Not your average running pack
Trail running packs have always been a bit of a tough one for me. I've never really enjoyed running longer distances on the trails because I hate running with a pack. I'm quite a light runner and I've always found that most packs feel oversized once they're loaded up. They bounce way too much for me, move around on the more technical stuff and it ends up changing how I run.
The SOAR Trail Race Pack has been the first one that's genuinely disappeared once I've started running. I've now used it for both the Motatapu Marathon and the Wānaka Ultra 50km, and I honestly love this pack for this sort of distance.
The pack has heaps of flex around the body, but once it's on it feels incredibly stable. That's down to the Dyneema blend front panel combined with the quad-axial mesh through the back and shoulders, which gives it a surprising amount of structure while still breathing really well.
Speed First
There's no avoiding the fact that this is one of the more costly products we stock at Heatwave, but as always, SOAR has never been about making the cheapest gear. Every product they make is designed with one goal: helping you perform better.
I was lucky enough to visit the SOAR HQ back in 2024 and saw some of the first prototypes of this vest being developed. It only officially released this summer, so it's been pretty cool to see the final product after watching where it started.
This vest isn't made for hiking or carrying heaps of gear. It's been designed specifically for runners who want to move fast and efficiently over long distances.
The Biggest Difference
SOAR also went with custom curved bottles that wrap around your ribs instead of sitting vertically on the front of your chest. That means the vest can sit much shorter on your torso, and it spreads the weight around your body rather than having it bouncing up and down with every stride. Noting on this part as well, Soar went with a slightly reshaped design for women which allows the bottles to sit to the side of the bust instead of in front as well.
Even late into both races, the pack wasn't something I was thinking about anymore, which is probably the biggest compliment you can give any piece of race gear.
The first thing you notice when you put the vest on is how high it sits on your chest and back. It hugs your body more like a piece of clothing than a traditional running vest. Once you've got it dialled in, it barely moves.
A lot of that comes down to the way SOAR has built the vest. Instead of using one fabric throughout, they've gone with three different materials across the pack. The quad-axial mesh through the shoulders and back keeps everything breathable while giving the vest plenty of stability, the Dyneema-blend front panel stops the pack stretching and distorting once it's loaded up and then a French-woven stretch side panels under the arms let it move naturally with your body without ever feeling loose.
SOAR also co-developed its own bottle system with Hydrapak, using curved flasks that wrap around your ribs instead of sitting vertically on the front of your chest. That means the vest can sit much shorter on your torso, while also spreading the weight around your body rather than having it bouncing up and down with every stride. The women's version has also been redesigned so the bottles sit beside the bust rather than in front of it, making the fit far more comfortable while keeping everything just as stable.
Even late into both races, the pack wasn't something I was thinking about anymore, which is probably the biggest compliment you can give any piece of race gear.
It all fits!
For both races I carried everything I needed. It was definitely on the tighter side, but it never felt like I was trying to cram everything in. The pack has around 8L of storage, which I found to be more than enough for races like these.
I comfortably carried:
- Mandatory kit (rain jacket, thermal top, beanie, gloves, first aid kit and emergency blanket)
- 9 Gels
- Phone
- 2x 500ml soft flasks
It's not designed for huge multi-day adventures or 100-mile races with massive mandatory kit lists, but for trail marathons through to shorter ultras it works an absolute treat.
Should you get one?
If you're looking for a pack you'll use a handful of times each year and you're not too worried about moving as efficiently or quickly as possible, there are plenty of other great options that tick a lot of boxes.
But if you're someone chasing PBs, racing regularly, or simply appreciate equipment that gets out of your way, the cost to value is 100% there.
Marginal gains get spoken about a lot in the endurance world, and I genuinely think this is one of them. It's one of those products you don't really notice while you're running—and that's exactly the point.
The materials are exceptional, the construction is premium, and every part of the design feels meticulously thought through. Like the rest of the SOAR range, it's a product that's been built around performance and enhancing the running experience.