Nathan Pinnacle Pro 12L Hydration Vest Review

Ever since about 2016 or so, I’ve been doing almost all my long runs with a hydration pack. I started running in 2008 and learned over the course of the following 8 years that I didn’t have to be dehydrated or bonk from lack of calories. I learned that carrying things was an option, and a fairly comfortable one, even for a guy who doesn’t really like to hold things. Since that time, I’ve courted many a hydration pack, and I know what I like and don’t like. In many ways, the Nathan Pinnacle Pro 12L Hydration Vest is a montage of my “like it” features.

Nathan Pinnacle Pro 12L Hydration Vest Features:

• Sternum slider cords are lightweight and easy to adjust
• Six mesh pockets on front to maximize easy access storage options. Top pockets hold up to 20oz / 592ml Nathan x Hydrapak soft flasks with elastic cord to hold flask in place (flasks not included)
• Includes 1.6L Nathan x Hydrapak insulated bladder
• Interior front zipper pocket with small interior pill pocket, key fob and whistle.
• Side mesh pockets pass through to front.
• Interior air mesh on front and back panels to maximize breathability and structure.
• Large open-top back pocket has a separate bladder compartment that holds up to 2L bladder and has 2 hose exit points on shoulders
• Large back zippered diagonal pocket
• 4 Pole keepers located at top and bottom of vest for diagonal or horizontal storage options
• Weight: 250.8g (as stated without bladder); 397.6g (as stated with bladder)
• MSRP: $200

A Long-Distance Relationship

To kick it off with the big number, the Pinnacle Pro 12L does have exactly the storage amount you guessed: 12 liters. Size wise, that makes it about perfect for my runs that range from the more adventurous 9 miles to anywhere up to around marathon distance. I find that with that kind of capacity, it’s easy enough to pack sufficient water for a long day (or part of a day augmented with a filter), ample layers, food to feed an army of one, keys, phone, wallet, sunglasses, and hat. Generally, that’s what I schlep around for my longer runs, and 12 liters accommodates it with ease.

Like any running vest though, the Pinnacle Pro disburses that storage capacity over numerous pockets across the pack. And boy does this vest have pockets. On the front of the shoulder straps alone, there are 7 mesh pockets, one of which is hidden within a zippered pocket… It’s really a lot, and I wouldn’t ask for more or less. I love the flexibility that the ample storage on the front of the pack affords, because it means that I don’t have to stop to take the pack off and access the back nearly as often. For those who are wondering, yes, the front does accommodate soft flasks well, still leaving plenty of storage space available.

As for storage on the back of the pack, there are plenty of options! There’s rear-side access to some elongated mesh pockets which also have an access point from the front (perfect for a banana or a wind layer). There’s also a decently sized zippered mesh pocket at the lower back that would hold a lunch quite nicely. The main compartments though, are a top access stretchy pocket which has a separate sleeve for the hydration bladder and could easily hold a couple of heavier layers, and a zippered front compartment which can hold a pretty similar load.

In my first few weeks of testing the Pinnacle Pro, I did quite a bit of local trail running, but I also did some about-town runs. A local friend of mine has a tendency to use his car as little as possible, running around town for errands instead, and has often reported that the front of any given running vest serves to hold 2 potatoes just as well as it holds soft flasks. So, I ran to Lowes and loaded the open-top back pocket with painters tape – comfortable enough. Then, another day, I ran to Trader Joe’s and filled the zipped back compartment with broccoli. While effective and practical, the looks on the faces of the checkout folks may vary when you ask them not to bag your items, but to shove them into your running vest. Predictably, the good people of Trader Joe’s played ball.

More so than errands though, the Pinnacle Pro saw trail miles in my testing period, and my feedback is overwhelmingly positive. Beyond mere storage capacity and pocket layouts, there are three things that I care about in any running vest. I want a running vest to be (1) breathable enough to wear comfortably in the summer, (2) soft enough on the skin that I can wear it shirtless without chafing, and (3) compressed enough to minimize jostling and bouncing for heavier loads.

Let’s start at the top with breathability. The primary point of contact material for the Pinnacle Pro is a soft, woven hexagonal grid mesh. It has a firm structure along the lines of the hexagons, and an airy, open middle to each one. In non-pocketed areas, that mesh is only covered by a single layer of very thin, stretchy synthetic material. That combination sure does breathe. My testing period has been in the winter and spring here in Bellingham, but I’ve gone on some long runs when the weather is nearing 70. When the sunshine hits the wet forest and you’re out there running hard, you feel the humidity in a real way. Breathability matters, and the Pinnacle Pro delivers.

Come summer time, my long runs tend to start with a shirt and end without one. For that reason, I really value a soft-against-the-skin characteristic in a running vest. I ran a trail marathon on the Olympic Peninsula the summer before last (my first marathon), and wore my Salomon Adv Skin 12 pack to support. It was great, and I really do like that pack, but it isn’t the most skin-friendly, and I was running shirtless for at least 25 miles of the marathon… I had regrets. I would easily make the same choice today with the Pinnacle Pro, however. It’s very comfortable, all-around, but especially comfortable in its mesh material, which has the largest surface area of skin contact. Would recommend for those who like to go shirtless.

The big one: load management. The biggest reason a running vest gets dismissed from my regular use is jostling loads. With some pack styles, it’s inherently more common. Open compartments made of non-stretchy fabrics almost universally have this problem. Pack-makers commonly put an external bungee cord system on packs like these in an attempt to control the jostle, but as a design, it’s lipstick on a pig. What’s needed for running is a fully-taught, stretchy material that consistently and completely pulls loads up against your body. To be explicit with my hard stance: that is the right design for a running pack.

Aaaand that’s what the Pinnacle Pro employs. As a whole, it works really well in this case. There was only one aspect of the vest that had jostle to it when fully loaded: the 1.6L hydration bladder. Water sloshes, what can you do about that? I haven’t come across a running vest anywhere which can stabilize large bladders, so I’m not taking points away. After all, every single other pocket, nook, and cranny of the vest held loads stably when I ran. It was just the bladder that had some bounce to it.

The inclusion of the bladder is an interesting one. On the one hand, it’s a great bladder. It’s perfectly shaped for the vest, easy to fill, easy to clean and dry, and insulated (for those of us who don’t like back-heated water while running). On the other hand, soft-flasks are the more common choice for water storage for most distance runners, partially due to their slightly better load stability, and partially due to their not having a hose to bumble with (something which I found to be a mild irritation with the Pinnacle Pro on a couple of runs). I would’ve expected Nathan to include soft-flasks instead of that bladder. But hey… many of us already own soft-flasks, so it’s not going to be a deal-breaker for most folks.

Of all the features on the Pinnacle Pro, I think I’m most pleased with the tucked-away zippered pocket on the left shoulder strap. It’s just perfect for car keys, and eliminates that otherwise common jingling I so disdain. Besides that, it’s the main compartment’s separate storage for the hydration bladder, which makes packing and unpacking the vest that much easier. I will say though, as summer approaches, I am keenly eyeing the pole straps. I don’t run with poles, but I’m certain I can get a lightweight ice-axe to sit still with that setup. To me, that sounds like a North Cascades adventure waiting to happen.

Fit: I’m 5’11” and a lean 170lbs, and I typically wear size Large shirts. For shirts I want to fit on the tighter side, like base layers, I’ll wear size Medium. I tested a size Medium for this hydration vest, and it fit great. Wouldn’t change a thing.

Buy Now: Available from Nathan Sports