Camelbak Zephyr Vest 12L

Andrew Piotrowski

For the past few months, I have been testing the Camelbak Zephyr 12L running vest and have been pleasantly surprised by its performance. For many years I have been running with other brands that focus solely on making running products.

Truth be told I don’t often think of Camelbak as running brand as their snow and bike-specific packs come to mind first. However, this vest has proved to me that they can build a pack for any sport. I beat this vest up on the sandy trails of Maryland’s Eastern Shore, the rocky hills of the Pennsylvania Appalachian Trail, and even used on it on my daily road runs during hot weather.

This vest fits great, has almost zero bounce or movement, and was clearly designed by runners, for runners. This vest has 10L of gear storage which makes it perfect for ultra and mountain running but still small and light enough for a quick evening romp on the local trails.

 

What I love about the Camelbak Zephyr Vest 12L:

 

Multiple bottle compatible pockets: There are a total of four front pockets that can hold bottles. This allows you to adjust your set up based on what is most comfortable for you. It also means that there are at least two other large pockets for things like phones, headlamps, and nutrition.

 

Included 500ML bottles: Put simply…. I love these bottles, so much so that I have run a few different times with just the bottle. They easily go in and out of the pockets, have locking spouts, and hold 500ML each. My favorite part is the grip added to the bottles, this helps to avoid dropping the bottles while running.

Zipper back Pocket: I have many times stopped and checked that my headlamp or water filter did not bounce out the top of the rear pocket of my other packs that have an open back. I don’t have that worry while running with the Zephyr. Its rear pocket provides security with its top zipper that prevents items from bouncing out of the two large back pockets.

Open Rear Stash Pocket: While I love the security of the zipper pocket, I also love the easy access that the rear stash pocket provides. This pocket is perfect for stashing a shirt or jacket after shedding a layer on the day’s first big uphill climb. 

 

I think the only thing that I would do differently with this vest is spicing the color up a bit. The grey looks great and there is plenty of reflective but I would actually prefer some brighter colors to help with visibility. Besides who doesn’t love some fun colors!

 

Overall, I am super stoked on this vest and will certainly be hitting more trails with it this summer.  Grab one here.

CamelBak Zephyr Vest Hydration Pack

 

 

 

 

 

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Andrew Piotrowski

Andrew is a trail runner, climber, paddler, snowboarder, marketer, and most importantly a dog dad. Andrew grew up in suburban Philadelphia and now lives on Maryland’s Eastern Shore.

While he lives pretty far from the mountains, he puts a heavy focus on preparing for them and inspiring others to do the same. He first fell in love with the mountains on family trips to the White Mountains and the Adirondacks. He spent the majority of his early life competitively running and leisurely paddling, however after college he began focusing on learning to climb, snowboard, and backpack.

Over the past ten years since then, he has been fortunate enough to gain some amazing experiences exploring North America. Some of the most memorable thus far are alpine climbing in the Sierra, trail running in Alberta, learning to splitboard in NH, countless days hiking in the Catskills, or a plethora of mellow days paddling the Chesapeake Bay with friends.

When he can’t be in the mountains Andrew is often running or hiking with his favorite training partners, his two rescue dogs Calvin and Enzo. Andrew is also a self-proclaimed gear junkie and confessed that his gear loft is the most organized place in his home.

Blog: Flatcityclimbing.com

Instagram: pack_mule_piotrowski