Correct hydration is of vital importance, and sometimes it is necessary to carry your drinks while running. Remember to drink based on your thirst, as over hydration is dangerous and can be fatal, while dehydration is far less of an issue than most people believe. Carrying fluids is always inconvenient, so choosing a hydration system is a matter of finding the least bad approach. There are several options open to you:

Handheld bottle. Because the bottle is in your hand, you don't have problems with it jostling, rubbing, or banging against you. However the bottle occupies one (or both) of your hands, and can tire your arms. In some situations it can also change your biomechanics and running form.
Waist pack. Putting your fluids around your waist frees up your hands and moves the weight onto your body. You can carry more fluid in this position than in a handheld bottle. Unfortunately, waist packs either put pressure on to your abdomen, which causes digestive problems, or it puts pressure on to your hips, causing the problems in the muscles of your hips and legs. Waist packs are particularly problematic for the ITB, as they put pressure on the activating muscle (TFL).
Back pack. Using a back pack allows for the greatest quantity of fluid and keeps the weight on your shoulders and back which are stronger than your arms or abdomen. The downside to a backpack is that they tend to bounce and chafe while running.
Cheating. The ideal option if you can manage it is to cache or buy drinks along your running route so you don't need to carry it.

1 Handheld Bottles

From left to right, two different sizes of ergonomic oval running bottles, a cheap alternative that you can sometimes find at Walmart, plus a Nathan water bottle with a simple strap.

The most common approach to handheld running bottles is a simple strap around a bottle designed for cycling or other purposes. The classic example is theNathan Quickdraw, which includes a pocket in the strap for a phone, gels, etc. While these bottles work they put a lot of twisting stress on your forearms and are a poor solution to the problem. The best bottles are the ones that allow your hand to go through the middle, as these are far more relaxing to hold. These oval running bottles are common in Europe, but seem to be hard to find in the US. However, they are starting to become available as the precision trainingandHydrogrip.

1.1 Salomon Hydration Gloves

Salomon has a novel approach using a small hydration bladder that fits in a partial glove. They call this the "Salomon Sense Hydro S-Lab Handheld Hydration Set". This is a novel solution that at least partly works. It is reasonably relaxing to hold, but it only holds 8 fluid ounces/200 mL and is rather pricy for what it is.

Salomon Sense Hydro S-Lab Handheld Hydration Set
The small hydration bladder fits into the palm of the hand.
Your hand naturally cradles and controls the bladder in a reasonably comfortable way.
Here you can see the partial glove that holds the bladder in place.
The bladder extends below the hand, even though it's only holding a relatively small amount of fluid.

2 Hydration Waist Packs

I have never found a waist pack that I get on with, and find they always cause either abdominal/digestive problems, or issues with the hip muscles. However, I know many runners get on well with thefuel belt system, typically for the marathon distance training runs. These small bottles distribute the weight better than systems that use one or two standard sized water bottles.

3 Hydration Backpacks

When we need more fluid than I can carry in a single handheld bottle, I swap to a hydration backpack. None of the backpacks I have tried avoid the problem of bouncing and chasing completely, but there are two that stand out as better than the others that I have tried, and two more that are worthy of consideration. (See below for more details.)

Best Value. The Nathan HPL 020 Vesthas been around for quite a while, and thankfully Nathan has not messed with a winning design. This 14oz pack holds 2 L along with various pockets for bits and pieces. Its adjustments hold the pack in place better than others I've tried, and it has minimal jostling. The HPL 020 is also a cheaper pack with an MSRP of $100 and can often be found for $80 or less.
Minimalist. The UltrAspire Alpha Vestis a far more minimalist hydration pack, weighing less than Nathan, but achieving good levels of control. The Alpha is lightweight (12oz), which makes it a little smaller than many packs, and it does not have quite so much storage space which prevents you from loading yourself down. With an MSRP of $115, the Alpha is reasonable value for money.
The Heavyweight. The Salomon Skin Pro 14+3a larger pack, which is a mixed blessing. There are times when it's useful to be able to carry more gear, but the size of this pack does tend to encourage overloading. The MSRP is $160, so it's a little more expensive than the Nathan or the Alpha. If you need a small, lightweight (15oz) day pack in this is well worth considering.
The maximalist. The Nathan Vapor Cloudis a heavier pack at 19oz, even though it only holds 11 Liters of gear, quite a bit less than the lighter Salomon. With an MSRP of $200 it's rather pricey for a hydration pack, but it does have some nice features. If you're not worried too much about weight or cost, then it's worth thinking about.

3.1 Nathan HPL 020 Vest

The Nathan HPL 020 Vestis a little older in its design, and is something of a classic. The 020 is also one of the cheaper packs on the market, making it good value for money.

The design and features are rather minimalist and quite simple, which makes it much less likely you'll end up faxing around with confusing straps or forgotten pockets.
There is a single main pocket to hold the bladder and a little bit of extra gear, with a small zippered pocket behind that for gloves, socks, etc.
The right shoulder strap has an open topped pocket with a bungee fastener, and the left shoulder strap has a separate pocket with a tiny pouch in front of that.
The shoulder straps are pulled together with a single clip. Earlier versions of the pack had a Velcro closure which I thought worked much better.
The pack volume is just less than 5 liters, so you can carry about 3 liters of gear with the 2 liter bladder, and it weighs 14 oz with an empty bladder.
Like virtually all hydration packs that are some bungee cords to tie extra clothes to the pack, and again the Nathan is a little more minimalist than most, making it a little trickier to tie stuff on.
This pack only comes in a single size.

Back view of theNathan HPL 020 Vest	Front view of theNathan HPL 020 Vest

3.2 UltrAspire Alpha Vest

The UltrAspire Alpha Vestis a far more minimalist hydration pack, weighing less than Nathan, but achieving good levels of control.

There is an open topped pouch forming the main body of the pack that holds the bladder, with a small Velcro tab to hold the top of the bladder in place.
There are some useful bungee straps on the back of the pack to hold extra gear, and in the bungee cord clips onto the top of the pack to help hold things together, something which I found a little fiddly.
At the base of the main pack there is a small pocket that is held closed by magnets and accessible from either side. This is a great piece of design that allows you to access gear stored in the main area without taking the pack off.
The chest straps have a good sized mesh pocket on either side with a bungee closure, and each pocket would holds about 6 gels or similar. At the top of the right strap is a small pocket with a magnetic fastener, but this is rather small and would not fit a single gel, though you could probably put the keys. The left side has a similar sized mesh pocket with a zipper.
I found the connectors for the chest straps a little fiddly, but they work once you get used to them.
I do not like the mouthpiece of the bladder that comes with the Alpha, but it's easy to use an alternative.
This pack comes in two sizes, and at 140 pounds the small size worked well for me.

Back view of theUltrAspire Alpha Vest	Front view of theUltrAspire Alpha Vest.

3.3 Salomon Skin Pro 14+3

The Salomon Skin Pro 14+3is larger and more complex than most packs, and is the opposite of the Alpha. In some ways you can think of this pack as a very small, lightweight day pack, rather than as a typical hydration pack. The pack also tends to be a little more complex than I would like, with a wide array of pockets straps and fasteners. However, there are situations where you do need a pack that will carry more gear, like Hard Rock 100where there are several hours between aid station cut off times. I don't think this is an ideal pack for running with, but it doesn't make a great ultralight day pack for hiking.

The main body of the pack as a number of features:
- The bladder sits in its own sleeve that can be accessed independently from the other pockets.
- The main pocket is large enough for a thick fleece and is accessed by a zipper that goes over the top and down both sides, using two zips for flexibility.
- Behind the main pocket is a full-length thinner pocket that is accessed by a full-length zipper down one side.
- Either side of the main pack there are open holders that would accept a water bottle.
- The back of the pack is attached to straps going down the shoulder straps that allow the contents to be compressed in place, making it a little easier to carry the pack when it is partly loaded.
The pack has some attachments for holding hiking poles though this is a rather more complex than I would like.
Each shoulder strap has a reasonably large pocket that would contain a small bottle and is fastened with a bungee. The left pocket has a small mesh pocket attached that holds a gel.
The closure for the shoulder straps uses a clip-on fastener with quite a bit of placement flexibility.
The package includes an emergency whistle, which is a great idea.
As the name suggests, this pack holds 17 Liters of gear and weighs a remarkably light 15oz.

Back view of theSalomon Skin Pro 14+3.	Front view of theSalomon Skin Pro 14+3.

3.4 Nathan Vapor Cloud

The Nathan Vapor Cloudis nice pack, and the materials that are used are nicer than the other packs I have recommended here. However these materials have both a financial and a weight cost.

The main body of the pack is accessed via an open elasticated gap at the top. The hydration bladder sits in its own sleeve next to your back, and is held in place by a simple Velcro tab.
There are also two full length zippered pockets on the back one with a horizontal zipper and the other with a vertical zipper.
There is a third full-length pocket that is on the inside of the back of the pack, which Nathan suggest is for an ice pack, which is a nice idea but would be rather uncomfortable.
There are some internal straps intended to compress the hydration bladder and prevent it sloshing around when it's partially empty.
There is a good length of bungee cord across the back for time on extra gear.
Each of the hip belts contains a zippered pocket that would hold a few gels.
Each shoulder strap has an open pocket with a bungee closer that would hold several gels, but not a waterfall.
The right shoulder strap is a tiny pocket with a Velcro closure. Nathan suggests this pocket is for pills.
The hydration tube has a magnetic clip to attach it to the shoulder straps, which is a nice idea.
The shoulder straps are clipped together with the usual buckles.
The package includes an emergency whistle, which is a great idea.

Back view of theNathan Vapor Cloud.	Front view of theNathan Vapor Cloud.

4 Running Packs

If you need to run all day self-supported, you'll need more than a hydration backpack. I've found that 10-15L is a reasonable compromise on capacity and weight. These packs will carry 2-3L of fluid, plus extra food and clothing in case conditions change. I tested a number of packs with a standard load of a 2L bladder, two ensure drinks, a light, waterproof top, thermal top, hat, gloves, clif bar, and six GUs. The contents end up weighing 120oz/3.4Kg/7.5Lb, which is more than I'd like, and a challenge for a running pack. I've been using the Nathan Synergy Pack for some years, and its shortcomings have led me to evaluate a range of running packs. I've ranked them roughly in priority order, with the Synergy pack at the end as a reference.

4.1 Ultimate Direction Hardrocker (Top pick)

This pack has a great array of features, and good capacity. I found it carried my standard load with ease, and while it took some effort to cinch things down, the results were worth the effort, and the pack has good control of the load, with minimal pendulum motion or bounce. It's a pack that can certainly carry more than I intend, and it's the only pack (so far) that I tested with an increased load of 190oz/11.9Lb/5.4Kg. At that load, it's still surprisingly comfortable, though that much weight does tend to make running quite a bit harder. However, if you doing a self-supported run in a dodgy weather, and you want to be prepared for minor emergencies, then the extra capacity is great. There is loads of attachments and pockets to keep things organized, and I found the 2 collapsible water bottles on the shoulder straps help to balance out the weight in the main compartment nicely. The ability to shorten the shoulder straps a little help tweak the fit, though adjustment is a little tricky, and can't be done with the pack on.

13.3oz in weight, with a claimed 13L capacity. It's a similar size to my Synergy, with room to spare when loaded with my standard gear.
The pack is made of moderately harsh and abrasive material, but the edges are reasonably soft.
The back of the pack is a transparent mesh, which might improve breathability.
It does not come with a hydration bladder, but there's a sleeve that UD says holds 2L and held my bladder with ease.
There's a stretch pocket of the back of the pack, and a bungee cord over the top. The bungee cord cinches down the pack if it's not full (clip the bungee to the top of the pack for best results.) There are hooks for the bungee further back that allows for better compression with partial loads.
The hip pockets held my gloves on one side and hat on the other, with a bit of room to spare.
There's an internal zippered pocket with a clip for keys, a good place for valuables.
The shoulder straps each have an open pocket for bottles, but it includes a cinch bungee to hold them in place. There's a stretchy pocket over the bottle pockets that holds a few GUs. Below the bottle pockets there's a stretch pocket on one side and a zippered pocket the other. There's also a small pocket that's so far up the shoulder straps it's actually on your back. It seems upside down when you look at the pack, but makes sense when it's on.
The pack includes two 500ml collapsible bottles (mini-bladders) that fit with the pack nicely. I swapped the two bottles for Ensure bottles for my standard load. In practice, I would probably have put the contents of the ensure into one of the included bottles and some of the water from the bladder into the other, but I wanted to stick with the standard load for this test. The included soft bottles would work better, as the hard ensure bottle were noticeable on the shoulder straps, digging in a little.
There are two sternum straps to spread the load. The four ends of the straps slide up and down easily over a wide range.
An iPhone/iPhone plus will fit in the lower shoulder strap stretch pocket, and the iPhone will fit in the larger zippered pocket.
There's no attachment for a hydration hose, though there are loops on the shoulder straps.
There's a small black whistle, which I wish it was a brighter color, but is a great touch.
There are no side straps to pull the pack in closer to the shoulder straps, but the ends of the shoulder straps have a length adjustment at the bottom of the pack. This is the first time I've seen this approach, but in practice it seemed to help with the fit.
The thermal top, rain coat, light, hat, gloves, and bladder went in the main compartment with ample room to spare. I put the Ensure in the front pockets and the GUs in the smaller front pockets. I still had plenty of pockets empty, which is really nice.
I got the medium, which should be 30-39 inches, but I was close to the limit on how tight it would go with my 36 -inch chest.
The pack sits fairly low on the back, and isn't as stable as some smaller packs. The Patagonia Fore Runner is a similar size, but more stable. I struggled to get it adjusted quite right, and there was still a bit of pendulum movement, but not too much bounce.
The Hardrock logo on the pack might put some people off. I would wear a race T-shirt to a race I'd never done, but I think for this pack it's innocuous enough that I'd feel comfortable.

4.2 Ultimate Direction PB Adventure Vest (Highly Recommended)

This pack came very close to being my top pick, having good capacity and great load control. It's a nicely foldout pack, with plenty of features. The larger zippered pocket on the shoulder strap and the plethora of other convenient pockets means you're less likely to have to take this pack off when running. In the end, the only thing that let this pack down is its capacity isn't quite big enough for a self-supported day run. It's close, especially if you can hang some stuff off the bungee at the back, but there's not quite the margin that I think you'll need. On the other hand, if you're doing your runs in warmer conditions, doing shorter runs, or are prepared to take larger (potentially life-threatening) risks, then this pack should be on your list.

14.2oz in weight (13.3oz claimed), with a claimed 16L capacity. It held my standard gear, but there was not a lot of spare rooms, so I think 16L is overstating things, and it's smaller than Patagonia's 10L pack.
The pack is made of moderately harsh and abrasive fabric, but the edging is nice and soft.
The back of the pack is a transparent mesh, which might improve breathability.
It does not come with a hydration bladder, but there's a sleeve that UD says holds 3L and held my bladder with ease. Access to the hydration bladder is a separate zipper, which makes refilling easier. The transparent back makes it easier to check how full the bladder is without removing it from the pack.
The main zippered compartment held my rain jacket, thermal top, hat, gloves, and light, but only just.
There's a stretch pocket on the lower half of the back of the pack, and a bungee cord over the top half of the pack. The bungee cord cinches down the pack if it's not full, but it's not as effective as a full-length bungee that would compress the whole main compartment.
The hip pockets are zippered and huge. It's a squeeze, but I managed to fit a thin thermal top in one just to see if it would fit.
I like the extra small bungee loops for attaching things to.
There's an external zippered pocket with a clip for keys, a good place for valuables. (This is the vertical zipper on the top left of the pack as it's worn.)
The right shoulder strap has a zippered pocket that holds ~3 GUs, then theres a larger zippered pocket that would hold ~16 GUs. Just below that is an open stretchy pocket that's wider that it's deep, but would hold 6-10 GUs, depending on what's in the pocket above.
The left should strap has a similar zippered pocket that holds ~3 GUs, then a pocket with an included 500ml collapsible bottle (mini-bladders) that fit with the pack nicely. Just below that is an open stretchy pocket that's nicely proportioned and would hold 6-10 GUs. Below that is yet another pocket, this time zippered. (The top most zippered pockets on both sides are above the shoulders when the pack is worn.)
There are two sternum straps to spread the load. The four ends of the straps slide up and down easily over a wide range.
There's no attachment for a hydration hose, though there are loops on the shoulder straps.
There's a small gray whistle, which I wish it was a brighter color. More importantly, I wish I could reach it with the pack on, but it's too far back.
There are no side straps to pull the pack in closer, which I think would have helped this pack.
An iPhone/iPhone plus will fit in either shoulder strap stretch pocket or the larger zippered pocket.
I got the medium, which should be 31-40 inches, but I was close to the limit on how tight it would go with my 36 -inch chest, and I suspect the small size might have been a better fit.
The pack sits higher than a traditional pack, but lower than the AK or the VaporKrar. Motion is will controlled, but not quite as good as the smaller UD AK mountain vest, or the similar sized Patagonia Fore Runner.

4.3 Patagonia Fore Runner 10L (recommended)

This is the biggest surprise of my testing. The Fore Runner is a day pack with the lid removed and not much else done to make it suitable for running, other than adding some stability straps from the shoulder straps to the main pack. However, this pack is one of the most stable I've tested, clinging to my back like a loving koala bear. The pack is much bigger than you'd expect from the claimed capacity, or maybe it's just that everybody else's claimed capacity is a wild exaggeration. While this pack does of the core features really well, coupling loads of gear and carrying it comfortably. It falls short on the features that make a pack a "running pack." There's few pockets, and little gear falls at hand while you're running. This is a pack you're likely to have to take on and off fairly frequently during a run, and certainly a lot more frequently than I would like.

15.3oz in weight (11oz claimed), with a claimed 10L capacity. For 10L, this pack has more capacity than my Synergy, with room to spare when loaded with my standard gear.
The pack is made of harsh and abrasive material that I would not want next to my skin.
It has a 2L bladder, and I think it would hold a 3L bladder with ease.
There's a stretch pocket of the back of the pack, and a compression cord cinches down the pack if it's not full. This cinching works okay, but not as well as the Hardrocker.
There's relatively few pockets on this pack, and fewer tie down points, such as bungee loops.
There's an internal zippered pocket with a clip for keys, a good place for valuables.
There are two sternum straps to spread the load, but they don't move up or down. The placement seems odd, and I really wanted to be able to spread them apart. The clips are small, but easy to use, thought I'd rather have the standard backpack clips that are less fiddly.
There's an attachment for a hydration hose high on the shoulder strap, but not on the sternum strap. I found the hydration hose tended to wave around until locked down using the bungee cord that holds the shoulder pocket closed. This makes it awkward to get to, but at least it doesn't hit you in the face.
There's no whistle.
An iPhone/iPhone plus will fit in the bungee closed pockets on the shoulder straps, but didn't feel secure and I wouldn't put my phone there.
There is a single side straps to pull the pack in closer, which helps control the load.
I got the small/medium, which should be 35-40 inches, and it fitted well. I'm not sure there's another four inches of chest capacity however.
The pack sits midway on the back, slightly lower than many running packs. I wished the sternum straps adjusted for height, but they worked well enough for the shoulder straps not to dig in. The pack was nice and stable, with little pendulum movement or bounce.

4.4 Ultimate Direction AK Mountain Vest (recommended)

This is a wonderful pack, but it's on the small size for a self-supported day run. It's quite a bit smaller than the UD PB adventure vest, and a lot smaller than Patagonia's Fore Runner. It handled my standard load, but there was little room to spare. On the other hand, it was wonderfully stable, and if you can manage with its size, then it's a great pack.

12.7oz (with empty bottles) in weight (7.1oz claimed), with a claimed 11.5L capacity, but it seems much smaller. I managed to get the bladder, rain top, thermal top, and light in the main compartment, with hat in one hip pocket and gloves in another.
It does not come with a hydration bladder, but there's a sleeve that UD says holds 2L and held my bladder with ease.
There's a stretch pocket of the back of the pack, and a bungee cord over the top. The bungee cord cinches down the pack if it's not full and I think it would handle partial loads well. There's hooks for the bungee further back that allows for better compression with smaller loads.
There's several zippered sub-pockets over the main compartment, but they share capacity. Still, it's nice for organizing your gear for easy access.
There are two hip pockets, both zippered. There's also a pocket that could be thought of as at the bottom of the shoulder strap or as an extra hip pocket.
The hip pockets held my gloves on one side and hat on the other, with a bit of room to spare.
The shoulder straps each have an open pocket for bottles, with a cinch bungee to hold them in place. There's a stretch pocket over the bottle pockets that holds a few GUs. Below the bottle pockets there's a stretch pocket on one side and a zippered pocket the other. There's also a small pocket either side that Velcro shut.
The pack includes two 500ml collapsible bottles (mini-bladders) that fit with the pack nicely. I swapped the two bottles for Ensure bottles for my standard load. In practice, I would probably have put the contents of the ensure into one of the included bottles and some of the water from the bladder into the other, but I wanted to stick with the standard load for this test. The included soft bottles would work better, as the hard ensure bottle were slightly noticeable on the shoulder straps, digging in a little (not as much as the Hardrocker.)
An iPhone/iPhone plus will fit in either shoulder strap stretch pocket, and the iPhone will fit in the zippered pocket at the bottom of the shoulder strap.
There are two sternum straps to spread the load. The four ends of the straps slide up and down easily over a wide range. They have proper backpacking clips, which work well.
There's no attachment for a hydration hose, though there are loops on the shoulder straps that might help.
A lot of the material is see through, which makes it much easier to find stuff.
There's no whistle.
There are no side straps to pull the pack in closer.
I got the small and medium sizes by mistake. The small, which should be 24-33 inches, fit reasonably well, though I was at the edge of what was comfortable. The medium, which should fit 31-40 inches seemed a little too large and I was pulling the straps to the limit of their adjustment.
The pack sits really high up, almost between the shoulder blades. It's a stunningly stable pack, with almost no extra movement. It's more like I've put on an extra 5lb over my upper torso than I'm wearing a pack.

4.5 Nathan VaporKrar

The VaporKrar is a much lighter pack, and not really quite big enough for self-supported day length runs. It only just held my standard gear and it didn't feel secure.

13.8oz in weight (12oz claimed), with a claimed 12L capacity. I think this is a stretch, as it's nothing like the size of the Synergy pack.
The pack is made of soft, silky material that's nice against the skin, but so flexible it's a little harder to pack things in as the pack just flops around.
It comes with a 1.8L hydration bladder which fits in its own sleeve.
The main compartment opens at the top and has a small patch of Velcro to close, which doesn't feel very secure at all. Losing gear on a self-supported run could be a disaster!
There's a vertical opening pocket on the back that's zippered and would hold my hat and gloves, but not much more. It's strange that this is zippered but the main compartment isn't.
There's a pass through at the small of the back, which you could put a top through for storage.
There's no hip pockets.
An iPhone/iPhone plus will fit in either shoulder strap stretch pocket and will be completely covered, which is not as secure as a zippered pocket, but pretty good.
The shoulder straps have two pockets each, one Velcro, the other open.
There are two sternum straps, each in a triangle pattern, which spreads the load. All six attachment points move up and down. The sternum clips are standard backpack clips that work well. There is a magnetic point to attach the hydration hose, but no whistle.
There are side straps to reduce the length of the shoulder straps and pull the pack in closer, which helps stabilize things, but I found I had to tighten things more than was comfortable to prevent the pack swaying from side to side.
There's no compression bungee to reduce the capacity for partial loads.
The pack holds my standard gear, with most things in the main compartment, hat & gloves in the zippered rear pocket, the Ensure in the larger front pockets and the Gu in the smaller front pocket. It fits, but only just, and it doesn't feel secure.
With my standard load, the pack feels overstuffed, with too much of the pressure on the spine rather than spread out over the back. The pack feels like it's only attached towards the top, and sways like a pendulum. Removing some of the gear helps only slightly.
The front of the pack works much better, spreading the load over the chest without any hotspots or rubbing.

4.6 Ultimate Direction Jurek FKT

This pack is way too small, and the straps are uncomfortable, boarding on painful. I couldn't get the pack setup to avoid the discomfort.

Only 11oz in weight, with a claimed 11.6L capacity, but it's nothing like the size of the Synergy pack.
I couldn't get the bladder, thermal top and rain top into the zippered main compartment.
There's a rear zippered pocket, but it shares capacity with the main compartment.
The pack is a mix of moderately harsh and abrasive material with some softer patches, and soft edges.
It does not come with a hydration bladder, but there's a sleeve that UD says holds 2L, but struggled with my bladder.
There's a bungee over the back of the pack to store extra gear and to compress the pack for partial loads.
The hip pockets held my gloves on one side and hat on the other, with a bit of room to spare.
The shoulder straps each have an open pocket for bottles, plus a stretchy pocket that holds a few GUs. There's also a tiny Velcro pocket higher up on one side, which is about half the size of a Gu. On the other side is a zippered pocket that will swallow a Clif bar and several GUs, plus another stretchy pocket over the top.
The pack includes two 600ml bottles that fit with the pack nicely. I swapped the two bottles for Ensure bottles for my standard load. In practice, I would probably have put the contents of the ensure into one of the included bottles and some of the water from the bladder into the other, but I wanted to stick with the standard load for this test. (I much prefer the collapsible bottles on the UD packs.)
There are two sternum straps to spread the load. The four ends of the straps have several points they can be attached to, but this is a fiddly process of removing a tee joint and threading it back through. Not something you can adjust during a run very easily.
There's no attachment for a hydration hose and no whistle.
There are lots of small bungee loops to attach things.
There are no side straps to pull the pack in closer
The pack doesn't really hold my standard gear. The thermal top, bladder in the main compartment, light in the rear zippered pocket, hat & gloves in the zippered hip pockets, the Ensure in the front pockets and the GUs in the smaller front pockets. However, my rain coat had to be attached on the bungee cord. It fits, but only just, and it doesn't feel secure.
The pack doesn't feel big enough the small size should fit 38 inches and my chest is 36. The straps feel too far apart and dig into my deltoid muscles and collar bone.
The pack sites quite high up, but is fairly stable, probably because of the pressure the straps put on my shoulders.

4.7 Salomon Skin Pro 15

This pack has a whistle. There the good new ends, with an uncomfortable pack that seems poorly thought out and it's hard to believe anyone tested it before release. There's lots of capacity, but no control of the load, relatively few pockets, and a total lack of comfort. The shoulder straps dug in enough to make that I can still feel them as I type this. If you want to run a long way, this pack will make it seem like you've gone further, turning the first mile into five.

14.5ox in weight (11.8oz claimed), with a claimed 15L capacity. In practice, the main compartment is huge, swallowing all my gear. The problem is that there's no way of cinching things down if the pack isn't full.
The pack is made of moderately harsh and abrasive material.
There's a 1.5L hydration bladder included and the sleeve held my bladder, but only just. The bladder sleeve is accessed directly, rather than via the main compartment, a nice touch.
There's a padded, reflective pad at the back of the pack, which should help keep the bladder from getting the warmth of your body.
There's no a stretch pocket over the back of the pack, nor is there bungee cord at the back, just some bungee on the base.
There are huge mesh hip "pockets", but they don't seemed designed to hold things in place.
The main compartment opens wide, and is so big I was left looking around for the rest of my gear when I'd actually put everything in.
The shoulder straps each have an open pocket for bottles, and there's a stretchy pocket just below.
An iPhone/iPhone plus will fit in the stretch pockets on the shoulder straps.
The sternum straps clip into a few locations, but don't slide. The clips are infuriating and hard to use. I never got the hang of them, and it was always a battle to get them undone. I'm Guessing there's some knack to undoing them, but why didn't they use standard clips that just work?
The sternum straps are stretchy, where most packs have inelastic straps, which I thought would be a good idea, but the elastic is too soft, resulting in a lack of control.
They hydration hose loops down and back up, as you can see in the pictures. This seems like a much better approach.
The pack is unstable, and reminds me of running with an American "book bag". It's like running with an angry cat on your back, swinging from side to side and bouncing up and down. The shoulder straps accentuate the problem, digging in and hurting the shoulders.
There's a small gray whistle, which I wish it was a brighter color as it took me a while to track it down. However, a whistle might save your life, so I can't complain too much. Not about the whistle anyway.
There are no side straps to pull the pack in closer, or length adjustment on the shoulder straps, and the fit was what I would best describe as "crappy."
There's only one size, but I don't think size was the issue per se. It wasn't too big or too small, it just didn't work properly.

4.8 Nathan Synergy Pack

I got this pack as a prize at an ultra that Nathan sponsored, and never thought I'd use it due to its larger size. But as I started doing longer self-supported runs, I found that I needed the capacity. The Synergy works, but I wanted to see if there are better options, so this pack is my baseline standard I'll use for comparison.

The main zippered compartment is 12L, which holds enough gear for a day long self-supported run.
The materials seem durable, but rough.
The compartment has a sleeve for a 3L hydration bladder.
There is a zipped internal pocket that will hold ~3 GUs.
There is a stretchy back pocket that's large enough for a thermal top, plus a bungee cord for attaching extra gear.
Side mesh pockets will hold bottles.
The main front straps have one zippered pocket and two open mesh pockets.
The pack has two inelastic adjustable ties from the front straps to the body, which allow the pack to be secured so that bounce is limited. The straps tend to slap around when running, which is annoying.
The two main straps are linked by a single sternum tie that uses a standard clip to join that's easy to work. The tie can move up and down, which moves the stress on the shoulder straps. The sternum tie has a clip for the hydration hose, but no whistle.
There's no hip pockets.
The pack bounces more than I'd like, and doesn't have enough elasticity to hug as well as I would hope. The bounce can be controlled by tightening the pack down, but the side adjustment is not easy to access when wearing the pack.

5 Storing Bladders

It's easy to get mold in a hydration bladder, and once that happens the best option is often to replace it. Rinsing with dilute bleach works for some people, but it often leaves an aftertaste. Rinsing and drying the bladder, then putting it in the freezer will prevent mold growing. If you rinse with rubbing alcohol, the bladder should dry more quickly. Use Ethyl Alcohol, not the toxic Isopropyl and remember the fumes are flammable.

To prevent mold, it's best to store hydration bladders and hoses in the freezer.

Best Hydration Systems

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