Nathan Synergy Pack

Well, Martha the slacker had plenty of time and she didn't write her review. Honestly. She is just such a busy person that she couldn't find 10 minutes to write something. Since my time is OBVIOUSLY less important, here I am, writing a review.

And, yes, she's been working on her burpees.

I purchased a Nathan Intensity vest pack a few years ago after trying other options for carrying lots of water for long runs. I almost chucked my Camelback pack into the river one day...neck rub and excessive bounce. My Nathan waist pack--which I love--doesn't allow me to carry enough water, let alone gear. So a love affair with the Intensity was born.

But even the Intensity has its limitations. We found last year when we were going on our who-knows-where-this-trail-really-goes and who-knows-how-long-we-will-be-out adventures that is was difficult to carry everything in the Intensity. SPOT, a steri-pen, GPS devices, food, raingear, big bags of bandaids, water...you get the idea. So we started looking for other options.

We both have the Osprey Talon 11 pack which is very lightweight and can carry a lot of gear but it's really just too big for a small person to wear running. And bouncy. And I got the dreaded neck chafe when I tried to run with it. We gave it a shot, but didn't find it suitable for for the activity. It joins the other packs in the "hiking pack" corner of the closet. (Note that this year Osprey has a Talon 5.5, which is a little smaller and probably more appropriate for a small person to wear running.)

We tried on a couple of potentially suitable packs at least year's summer outdoor retailer's expo here in Salt Lake. Inov-8 had a couple of packs they were marketing for running and Nathan had the Synergy pack on display. The Inov8 packs seemed big and didn't fit as closely to the body as I would have liked. My impression was that it was just OK...I wasn't sure I would want to spend the money on it (these packs are not cheap).

The Synergy, however, made me say "wow".





The Synergy is not women's specific like the Intensity but fit my small frame pretty well. It has lots of adjustment points and is really lightweight. It has several separate pockets and pouches. Unlike the Intensity, the Synergy wears more like a pack than a vest. Martha had some reservations about the wear of the Synergy because of this different "wearing style". Turns out any reservations were unfounded. We wore them for a couple of days of running Zion and I've worn mine a couple of times since then. Plenty of storage. Very comfortable. Wears nicely--no bounce. The water bottle pockets on the side are perfect for my video camera. The dual chamber bladder is a nice feature (we call it the gin + tonic dual chamber bladder). This pack will get lots of adventure miles this summer.

So I give it a 5 out ot 5. Not sure what Martha would have given it. We might not ever know, given her very busy schedule.

Rating: 5
Where to buy: online at REI.com (not available in REI stores)
Price: $130 (told you these things aren't cheap!)