit.
Hydration & Front Storage
Perhaps the main hallmark of Instinct vests is their “high and tight” front soft flask storage. There are two dedicated pockets which ride high on the upper chest - sized for large 650ml soft flasks, which are included.
There is no overlap with other storage pockets, so a key feature is that it’s easy to take them out, refill and reload them easily, and quickly if you’re at an aid station.
On my 7L model, there are two overlapping pockets below the bottle pockets on each of the front panels. The right side has 2 stretch mesh pockets and the left side has 1 zipper pocket and 1 overlapping stretch mesh. These pockets may look small, but being that they do not overlap with the bottle pockets, you can really store a lot in them. You could easily load up enough gels for several hours of running, plus some smaller quick access items.
Rounding out front storage, there’s a decent-sized zip pocket on the left shoulder panel, great for small items such as salt tabs or even a satellite tracker. I would have loved to see the other shoulder panel utilized, even a simpler non zip mesh pocket would be handy.
If you’re not into front flasks (I’ve been primarily a rear bladder guy myself recently), there is a separate bladder area in the rear which rides against the back. A 1.5L bladder fits perfectly there and is super secure with zero bounce. That of course frees up the large front pockets for storage, or you could also do soft flasks as well for higher yet hydration capacity.
Rear Storage
The rear of the pack also offers well thought out and designed storage. There is a separate outer stash pocket which is located high on the upper back - this is the spot to quickly stash and pull out a wind/rain jacket. The location is ideal and very easy to use for quick access. The lower pack features a pass-through kangaroo pocket as well as an overlapping top-access pocket.
The kangaroo pockets stretch tightly across against the mid-back allowing a vertical opening on each side which is easy to stuff things into, yet still holds gear securely. The top-access pocket is also great since I can actually reach if I unclip the lower front buckle, pull the vest up and reach behind me with my other arm. It’s basically more storage accessible without having to take the pack off.
There is also a standard main rear storage compartment which can be used for more long term storage items. That’s basically the only pocket that really requires you to take the vest off.
Pole Quiver Options
I was very intrigued by Instinct’s quiver options. I’ve long been a quiver guy, and I noticed they offered a DUAL quiver - their ERGO Quiver II - with each side holding a single pole. They also offer a regular quiver which holds two poles. Check out my video HERE to see my testing of this feature. It’s definitely a little bit different, and perhaps I need some more practice to get used to it.
It’s somewhat non-intuitive to put one pole away (the first one) while still holding the other pole. With a normal quiver, you’d fold up both poles, then stuff them over your shoulder in a single bundle. I’m still not 100% sure if this one-by-one stowing operation is more efficient or not. The advantages are a more balanced vest, and potentially less twisting when you have the quiver secured on a single shoulder. Also less rattling around of the typically 6 pole segments in a single quiver pocket.
Performance & Thoughts
I have been highly impressed with my testing of the Instinct 7L vest. You’ve likely seen it in many of my test videos on both RoadTrailRun and HumbleRunning. That’s due its versatility - it feels so light and comfortable that I have no issues taking it out for shorter runs. I find the accessible storage options so easy to use, that I’ve gotten used to them and it’s become somewhat of a go to.
On the other end of the spectrum, despite the fact that the vest looks on the smallish side, everything is so well thought out and organized that it has much greater functional capacity than it would seem based on its footprint and how it looks. I would absolutely consider this vest for a 100M race. I do have a couple of 100K’s coming up this summer, and I’ll definitely use it for at least one of them.
Another surprising performance feature is that the lack of side body storage allows for a much more free and natural arm swing. I’ve been a fan of side body storage generally, but perhaps this vest may change my mind.
The ability to keep my arms loose and not having them “chicken winged” out to the side really does feel good on the run. I feel like this is an underrated comfort aspect that could really help over the course of longer races.
I do have a few minor nitpicks to mention. A few of the bungees - for the bottle pockets, side pole attachments and side bungees - use quite thick plastic tab pulls. I found that those tended to rattle around a lot and make annoying sounds. I cut a few of them off, and likely may do some more customizations. This is a minor nitpick as I do this to all my packs anyway.
Another one is the pole quiver attachments. They use bungees to attach to a couple of shoulder tabs. This seems to be a bit more of a finicky system than the more standard metal clips (a la Salomon). There’s just a lot of extra clips and bungee right at the area where you slide the poles in. Perhaps this is another area I can customize so nothing gets in the way when getting the poles in/out. Instinct does provide a guide on their product page on how to attach the quivers and tuck away the excess bungee. I need to look at this more closely, but still, I think the metal clip design is simpler with less fuss.
Aside from those minor nitpicks, every other feature of this pack works great and as designed. This is a high level pack for both training and racing. Quality is top notch, and I highly recommend the 7L specifically as a general use trail running vest. If you like to go lighter, or need big capacity, definitely check out Instinct’s model line. I would expect that each of their models are dialed for various specific needs.
All of Insinct Trail including Evolution 7L
INSTINCT TRAIL
RUNNING WAREHOUSE US
Mike Postaski currently focuses on long mountainous ultras - anywhere from 50K up to his favorite - 100M. 5'10", 138 lbs, midfoot/forefoot striker - he typically averages 70 mpw (mostly on trails), ramping up to 100+ mpw during race buildups. A recent 2:39 road marathoner, his easy running pace ranges from 7:30 - 9:00/mi. From 2022-23 Mike has won the Standhope 100M, IMTUF 100M, and Scout Mountain 100M trail ultras, winning the Scout 50M in 2024. He also set a CR of 123.74M at the Pulse Endurance Runs 24H and completed the Boise Trails Challenge on foot in 3 days 13 hours, besting the previous record by 7 hours. Mike's shoe preferences lean towards firmer, dense cushioning, and shoes with narrower profiles. He prefers extra forefoot space, especially for long ultras, and he strongly dislikes pointy toe boxes.
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