UKC

Pretty much everyone I see out for a run in my part of suburban Manchester suddenly seems to be wearing a vest with one or more bottles and various tactical-looking straps. Even those who are clearly just going for a wobble around the park.

Is this a local thing or something more widespread?

Everyone looks like they got lost on the spine race...

Good for carrying phone and keys

If that is all you have then a vest would be a daft idea. Strip keys down to the minimum necessary, put in pocket. I have never lost keys from even the most improbable, flimsy looking inside pockets of shorts. Hold phone in hand, in tiniest dry bag if you want. Done.

Seems to very much in fashion here as well. The thing with other people working out is that you can't always be sure what they're doing so whatever floats their boat I guess. I've been thinking about picking one up for longish bike rides. 

My Ron Hills always had a neat inside pocket just big enough for a key.
Didn't carry phones then (hadn't been invented)
Didn't need water unless you were doing over 15 miles.

Didn’t take long for this thread to turn into the 4 Yorkshiremen. 

I stick phone, windproof, keys in a running vest for local runs, same one I use for fell running. Could probably put them in something smaller but that's what I've got. Now I know I'm traumatising bystanders I'll have a rethink.

Thankyou. I can recommend a simple bum bag.

I have a super fancy Salomon vest and wear it whenever it is useful. It is a massive improvement on jangly rucksacks and awkward bum bags but is a sweaty thing to be worn only when needed. In one phase of my life I used to run 9 miles from work to pick up a lift the rest of the way home. I realised soon that  I could pare extras down to keys and phone and that I didn't need anything but the tiniest of dry bags for them, best carried in my hand or in. pocket.

Why? It has pockets that are big enough to hold the phone, it holds it comfortably and securely out of the way and my shorts don’t have big enough pockets. Also a heavy phone bouncy in your shorts sounds like a worse idea. Easy to carry a headtorch in the winter too. 

They are all injured ultra runners. They are losing their identity and cling to their Salomon gear like a teddy bear for reassurance!

So whats the difference between wearing 'something to carry something' round your waist or on your back? To me it's a trade off between comfort (vest) or being a bit less sweaty (bumbag). Never got on with bumbags (bouncy and chafey), so if I need to carry a waterproof, water etc I wear a vest. If I don't it's car/house key in my shorts/leggings and nothing else.

Not sure why you'd wear a £100+ Salomon etc vest on a parkrun, (far cheaper options for the same price as a bumbag are available if you're so inclined), but each to their own.

Edit. I can manage to trip over just standing in a bus queue, so running with objects in my hands is a no-no.

I'm always amused by people who jog at a speed such that they don't break sweat on a summer day but still feel it necessary to carry one of those odd drink carriers in their hand. Suffering from dehydration is not happening.

However, fair play to anyone getting out and trying some exercise.

I've a ultra slim belt bag just big enough for phone and a key, zero bounce, goes under top. Vests are just more faff, warmer etc.. and unless you're really putting in the miles unnecessary. 

I think most have them for image. But, ever passing phase releases a load of barely used gear onto the second hand market, so we shouldn't grumble. 

My explanation is they're frustrated middle managers realising they're of an age where the promotion to that role will never happen 

As explained by another middle aged man...

In reply to 

I was wearing my vest at Parkrun this morning because I’d already been on a long run and was just finishing off the last 5k there (can’t miss coffee and cheese scones with my friend afterwards)

Never entered my head there would be folk judging my choices of apparel.

Valid point!

I don't judge. I just observe. Because people are generally interesting to watch.

Each to their own.

And now the rest of us can judge vicariously via your observation and your thread on here. Thankyou.

I’ve been running for 50 years and just brought a vest. For years I just used a bum bag even in long fell races and ultras. However I’m converted, they are comfy and it’s easy to get at your food and water. (Hydration and nutrition?) mine has plenty of space for extra clothing and maps, etc. it even has a waterproof pocket for my phone. 
However I only use it when I need it - runs over 15 miles, the rest of the time my old bum bag does fine. 
it’s all about fashion and being on trend?

Although there will be some of this, maybe a lot, I think it's just part of how society works nowadays with most activities.

Social media shows you what kit you "must" have so people grow up nowadays not realising that actually you can do these things without all that kit.

For instance there was a thread on here a few months ago about someone's £300 super-fast running shoes wearing out quickly, but why was he using those for his training runs unless he was an elite athlete, what made him think that he needed them - marketing, social media, etc.

Plenty of two-legged 🐑 out there.

This is the absolute crucial point.

Most of us here are, or have been,  very active outdoors folk who have at some point climbed, hiked, walked, or otherwise spent significant time in the mountains. Most people haven't. 

As a demographic we will find it much easier to transition into running,  fell running etc due to a similar background of fitness and familiarity of equipment. Even those of us who have lapsed in our peak physical fitness still retain a "gnarliness" of tough days out and can envoke a sense of gritted determination to push ourselves. Many people can't. 

 Being out of shape, unfit but looking to make oneself better is tough, even for those with prior "form". Life gets in the way. 

Perhaps an expensive running vest gives confidence to those running a much slower pace than you, others will see it as being cheaper than a £50/ month gym membership, others might see it as a first step to running in the fells. Whatever the motivation,  we should encourage it.

Next time you pass someone moving under their own steam, give them a smile and say "keep going". We'll make things better one step at a time. 

Or perhaps the false impression (no doubt encouraged by marketing people) that you actually need an expensive running vest in order to do something which is actually pretty basic and cheap to get started on is deterring some people from getting active. 

Spend 90% of funds on footwear, not accessories, it's what matters most, that includes gps watches. 

People will use vests like these for a variety of reasons. Even on a short 4 mile base run I use mine because:

* Carrying a fair bit of weight in training helps me to prepare for long races with lots of mandatory kit

* I have tried bum bags and found them less comfortable 

* due to a health condition I have issues with temperature management and cold hands and feet. So I always have to carry gloves, buff, hat and extra layers just in case. Even a 20 minute limp home if injured would be problematic if I didn't have an extra layer to put on

* I always have to carry water, even on a slow, short base run, as the medication I take causes a dry mouth. A vest is the most comfortable way to carry water

These are just my reasons for using a vest, everyone  will have their own, but 'fashion' or a 'following the herd' mentality is certainly not a factor for me. 

I have. The key bouncing around eventually wore away the material and made a hole which I didn't notice until I heard something behind me (fortunately it was a road section!). Luckily I stopped to check and found my key on the ground a few metres back.

I use a waist belt for phone and keys now. Vest for longer runs as I need a lot of fluid, ideally nearly 1l per hour, but that's very difficult to carry/consume so I often end up quite dehydrated.

I can certainly see why they are useful. My post was motivated more by their apparent sudden popularity, and wondering whether that was just in my area or was more widespread.

I can't say I'm enormously bothered by what other people choose to run in.

I don't buy that for a second. Especially the whole "other people are sheep but I'm an independent thinker" implication which to be honest just sounds incredibly condescending.

If people want to run a park run in an ultra running vest - let them. Maybe they just want to get used to it. Maybe they found it useful on a 50k so see no harm on carrying it on a 5. It doesn't matter.

Wasn't meant to be condescending, apologies for that, the sheep was more of an attempt at humour - fail.

An example, people getting into trad climbing. How much kit do you think the average person would feel they need to start leading trad nowadays, compared with the same thing in the 80's.

I'll bet that on average, a "starting" rack nowadays is much bigger than 40 years ago.

Not got any problem with people using them, just that I think it's possibly another manifestation of what people feel they need to have because of what they see from marketing or social media, it affects us all.

I think they are more popular because they’re a relatively new development and that more and more runners are finding them useful.  Consequently, more people are making them and more people are stocking them.  Some might see that as a fashion or as an evolution.

On my first mountain bike race, over 30 years ago, I crashed while trying to put my water bottle back in the cage.  While on the floor, two people overtook me and I spotted they were both wearing the newly released Camelbaks (first type).  I bought one in time for the next rac and loved it.  Camelbaks and water bladders with a drinking tube have been popular, in many sports, ever since then. 

I don’t run much at the moment but I found them a great way of carrying water, keys, phone, shell, gloves and headwear/buff.  They’re stable, spread the weight nicely and I can get at some stuff without taking it off. I preferred a waist pack for runs less than 10 miles, where I only need to carry keys and phone.

I would probably be happy to run in a vest but use a rucksac designed for running instead. Sometimes it's way over the top for the run but means I can stop in the shop on the way home and shove some groceries in it.  Also I don't want to buy any more bags/vests/belts, I have enough outdoor stuff in the house.

To answer your genuine question, the vest has become a bit of a social media thing. There's a trend on both TikTok and instant people sharing their running vest contents. 

Apologies for Mail link. 

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-13639929/am....

As for my self, I have a battered old Salomon one and it's great and it comes out if I feel like I need it. Actually find it useful for running locally, in the fells or for taking the stuff I need into the city. 

Fair enough! Probably just being oversensitive.

Vests have been trendy for longer than you think.

Great juxtaposition here.
https://www.ultrarunnermagazine.co.uk/legend-of-the-fells-joss-naylor-mbe/

When I first started running, only doing 2k or so, I got a very dry mouth and so carried water with me on every run. It seemed normal coming from cycling where I always have water available. After a while I got bored of carrying it and so got used to the dry mouth instead.

I'm clearly soft, I carry water if I'm going over 10 miles. But I do hate carrying any clutter if I don't have to. Astounded to see another runner with a phone the size of a tablet strapped to his arm the other day. How can that be pleasant?

One major upside of the trend is that kit checks on fell races move a lot quicker as people seem to be much happier carrying mandatory kit, rather than trying to get away with plastic petrol station filling gloves and a single Haribo in their bumbag!

Probably a mix of social media, more people are visible wearing them in the wild so they are more "acceptable" and the fact people have spent on them for maybe a longer race/trail race so want to get some use out of them.

I'm a phone in keys in shorts for near all urban runs, maybe a bum bag in winter with a spare layer if going a long way from home. Hills/Fells is bumbag if short enough not to want to use anything in the bag or a small (5L) vest for longer distances where I might want to eat/drink on the move and some more substantial safety margin gear.

If I want to run with my phone, the smallest running vest we own is complete overkill but it is what we've got and I don't see why I should get a "phone and keys holder thing" when what I've got does the job just fine. Sometimes I'm going to run to the shop and so I've got a shopping bag and an extra layer in there. When I run from the office I've got a useful arm-pocket-thing that is just the right size for my office pass - it was just the right size for a small mobile phone, when mobiles were actually small...

Some of the "vests" are so small they're not that much larger than a bra!! Is "runners utility bra" a thing these days, looks like lots of people wear them. Must be some insta influencer thing originally behind this nonsense.

My front door key fits in the little zip pouch on rear of shorts, I don't make phone calls when running and don't need water bottles, and gel pouches on my usual runs, who *needs* these runners tactical utility bras?

Or maybe, someone once thought "Hmm, I'd like to carry a few more things while running, without them bouncing around, with easy access, so I'll maybe knock something up and give it go."  Maybe they refined it a little, their friends thought it might be worth a try and grew from there. 

Influencers, reviews, marketing, in-store displays, sponsored athletes and so on can contribute to the growth of such ideas/products, whether they're good or bad.

And if they are nonsense, you must have already tried a couple to have come to such a conclusion?

An explanation for a lot of things, that I otherwise struggle to understand, is that many people like shopping.

In my case I haven't found the need to carry anything beyond a front door key during the majority of my runs, as my running is frequent and shorter (often don't have free time to go beyond 45mins   ) and I can regulate temp with rolling sleeves up and down etc. I have nothing to stow in a vest so not not tested them before my not very serious tongue-in-cheek post.

There may be a specific set of use cases for fell runners and distance racers etc. I see them commonly worn by people going for quick urban jogs (maybe an assumption but some people I see do not look like they could manage 5k, so especially good for them getting out jogging!). Rather, I question the necessity for those people beyond conforming to a trend. But I'm sure I commit worse fashion faux pas on a daily basis, so it was tongue in cheek bit condemnation. Wear the bra if it suits!

I wear a vest around town because I like to run for utility as well as leisure. Have you ever tried running with a shopping bag?

Savvy shoplifters use a large coat with inside pockets

Is it not the other way round.

People are using them and want to buy them because they are comfortable and useful, so social media people are making videos about them because they will be popular.

Sir this is UKC

When will UKC get tired of saying...

"I have no use for this thing, therefore other people should also have no use for this thing."

Is it really so difficult to grasp that other people might have legitimately different needs or preferences rather than writing them all off as brainwashed idiots?

Indeed, but I think the contention is that at least some of them are "brainwashed idiots".

You carry a key? Madness! I have a keypad lock, so I can run key-free. Who *needs* to carry keys?

Neither do I, but I do fall over occasionally. If I ever do myself an injury, I'll be bloody glad that I always carry my phone. I don't carry spare clothes...

I wonder if they are simply a rediscovery of the angler's vest with many utility pockets.  Beloved of people (particularly tinkery old men) of a certain age who need to carry 3 pairs of specs at least.  One for reading, one for farseeing and one emergency pair for looking for the other pairs.  And don't forget a magnifier eyeglass or two.  Who, being of that age, are forgetful of things when they go out and for whom the anglers/runners vest is a physical aide memoire as it actually contains and facilitates the odds and ends that oldies need to get around daily life, things they managed without when younger.

People of an age have to have drills and checklists and organisation as tactics to survive life they'd have muddled through in earlier decades of their lives.

Thank you to the thread, I have an idea I might need such a thing now ...

don't carry a phone but carrying walking poles got me out of problems as I was able to self evacuate from the hill after dislocating (and relocating) one of my ankles.

Do you carry a phone now?

This thread is pretty sneery in places. I have two of these.

To justify my choices:

1) The first one was because I was running a mountain marathon on a scorching day and my bladder-in-a-backpack approach was a nightmare - the bladder leaked, when I refilled it I then had to empty my FRA kit to get it back in again, everything was a sticky mess and it cost me 5mins at each checkpoint. Having 2 small bottles within instant reach makes a huge difference.

2) The second is to get the same benefit during winter ultras/ long runs carrying winter kit.

They're brilliant if you are likely to need to refill mid-run. They're also comfier than a bouncy bum bag.

If I'm just going for a normal run I put the house key under the plant pot and leave my phone at home so don't carry anything.

To clarify.
You wear a vest to carry water, etc. on mountain marathons and ultras which is what they are originally designed for.
You don't wear a vest for 'normal' runs.
In other words, you're basically agreeing with the OP.

Yes, but I don't judge others for doing whatever they want, which is how the op came across to me.

I think you’re all missing the most likely reason that people are wearing running vests outside of your ‘allowed’ scenarios…

They’ve realised that they completely eliminate chafed nipples. And chafage can strike on the pavement just as much as on the TMB. 

Vests are a total game changer for this reason alone! So, for the majority of the thread who hadn’t clocked this: You’re welcome!

and

As I explained upthread, my OP was motivated by noticing more people using vests in my (urban) area, and wondering if this was a general thing or something specific to that area. Thats all.

I certainly wasnt trying to criticise or sneer at the choices of others. I can appreciate that my attempts to inject a little humour into what was otherwise a fairly random question might have come across that way, given the well-known limitations of internet forums where people rarely know eachother. But that wasn't my intention.

I'm the OP and that wasn't what I said.

I didn't say that any use was allowed or not allowed. I just observed that more people using vests for urban running in my area, and wondered if this was a general thing or something specific to that area. Thats all.

This. Nipples haning in tatters after yesterday's run in the rain - didn't take the vest as only 9 miles.

Why?

That must be a pretty impressive vest if you can fit a pair of walking poles in it! 🙂

Sorry, was replying to the thread in general, so didn’t mean to put words in your mouth. Though it did sound as if you thought vests weren’t appropriate outside of the spine race!

Zero movement. Stops your wet (sweat or rain) T-shirt rubbing up and down. 

Yes.

How I wish I'd seen the market opportunities for ridiculous running apparel.

I might be missing a joke, but don’t most have some bunjee cords for poles? Mine does. 

No, just drawing attention to my ignorance 🙂. I had no idea people carried poles in a running vest. Or carried poles when running for that matter. It does sound like a bit of a pain. 

I don't own one at all

On that day I'd just roamed up Pinnacle Ridge on Sgurr nan Gillean and down the West Ridge so you could imagine I had quite a heavy pack what with rope, helmet etc.

Changed into Hi-Tec trails from mountain boots for the walk back when I re-passed the start down from the corrie, which I thought, mistakenly, was a master stroke in terms of comfort on the walk out.  Oh, the hubris.

Nearly threw up at the pain of the dislocation (caused by a heavy rollover).  Still, it greatly amused a famous local guide and his clients when they saw me sitting just after foot had popped back on.

I am absolutely baffled how anyone can run with two poles. I struggle to coordinate one without neglecting my feet unless I am walking very slowly and have given up on them.

If course I'm not tolerant, this is UKC.

So you're wrong on that too! 

How frightfully 1980's, would you also recommend legwarmers rather than leggings

Are they no longer called bum bags? Arse pouch? Surely we havn't adopted the hilarious fanny pack?

Aren't leg warmers those thick multicolour things that go over your leggings from ankle to just below the knee when you go out roller skating?

There used to be bits of webbing called Kidney Pouches.   The support mechanism was a belt and yoke rather than the less stable bum-bag.  It always sounded to me as if that would be for carrying kidneys (for a bit of al fresco cooking)

When there's sweet FA on the box (most of the time) I'll watch the re-runs of Top of the Pops on Friday evenings. The eighties ones are like watching pictures beaming in from an alien planet.

I take it you've never tried xc skiing? Although possibly it sounds like you shouldn't! :⁠-⁠)

They usually aren't running with them, but using them on the steeper hills at a fast walking pace.

I think they are probably still called bum bags but I dont really get on with them. 

I prefer a race vest which bounces around less on thesort of races require a decent amount of kit and tend to train in race kit on all but the shortest of runs

Some of you lot don't hydrate enough, and it shows.

Are you seriously all just running about not drinking water?  What if you get thirsty?

Surely it depends how long the run/race is? I’m not going to bother forgoing for a 10miler/an hour long run*.
 

*I can’t do 10 miles in and hour, they were just nice round distance/time quantities.

It makes a lot of sense to use/practice your planned race nutrition and hydration strategy on runs of an hour or more

That would imply I have a strategy that involves more than some water with some nuun in it, the odd pork pie and jelly babies by the handful…..

That sounds like a perfect strategy and a great excuse to practice eating pork pies every time you go for a run

Personally I get thirsty in less than an hour and find it really unpleasant not having a drink when I want one.  So I take a soft flask in a vest.  Sometimes I take a light jacket in case I stop for a beer somewhere and get cold.  Sometimes I take loads of other crap - baccy, phone, wallet etc.

Still, it'll give me a nice warm feeling in future knowing some UKCer is judging me for being a posing pansy ponce and not a real runner like them.

I'm not judging you. You made the statement:

implying everyone without a vest is not hydrating enough. I was pointing out that it depends on the person and the length of run, using myself as an example. You made the judgement, I questioned it.

I couldn't give a stuff what people wear to run in, I have a bum bag (an old R&R hipsac), a vest and an MM rucksack and couldn't give a toss what others think if I'm running though south manchester with my MM sac on because I'm going to pick up some shopping on the way home.

I do have an issue with social media influencers pushing the idea you can't go for a run without shelling out £500 on trainers, clothing, vests, special sunglasses etc but that's a slightly different topic....

I think my wife would point out I practice my pork pie eating plenty already! 

Blue Nuun?

Fully agree, if I'm going out for an hour or so I wouldn't consider taking a drink or energy gels.

Maybe I'm wrong but unless it's a really warm day I doubt there can be any benefit from drinking during a 30 - 40 mins run if you are reasonably well hydrated before hand.