Ultimate Direction Ultra Vest 6.0 Review

JUMP TO: SPECS  |  PROS & CONS  |  HOW IT PERFORMED  |  FEATURES  |  SUMMARY

Author: Steve Edgerton | Updated: Oct 5, 2023
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Ultimate Direction is perhaps the closest that trail and ultrarunning comes to having a “heritage brand.” For years, their handheld bottles and hydration vests were essentially trail running kit de rigueur. 

Trail runners now have many more excellent hydration options available to choose from, but the current diversity of choices has done little to diminish Ultimate Direction’s reputation. They continue to produce some of the best trail and ultrarunning hydration gear and are the only brand to be featured twice in our review of the Best Trail and Ultrarunning Vests.

The Ultimate Direction Ultra Vest 6.0, our best overall runner-up, continues to be one of the best all-around trail running hydration vests going into its sixth iteration. Highlights include an extremely comfortable fit, tons of accessible storage, and integrated trekking pole holders. A few small design quirks stand between the Ultra Vest being named our best overall hydration vest, but that should not take away from everything this vest does well: it is a versatile all-around workhorse suitable for nearly every run, from weekday trail jaunts to your next 100 miler.

SPECS

 

MEASURED WEIGHT: 11.8 oz / 334.5 g (men’s M)

CARRYING CAPACITY: 10.3 L

INCLUDED LIQUID STORAGE: 1 L

TYPE OF LIQUID STORAGE: Soft flask pockets in vest (2 500 ml flasks included), reservoir sleeve (reservoir not included)

TREKKING POLE HOLDERS: Yes

PRICE: $$

 

 

PROS

  • Comfortable and breathable

  • Chest straps and Comfort Cinch™ 3.0 system are highly adjustable

  • High capacity with lots of pockets

  • Customizable trekking pole attachment options

CONS

  • Runs slightly large

  • Soft flasks tend to sink into their pockets as they empty

  • Shoulder strap mesh pockets could be bigger

 

HOW IT PERFORMED

FIT & COMFORT: I’ve never been a huge fan of strap-and-buckle-style fastening systems on my running vests. They often feel sloppy and imprecise—I tend to favor the locked and secure feel that vests from Salomon or Naked provide. The Ultra Vest 6.0 continues to sport traditional clip buckles across the chest, so I was surprised by how much I loved the fit.

The buckles can be moved up and down via the nylon ladder lock webbing to customize your fit and placement, but the vest’s real key feature is the Comfort Cinch™ 3.0 fit system. A cinch cord located at the bottoms of the vest's rear adjusts the vest’s fit around your entire torso, creating a contoured fit that is easy to adjust on the go. It is simple, intuitive, and effective, with just one adjustment point to dial in the entire vest. 

The micromesh along the shoulder straps and the back panel provides comfortable padding while remaining impressively breathable and low profile for a higher-capacity vest.

I found the Ultra Vest to run slightly large. My dimensions put me right between a small and medium. I went with the medium and have to cinch up the chest straps pretty tightly. Given the high range of customizability, don’t sweat too much about sizing. But if you’re right between sizes like me you’re probably better off sizing down.

 

Though it runs slightly large, the Ultra Vest is comfortable, bounce-free, and highly adjustable.

 

HYDRATION: Hydration features include two flask pockets on the vest’s harness and a hydration sleeve in the main compartment. Two 500 ml Hydrapak soft flasks come included. The hydration sleeve can fit reservoirs of up to 2 liters.

For me, the Ultra Vest’s biggest flaw is the flask pocket design. They feature cinch cords that secure around the flask caps to keep the flasks in place, but they are not particularly effective. As my flasks empty, they tend to sink down into the pocket, requiring endless fiddling whenever I go for a drink.

 

Flasks sink down into their pockets as they empty, one of few notable design flaws on the Ultra Vest.

 

STORAGE & ACCESS: With a large zippered main pocket and eight external pockets (two flask pockets, two stash pockets, one waterproof zippered pocket, two zippered side pockets, and one large rear mesh pocket) storage capacity in the Ultra Vest goes even further than its 10.3-liter volume suggests. 

I love this vest for long days on remote trails in the Canadian Rockies where my packing list gets pretty extensive, including lots of extra nutrition, thermal layers, rain gear, and an emergency bivy. The Ultra Vest handles it all and still fits comfortably when at capacity.

 

Storage options never feel scarce thanks to the large main compartments and bountiful external pockets.

 

WEATHER RESISTANCE: Most of the vest is constructed from 20-denier silnylon. Silnylon is impressively waterproof, but the Ultra Vest is not seam sealed, other than the zippered phone pocket on the left shoulder strap. Heavy precipitation and/or sweat will eventually seep into the main compartment. Keep any layers or gear that must remain dry in a stuff sack or Ziploc freezer bag.

DURABILITY: Having only logged about 150 miles in the Ultra Vest, it is hard to estimate how it will hold up over the long haul, but it has given me no reason to doubt its durability. The vest still looks and works like new.

NOTABLE FEATURES

COMFORT CINCH™ 3.0 FIT SYSTEM: The effectiveness of Ultimate Direction’s Comfort Cinch ™ 3.0 system is one of the standout qualities of the Ultra Vest. A web of high-density polyethylene cord threads through the vest. By adjusting the cinch cord at the bottom of the vest’s rear, you can get a perfect bounce-free fit that is easy to adjust as your pack sheds food and water weight throughout a long run.

 

The single cinch strap makes dialing in a perfect fit effortless.

 

POCKETS: Big pockets, little pockets, zippered pockets, stretchy pockets, waterproof pockets. If there is one thing the Ultra Vest 6.0 does not lack, it is pockets. I wish the stash pockets on the harness were a little bigger, but otherwise, the diverse organizational options and functional storage capacity of the vest are big selling points for me.

TREKKING POLE ATTACHMENTS: Four shock cords can be used to secure your trekking pole to the vest. They can be secured on multiple points on the vest, allowing you to attach your poles on the back or within hand’s reach down the shoulder straps, depending on your preference.

SUMMARY

If you are only going to have one trail and ultrarunning hydration vest, there is a solid argument for the Ultimate Direction Ultra Vest 6.0 being that vest. Few other running vests match its combination of comfort and capacity. Its 10+ liter volume is more than enough for any single-day trail run or ultra that I’ve ever attempted, yet it maintains a low-profile design and does not feel like overkill for more casual outings. The materials are durable, comfortable, and weather-resistant, and I love how easy it is to dial in a really comfortable fit. 

The Salomon Active Skin 8 or Adv Skin 12 would be the Ultra Vest 6.0’s closest competitors. In my view, these three vests are the most versatile and best all-around running hydration vests currently available. You cannot go wrong with any of these. I’d recommend the Salomon for a better harness pocket design, on-the-go access, and overall fit, and the Ultra Vest 6.0 for superior breathability, water resistance, and better overall storage options.

 
 
 

DISCLOSURE

Ultimate Direction provided me with a free sample for this review – but the views expressed here are all my own. The review might also contain affiliate links, which help us keep churning out more content.

MORE INFORMATION

Looking for more information on trail running? Be sure to check out some of our other tips and gear reviews:

Or check out our entire Gear Reviews Page, our Knowledge Base Articles, or Destination Guides for more running, hiking, backpacking, and outdoors related content.

Happy hiking and take care out there in the wild!