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Ultimate Direction Wasp – Hydration Pack Review

I hate carrying a ton of crap when I’m running. One joy of running for me has always been the ability to just get up and go. Shoes, socks, shorts, shirt (most of the time), hat, sunglasses, watch. For longer runs, I’ll carry a handheld bottle and if it’s not convenient for me to run with Infinit, I’ll carry a couple gels. In the last year, I’ve also ditched the heart rate strap. And I can’t stand having things strapped to my arms or waist.

That’s always worked for me. But once I decided to step up to run 100 miles, I knew that that would have to change. On long training runs (especially ones on trails, like the 24 miles I did today), I can’t get away with not carrying more water and nutrition. I also like carrying my phone on those runs, just in case (and to take photos!). So earlier this year, I started doing research on hydration packs. Since I knew I wanted a running-specific pack, I quickly narrowed it down to two popular and well-liked options, the Nathan HPL #020 or the Ultimate Direction Wasp.  The packs are similar.  They both have four front pockets (2 little ones, one zippered pouch and one with a bungee closure) to hold gels, food, a camera, a phone or other small items and both have larger storage areas on the back for larger items or more small stuff.  The Wasp reservoir holds 64 ounces of water and the Nathan HPL #020 reservoir holds about 67 ounces.

It’s hard to know whether you’ll like the packs until you get out running with them, but fortunately I was able to borrow both packs from friends to try. Functionally, the packs are very similar, but there are some differences between them. I gave both a fair shot, but since I really like the Ultimate Direction handheld bottles, I came into it with a slight bias in favor of the Wasp. And in the end, I decided to buy the Ultimate Direction Wasp.

Here’s why:

First, and most importantly, the fit. For me, the Wasp just fit better. It sits tighter to my body and I “felt” and noticed it less when running.  Both packs are very adjustable, and I like that the Wasp sits high on my back, between my shoulder blades.

I also like that the Wasp has two chest straps, while the Nathan only has one. Also, I’ve done multiple 3+ hour runs wearing the Wasp and it never felt heavy or uncomfortable on my shoulders. When I wore the Nathan pack during my extra long day on the 2010 L.A. Marathon course, it started bothering my shoulders and upper back after about 3 hours. That seems like a long time, but I need a pack that’s comfortable for much longer than that. Fit is a very personal thing though. I’m sure that other packs will just work better for some people’s build.

Third, the Wasp reservoir has a little loop that hooks on the inside of the pack and suspends the reservoir so that it doesn’t move around as it empties.

It’s just a little thing, but I’m glad they thought of it because it keeps the weight of the reservoir up high on the back.

Other “little” things to note:

Neither pack has a very good attachment system for the drinking tube. Nathan’s tube fits into a holder in the chest strap, which seems good, but it slowly pulled the chest strap loose, which meant periodic tightening of the strap. The Wasp tube has a gator clip, so you can attach it almost anywhere it will reach, but operating a little gator clip while running or tired takes a little getting used to.  You can see where I’ve clipped it in this picture (please ignore the heavy salt on my face!)

I like the larger zippered front pocket on the Nathan a little better because they’re slightly tighter to the body. My blackberry bounces around a little bit in the right side pocket of the Wasp.  I only notice this periodically and it’s actually more the sound of it moving than feeling it move that I notice.

The Wasp is nearly a pound heavier than the Nathan (21 oz compared to 6 oz) and that worried me at first, but it’s not noticeable once the pack is full of water and on my back. Also, like I said above, if anything, the Nathan felt heavier after wearing it for a while.

The insulated drinking tube on the Wasp is a nice touch. And it works. The water actually does come out cold.

One other problem with the Wasp, is that I couldn’t find it at any store in Los Angeles.  A lot of stores carry Ultimate Direction products, but none stock the Wasp.  That made just seeing it in person a pain in the ass.  The Nathan packs are a little easier to find in local stores.  But they’re both available at a bunch of good on-line retailers, including Wilderness Running Company (where I bought mine) and Zombie Runner.

In summary, I’d definitely recommend the Wasp.  The Nathan pack is also a very good pack and I see more of the Nathan’s on the trails than the UD packs, but for me, it was a little less comfortable than the Wasp.  Also, had I bought the Nathan, I would have also had to immediately buy a Camelback reservoir.

While finalizing this review yesterday, two other bloggers posted reviews of Ultimate Direction hydration products. Quadrathon reviewed the Ultimate Direction FastDraw Extreme handheld (which I use all the time and love) and Running and Rambling reviewed the Ultimate Direction Solitaire and Uno waistpacks.  Both of those blogs have discount codes for Wilderness Running Company.