Ultimate Direction Adventure Vesta 6.0 2022 Prototype Review
Ultimate Direction Race Vest - Pine Creek Photography
Ultimate Direction Adventure Vesta Prototype 2022 Review
I was insanely lucky to ring up the team at Ultimate Direction Australia and drop into Injinji Performance Products in Brendale Brisbane the day before I was flying to Cairns for a photoshoot for the Cairns Port Douglas Trail Ultra and was blown away by their generosity as they offered me this amazing Ultimate Direction Adventure Vesta 6.0. We are expecting the Vesta to hit the stores by February 2022.
I was chasing the Ultimate Direction Adventure Vest/Vesta (Vesta are the women’s, the vest is the men’s fit) as they are the funkiest hydration packs on the market and featured in all of our Brisbane Trail Ultra favourite shots. I was super keen to use them in the Cairns Port Douglas Trail Ultra photoshoot.
Ultimate Direction Rear View Cairns Port Douglas Trail Ultra - Pine Creek Photography
Firstly the colour palette is AMAZING!
I LOVE the aqua blue and the yellow details colourway, it was so Tropical North Queensland. So much fun!
There is an insane amount of features on this race vest. I was super impressed by the quality and attention to detail.
The zippers had easy grab golden pullies, the toggles were easy to use on the run, the Ultimate Direction Team has really thought of everything.
Ultimate Direction Adventure Vesta 6.0 Comfort Cinch System and Hook Details
Firstly is the fit, I’m a small, size 8 chest, they have an innovative comfort Cinch System that has slightly changed from the Ultimate Direction Signature 5.0, instead of it being adjusted by a cord on either side of the rear of the pack it is now adjusted in the centre back with an easy to use toggle. See Photo Above.
Yellow Sliders on front of the Vesta can be moved for comfort.
The Front Yellow Slider Adjusters can be moved up or down to fit around the breast, (was a size D when testing the pack, I’ve put on a bit of weight in retirement 😂, oh dear ) and changes in the body over time and well as having the option to make changes with the weight and distribution of the gear in your pack.
All packed, but with the waterproof protector rolled away, High Vis vest ready for action and Yak-Tax on the side, ready for some ice.
The Ultimate Direction Signature Vest uses a combination of super lightweight, 4-way stretch fabric and also a durable ripstop material for the key areas that will hold heavy and valuable items like mobile phones, sunglasses, keys, medications. It also featured a cleverly designed waterproof pack protector, to keep your mountain kit dry in wet conditions. The “body” of the pack is made from strong breathable, sheer nylon, with a mesh padding insert for the hip area that contains the Comfort Cinch adjustment to prevent chafing on the body. I wore this pack without a T-Shirt on some days, in extreme humidity in the Tropics, on bare skin, with no anti-chafe cream, and did not even notice the pack at all.
Now Make it all disappear!
I tested the pack with all the usual kit!
I love the three separate compartments in the rear of the pack, to keep the bladder separate from kit from the stash pocket. This photo is also showing the waterproof protector rolled away and secured with a beautiful elastic and hook. So simple. You can also see the webbing and press stud fastener to secure your water bladder.
I filled my pack full of the mandatory gear for a Mountain Ultra and managed to get all the kit in easily and more importantly, my kit was organised. On the back of the Ultimate Direction Adventure Vesta 6.0, there is a separate compartment for the following;
Zipper Bladder Pocket with sturdy press stud webbing bladder holder, see photo above.
Larger Zipper Pocket for Mandatory Gear - Mountain Kit and first aid kit
Large Exterior pocket that I fitted 2x Hand-Held soft flasks in or this could also be used to stash your kit, poles on the run without having to open your rear zipper of the main compartment.
Large exterior pocket for hand-helds, poles or stashing your kit on the run.
Zipper Rubbish Pocket
Small kit pocket, that runs from left to right across the bottom 15cm of the rear of the pack that I’d use to organise my gloves, headskinz, armbands. This pocket has a zip on the left and the right rear sides of the pack for fast access to help with easy distribution of gear evenly throughout the pack.
It also has bungee straps that are great for looping on your high vis vest for easy access at night.
The whole rear of the pack can be covered by a waterproof pack protector to keep your mountain kit dry. This feature could save your life one day. It connects to cover the whole rear of the pack with elastic and beautiful hooks which are just a delight to use. I said I loved the details, I really loved the details.
The bottom rear of the Ultimate Direction Signature Race Vest 6.0 pack also has straps for ice picks too.
The key features on the front of the Ultimate Direction Signature Vest 6.0 that I loved and kept finding over the long weekend of running, I also passed the pack to friends to see what they liked, they were;
Mobile Phone Pocket - Front Right-hand side at chest height, with a zip.
An extra drawstring toggle pocket on the exterior of this pocket for either a 500ml soft flask, food, clothing.
Cup Holder, Food Pockets on both sides of the front vests. This would easily fit enough food in them to carry you for an ultra-distance
Behind both, these pockets is a cleverly hidden pocket for quick stashing of small items like gloves, cups, head skin, beanies, or rubbish or 1/2 filled soft flasks, empty soft flasks.
Zipper Key Pocket, or Asthma Puffler Pocket, collapsible Ventolin spacer.
Whistle
Larger Zipper Pocket that could fit a 500ml Soft Flask, then another pocket that could again fit stashed items or more food, plus a mesh pocket on the front of this. Not too much as it was hard to get my water bottle in and out when this exterior pocket was full.
Sunglasses Pocket with a zip that could double as a backup battery pocket for your head torch as there is a Button Hole Opening to allow for a cord to access your headtorch or phone. This pocket is also padded for the protection of these precious items. This pocket was directly above the mobile phone pocket for easy access of cords if needed.
Pole Bungees and toggles x2, to be able to carry a pole of either side of the body if needed. In the above photos, I’ve also attached my Yak-Tax.
The Ultimate Direction Adventure Vesta 6.0 is one of those packs that you must empty after each run as there are so many pockets you will forget that you’ve packet items in it and end up carrying too much weight for your short runs or runs in hotter climates.
This is a good thing!
The pack Ultimate Direction Adventure Vesta 6.0 is so well balanced, you can control the weight distribution of your race kit across the pack.
So how much does the Ultimate Direction Signature Vest 6.0 weigh?
I weighed in the prototype on my kitchen scales;
311 Grams -That’s pretty impressive for a pack with all these features.
I can’t wait to see these come out in full production. Massive thank you to Ultimate Direction Australia and the Injinji Performance Products
Shona - Cairns Port Douglas Trail Ultra Race Director.