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The Salomon Active Skin 8 is our top recommendation for runners looking for a durable, comfortable, and versatile mid-capacity pack on a budget. If you want to carry a lot of water comfortably, you can with this vest. The Active Skin 8 comes with two soft flasks but can accommodate a large hydration bladder in its back sleeve. The lightweight, ripstop material of the back panel can expand or shrink down to accommodate your gear, while the contoured pockets of the front provide a relatively bounce-free ride. The bungee closure allows for prime breathing as you run, and the external compression system ensures that your gear will ride close to your body. Our article on the best women's running hydration pack will show you how it fares versus competing products.
REASONS TO BUY
Breathable
Comfortable
Affordable
Great external compression
Mid-size capacity
REASONS TO AVOID
Some runners might want a larger volume
Fewer adjustment options on pack
Now Sold As a Unisex Vest
Salomon is no longer offering a women's model; instead, it is offering the same product in a unisex fit. Although both products appear very similar in design, our test team will be reevaluating the unisex version with our next update to ensure any changes in performance or fit are called to your attention.
A mid-sized hydration vest with great features and all-day comfort available for a reasonable price
Versatility, comfort, and easy-to-use function all come together to make this pack one of our favorites for trail and road runs of all distances
This pack is a winner if you want a comfortable vest that you can use to haul a ton of gear on your long, single-day adventure
This well-featured vest offers thoughtful pocket placement and a comfortable fit but is sold without a compatible vessel for toting liquid
With a low capacity, this belt isn't suited for long runs when a lot of gear is needed
Rating Categories
Salomon Active Skin...
Salomon ADV Skin 12...
Ultimate Direction...
UltrAspire Momentum...
AiRunTech Running H...
Comfort(30%)
8.0
8.5
8.0
7.0
7.0
Features(25%)
8.0
8.0
8.0
8.0
4.0
Hydration System(15%)
8.5
8.5
7.0
5.0
3.0
Volume-to-Weight Ratio(15%)
5.9
7.2
5.9
4.1
2.2
Pockets(15%)
8.0
9.0
8.5
7.5
4.0
Specs
Salomon Active Skin...
Salomon ADV Skin 12...
Ultimate Direction...
UltrAspire Momentum...
AiRunTech Running H...
Measured Weight (Without Hydration System)
7.5 oz
9.6 oz
9.2 oz
8.0 oz
6.3 oz
Advertised Carrying Capacity (Volume by Liter)
8.0 L
12.0 L
10.1 L
6.0 L
3.0 L
Advertised Included Liquid Capacity (Volume by Liter)
1.0 L
1.0 L
1.0 L
0 L
12 oz
OGL Volume-to-Weight Ratio (Bigger Is Better!)
1.1
1.3
1.1
0.8
0.5
Number of Pockets (Including Hydration)
10
13
11
10
4
Included Water Storage
Two 0.5 L soft flasks
Two 0.5 L bottles
Two 0.5 L Body Bottle III soft flask
None
Two 0.2 L BPA-free hard flasks
Optional Water Storage (Not Included)
Reservoir compatable up to 1.5 L
Reservoir compatible up to 1.5 L
Reservoir compatable up to 2.0 L
Four pockets each sized to fit 0.5 L UltraFlask 550
bottles (not included)
Swap out for two 0.3 L bottles
Available Pockets
2 front flask/stash pockets, 1 front zipped pocket, 2 front stretch pockets, 1 back main zip compartment, 1 small interior stash pocket, 1 back reservoir compartment
2 bilateral front flask/stash pockets with elastic loops, 2 bilateral side stretch pockets, 2 bilateral front zip pockets, 2 shoulder stretch pockets, 1 interior trash pocket, 1 large back zip compartment, 1 rear dual-entry tunnel pocket, 1 top stretch pocket, 1 insulated rear reservoir sleeve with hook
2 cinching flask/stash pockets with loops, 2 (low) front stash pockets, 1 water-resistant chest zip pocket, 1 water-resistant shoulder stash pockets. 2 rear zippered lat pockets, 1 water-resistant main back zip compartment, 1 stretch mesh back stash pocket, 1 reservoir compartment with snap hook
2 front flask pockets, 1 shock cord cinching shoulder stretch pocket, 1 magnetic shoulder pocket, 2 side stretch pockets, 2 magnetic back "Fluidic holster" pockets, 1 top-loading back stretch pocket with shock cord cinch, 1 interior water-resistant back zip pocket
2 water bottle sleeves with elastic loops, 1 zip pocket with divider, 1 small interior slip pocket
External Storage Options
Back bungee
Dual-side bungee
Back bungee
None
None
Pole Holders
Custom quiver compatible, back bungee
Elastic bungees and loops (front and rear options), custom quiver compatible
4 hooks and bungee loops (front or back closure)
Z-pole compatible (front attachment loops or top loacking back pocket)
No
Extra Features
Torso cinch system, safety whistle, loops, elastic key clip, bottom hose port and shoulder loops/guides
Torso cinch system, hydration flask loops, dual side compression laces, safety whistle, interior key clip, reflective loop for light, bottom hose port and shoulder guide
Comfort cinch torso adjustment system, adjustable sternum straps, shoulder port for hose, key clip
Adjustable shock cord torso straps, magnetic locks on 1 shoulder pocket and on both holster pockets to restrain bottles
Show full specification details ▼Hide full specification details ▲
Our Analysis and Test Results
We recommend the Active Skin 8 because of how well it can accommodate high liquid capacities. Between its front flask pockets and its back sleeve, we could run comfortably with 3 liters of water and plenty of snacks to get us through long days on the trail. We love when affordable products perform in the upper echelon, and the Active Skin 8 is certainly a vest that impresses.
Performance Comparison
The soft bungee closure and female-specific contouring make this vest one of the most comfortable available in its price range.
Credit: Ally Arcuri
Comfort
The Active Skin 8 strikes the perfect balance between softness and rugged durability. The edges that contact the skin are made of semi-stretchy polyester that remains comfortable over the long haul. When the cinch closure system is snug, the edges don't rub or even become noticeable during long runs.
The well-contoured front panels are perfect for bustier women, as the shape truly takes into account the places where women might prefer to have less pressure. The flasks and flask pockets have angled bottoms, and when full, they encourage the bottom edges of the front panels to sit ever so slightly away from the body, which adds comfort. The arm holes are cut big enough to be versatile, preventing you from needing to buy a pack for summer outings and one for bundled-up winter excursions. The back mesh is porous and breathable, which makes it a great vest for runs in warmer weather. If you are running with an uninsulated hydration bladder, though, your water is likely to heat up.
The bungee closure system of the Active Skin 8 is soft and stretchy, which adds to this vest's overall comfort.
Credit: Ally Arcuri
The bungee closure system is comfortable, flexible, and easy to adjust as you run. The left panel has two hooks, and the front right has two anchor points. Each panel has a small, vertical daisy chain so you can decide where you want the pull tab to sit. You can move the anchor points and hooks, but they are super difficult to get back onto the daisy chain, so we recommend finding your perfect fit and then keeping it that way. The front bungee system is the only adjustment point on the Active Skin, so it is important to select the correct size out of the four available by Salomon. The pull tab has two holes that the bungee feeds through, making it possible to tighten the lower portion of the vest without over-cinching the upper.
The stretchy edges and secure front hooks ensure that you can find the right amount of tension to accommodate your body and variable gear choices.
Credit: Ally Arcuri
Features
The Active Skin 8 comes with an easy-access safety whistle and a handful of reflective bits for optimal safety. The safety whistle is not as loud as some, but it is definitely better than not having one at all.
This hydration vest doesn't come with specified loops for holding your trekking poles, but the nature of the external compression system makes it easy to stash them within the web of bungees. Collapsible trekking poles can also be stored in the generously sized back compartment or in a flask pocket if you choose to run with a hydration bladder. The small daisy chains that act as the anchor points for the bungee system add a welcome bit of external storage on the front of the pack.
The external back bungee can be pulled tight against the pack to compress gear close to your body and hold additional items.
Credit: Ally Arcuri
Hydration System
The hydration system of the Active Skin 8 combines all of the best elements of other hydration systems into one pack.
This vest comes with two 500mL soft flasks that are more triangular than cylindrical. This provides comfort and makes filling and replacing them easy. The width of the flask pockets also contributes to this ease of use. The flasks have straws atop them, which is a great feature if you want to turn your head and have your water within mouth range. Each breast panel has three loops, so you can choose where you want the straw to be. We found that having the straws go through the medial loops caused them to hit our faces a bit as we ran, but using the middle or most lateral loops prevented this. The straws are slightly flexible, so you can bend them away from your face if they begin to encroach.
The loops allow you to choose where your hydration straws or hose will sit.
Credit: Ally Arcuri
In addition to hosting one of the best soft flask hydration systems in our review, the Active Skin 8 can accommodate a hydration bladder in its bladder-specific back sleeve. This vest does not come with a bladder, and while the manufacturer states that it can accommodate a 1.5L bladder, we had no trouble slipping a 2L into the back pocket. The hydration sleeve has a small clip at its top for securing your bladder, and the hose can be threaded through the three breast panel loops to prevent bouncing. Beneath each of these 3-inch, horizontal loop systems is a small, mesh pill pocket. These are great pockets for energy gels, but they also make it easy to stash the mouthpiece of a hydration hose so it won't get in your way.
The straws gave us plenty of space to turn our heads to check our surroundings when they were placed in the middle or lateral loops.
Credit: Ally Arcuri
Volume to Weight Ratio
The Active Skin performed well in this metric due to its lighter-than-average weight. A women's size small weighs 7.5 ounces and, as stated by the manufacturer, can hold up to 8L of gear. We found that we could stuff up to 10L of gear into this pack, with three of them being water. The flexibility and lightness of the textiles that make up the Active Skin allow it to be suitable for feather-weight fiends, but also for runners who want to pack more than one sandwich for lunch.
Pockets
The back pocket of the Active Skin is spacious and simple, with an additional flap closure pouch on the back wall.
This main compartment is accessible via a J-shaped zipper, which is genius. Many packs offer a clamshell opening, which we have found to be great for accessing gear — and for spilling gear out onto the trail. This J-zipper allows you to open only one side of the main compartment without having the structure of the vest collapse before you watch your gear waterfall into the dirt.
The J-shaped zipper opening of the main compartment offers great accessibility but also prevents you from spilling your gear out onto the trail.
Credit: Ally Arcuri
Both front panels have small mesh pill pockets with flap closures. This was where we stashed our pepper spray on long runs, and it worked out well. While we never had to use it, it was comforting to know that we did not have to fish through any gear to grab it if needed. Beneath these pill pockets are the wide flask pockets, each of which has a slightly wider mesh pocket atop them. These front pockets have mellow elastic closures, which aren't the most secure, but we never had any issues with anything bouncing out of them. The left chest panel has a third pocket, accessible via a vertical zipper. We ran with our car keys in this secure pocket, but there is also a carabiner inside the main compartment for secure storage of keys.
The width of the front pockets allows you to fit plenty of snacks in them.
Credit: Ally Arcuri
The pockets of the Active Skin are stretchy and can accommodate more trail snacks than they appear to be able to. One of the things we love about this pack, and why we recommend it, is that it can comfortably carry a lot or a little. If you want to run with the Active Skin stuffed to the gills with everything you could need in the backcountry, its external compression system ensures that you can do so without having your gear bouncing every which way. If you want to run with only some water, an extra layer, and a phone, the pockets flatten out, and you can cinch the bungees to accommodate this as well. The versatility of the Active Skin 8 is part of what makes it a favorite of ours.
During this run, we chose to run with only a small first aid kit in the back and everything else in the front pockets. Even when configured this way, the Active Skin remained comfortable and balanced with fantastic compression.
Credit: Ally Arcuri
Should You Buy the Salomon Active Skin 8?
This is one of the few hydration vests that inspire us to just say, “Yes, you should buy this vest.” The Active Skin 8 is comfortable and stays that way whether loaded up or only stocked with the essentials. The bungee systems are great for fine-tuning the fit and providing compression so your gear can ride as close to your body as possible. Our only caveat is to ensure that you purchase the right size; otherwise, the bungees might not provide the correct amount of compression for your body. The pockets are well-designed and user-friendly, plus the price of this pack is lower than some of our equally high scorers.
If you are looking for a vest with plenty of safety features and a comfortable and load-compressing body on a budget, this is the one we recommend to you.
Credit: Ally Arcuri
What Other Running Hydration Vests Should You Consider?
If 8 liters seems a bit large, we recommend the Naked HC vest. With an apparel-like fit and a 5-liter capacity, the Naked HC forces you to pare down your goodies even more. The Ultimate Direction Ultra Vesta 6.0 offers similar features and equal comfort, but with a bit larger capacity. If you are more in the market for a beast of a vest that can haul a ton of gear in its plentiful pockets, check out the Nathan Pinnacle 12L. The Pinnacle is silky smooth to the touch and is great for runners who want to stay organized while out on the trails.
