Description
- Recommended Use:
Versatile Pack utilized in any run scenario, training or racing.
Details:
• Lightweight, soft, breathable, but strong, large-holed mesh pulls moisture away from the body to keep skin dry and cool.
• Silicone and PU coated feather-weight nylon fabrics resist water, abrasion and tears.
• Max O2 Form™ for unrestricted breathing while maintaining a stable pack. Uses shock cord with good stretch for unrestricted breathing but also good rebound on the stretch for a stable ride. Patent Pending.
• Plush feeling micro-fiber polyester edges, soft and non-abrasive against skin and clothing.
• Sweat proof webbing—won’t absorb water or get saturated and heavy.
• Safety stitched bar tack on all stress points.
• Quiet, bounce free, easy to see and use, zipper pulls.
• Zig zagged stitching over elastic for ultra-durability, increased stretch and rebound.
• Simple, fast, easy in and out bladder attachment.
• Magnon pocket for sweat-free pills, with automatic magnetic closure for rapid access to pills and other essentials. Patent pending.
Fit: Unisex
Size(s): Small (30″-36″), Medium (32″-38″) or Large (34″-42″)
Color: Pitch Black
Hydration (included): 2L Reservoir
Bottle Compatible (not included): UltraFlask, Formula 250, Human 20 oz 2.0, or Collapsible Bottle
Capacity: 854 c.i. (14L)
Franck TJ (verified owner) –
The Zygos is very well designed, convenient, and looks durable. The volume to store food and stuff is great and enough for a 50-mile autonomous race. The 2 liters hydration pack is well kept in place and you can insulate it with a smart insulation layer (that can be removed). I noticed small details that make the difference. I like very much the Zygos. I ran 3 hours with it and was happy with the overall experience. I’m ready to go for the 5 hours run in my training plan confidently.
Nathan Dorward (verified owner) –
I love the fit of this pack and the arrangement and stretch of the pockets. It’s the most comfortable vest I’ve ever worn right out of the packaging. Runs longer than 6 hours are no problem with this vest.
Lori Pratt Smith –
The Zygos 5 vest is the best! The new front adjustment system works great and is so versatile. I have a very small torso, so fit of an my running vests has always been a problem. With this pack I moved the attached hooks to the levels that fit best for me and there is no bouncing weather pack is full or almost empty. Easy to tighten it while on the run too. I have used it for a pace duty at a high mountain 100 mile run and for a shorter race so far and has met all my needs.
Daniel Hopping (verified owner) –
AMAZING product! This race vest truly has it all! Just finished a 30 mile training session and it far exceeded my expectations. Ton of storage areas, easy access to gear, insanely comfortable. The form fitting system is amazing as it adjusts to your body and moves with you. You will forget you are even wearing it at times. Just put it on right out of the package and get out there and log some miles! If you are looking at 30 miles or beyond, this is the pack you must own. I can’t wait to take this out on my 50 mile ultra in October and then my 100 miler in April. Thank you for an amazing product, keep doing what you are doing Ultraspire! Also, I highly recommend purchasing two Ultraflask 550 Hybrid bottles! They fit in the pack perfectly and the form of them molds right against your body in the pockets.
Greg Ryan (verified owner) –
Perfect vest for long ultras that require lots of gear. Performed great for 35 hrs. in a mountain ultra.This vest can fit it all with perfectly placed storage options. The fit is very comfortable.Excellent, breathable material. I can’t imagine a better vest.
John McAlister –
I used this vest for the CCC at UTMB this year and it was fantastic. I was easily able to store all of the UTMB required gear while keeping key items such as food and hydration in smaller storage pockets that I could easily access. The vest felt comfortable throughout the 100K mountain race.
Daniel –
Don’t know where to give reviews to company. Want to make it known that the customer service is the best I have ever received. Zach I believe was his name, his help with phone order adding to online purchase, was fast and precise. I have used the light system at Moab 240, and this vest on shorter runs. Look forward to running with more ultraspire gear at the Rocky Raccoon 100. Team Ulraspire you rock. Thanks
Sterling Pierce –
I bought this exceptional pack to run R2R2R of the Grand Canyon. It performs beyond what I thought it would. The ease of access was great. Everyone else kept asking me to get stuff out of their packs for them. I didn’t have to ask because I could do it myself. The only time I had to take it off was to refill the water bladder and to get those items you hope you don’t have to use. Ultraspire killed it. Zygos 5.0 is exceptional. I am actually getting rid of all my other water carriers and using this one no matter what activity I am doing.
Catharine My –
I really loved this bag the couple of times I’ve used it – but when I used it to take my dog and myself on a long day hike/trail run in mixed conditions (bottom of the trail was hot and rocky, top was snowy and windy) – it fit everything that I needed, including doggo’s gear (food, bowls, water, poop bags and poop). But it kept everything I needed secured and I didn’t need a massive pack to carry my gaiters, crampons, poles, layers, food, water, and etc. And the compartments were great to keep my snacks and doggo snacks handy – and a side pocket to keep the doggo poop separate (sorry – this is super important for me). The only improvement would be to have a little more cord to go over my lady melons.
kristinaroepke2015 (verified owner) –
I am a 170lbs 5’9″ female and the medium fits kind of tight on me. It is good because it reduces the bouncing when it is filled with a 2L bladder and two 500ml soft flasks. I like the extra room in the back and I have not gotten a friction burn yet while running on an 85F day for 20mi. I had an osprey duro 1.5L and it feels flat by not conforming to the body. The duro sloshes a bit more too. I recommed the zygos 5 because it conforms to the body and it has thicker elastic chest ties than the salomon advanced skin 12. I picked this because the salomon felt flimsy et the elastic ties for the chest could break easily. I am not rough on my gear but I do not want it to malfunction in the middle of an ultra. The last part is I really like the shoulder zip pockets by the collar bones because they are perfect for keys or gels.
Ethan Banks (verified owner) –
5’11” 195lbs male trail runner. Bought a large, and it fits me like it was made for me. Bought as an upgrade to my Salomon Adv Skin 12, because I was frustrated by how I had to load it. The pockets on the Zygos are the biggest reason I bought it, and no regrets.
The Zygos 5 has two zip shoulder pockets that seem like a small thing, but change the game for me. Satellite tracker in one, headlamp in the other. Beautiful. Ride great, no bouncing or chafing.
I use the zip pocket on the left sternum for my phone. Easy to get in and out whether a soft flask is loaded or not. Magnet side rib pocket is easy to load and work one-handed.
And then there’s the rear pouch. Holds my essentials bag, at least two layers depending on how heavy they are, hat and gloves, and some food. Plus there’s an internal zip pocket with a clip that hold keys and wallet. And while the Salomon pack would transmit sweat into whatever I’m carrying in the back and my layers would get damp, I pulled a dry grid fleece out of the back after an 8 hour run in the Zygos.
Loading and unloading the water bladder is also easy with this pack. Even with the pack full, I can get the bladder back in with just a few shakes. Less fighting than I’ve had with other packs.
For the way I like to load out for a long run, this pack is perfect.
Only one complaint. The water bladder clip with its fabric loop and pull tab is too much material to get in and out of the top of the bladder without fighting it. Too snug. If you’re trying to get through an aid station in a hurry, forget about it. I’m going to mod this somehow, because if you don’t use the clip, the bladder bounces around a little as it drains.
Jamie Farley –
I am 6′ 1″ and 185 pounds. The medium was way to small and tight. The large was way to big but I went with it since the medium was not an option. I love all the storage options in the vest but am very disappointed there is not an option to tighten the pack under the arm pits. I did Fat Dog 120 which had a bunch of required gear and the pack was heavy. All the weight ended up riding on my shoulders and my back was killing me. The draw string tightening system kept loosening up when I was running. In addition, since the synch system kept loosening, the pack would move a bit causing some minor chaffing on my back. In general, I am a huge fan of Ultraspire products. I love the tightening strap system on the Legacy 2.0 pack and wish there was a pack like it with the storage capacity of the Zygos 5.0.
Sarah (verified owner) –
Excellent long distance pack. The ergo fit is brilliant. My go-to for longer ultras and training runs requiring more gear.
Rachel Ellerman –
Love this vest! It holds enough for 100 milers with sparse aid and gear requirements (Run Rabbit Run and Leadville) and long self-supported or alpine training – but also rides empty with ease. I love the ability to do bladder or bottles or both, and the extra separate pockets are handy for salt pills, nutrition, trash, etc. I use with the ultraspire squeeze bottles, which fit great. The bladder is easy to fill and clean. After two years, the only part showing wear is the elastic for bottle straws are stretching out a bit, but I don’t use those :). The pole elastics are amazingly useful and work well. I highly recommend this vest.
ggggeorge14 –
In addition to reviewing the Zygos 5.0 Vest, I wanted to comment on the exceptional Customer Service that the folks at Ultraspire have provided excellent gear, for many purchases, over the years.They include previous, Alpha and Zygos Vests, Lights, Batteries, Magnets, Soft Flasks, Hydro Flasks, etc. some of which I needed next to immediately for an upcoming race and they always arrived when on time. All interactions via phone and email, have been friendly, knowledgeable and super helpful (Thank You!) As for the Zygos 5.0, it’s maiden journey was an Ultra in the High Desert, that was a balmy “100” degrees at the start. I had a couple of WTF Moments (always test your gear prior to a race), but they were on me and the vest performed to perfection. The soft flasks and bladder slide in and out easily, the pocket for the phone is awesome, the right bottom pocket allowed for easy access to my Spring Gels and the left bottom zippered pocket, secured the batteries for my light. It took a couple of seconds to realize, that I needed to fasten the little locks to secure the harness and voila, off to the races. I love the 2 zippered compartments on each shoulder, the right one contains my stash of Ginger Tablets and Green Coffee Extract. The left one contains a Spring Bar and Clif Shot Blocks and both are easy to access. It rode nicely and with all things considered was relatively cool. I haven’t had a chance to use all the features yet, but the pack is incredibly well planned and I love it!
Stephen Havas –
This is the 2nd version of the pack I have purchased. All the pros of this pack are well described elsewhere and I concur with them. However, there are some things people need to be aware of. The sizing chart is wrong. My chest size fitted well into the large size, and so I purchased that. It is too big on me and I have to tighten it to its extreme in order to have any hope of the pack being stable. I am obviously a medium. The elastic cords that supposedly can be tightened via the lower cord catch do not hold in place via the ‘catch’. During a run it will loosen off. When going down hill with a loaded pack it rides up high at the front and I need to pull it down. In the video on the product it says that their are up to 3 fixing points for the elastic cables. However, there are only 2 catches included in the delivery. I am going to try and fix all of the above with my own adaptations and maybe all would be fixed with the right size pack? So be aware when choosing your pack size that you probably should not rely on the UA size chart. Apart from the above, version 5 is an improved model on 4.0
A.J. Schwartz (verified owner) –
I purchased the Zygos 5.0 prior to my trip to the San Juan mountains this summer. I was very happy with the amount of room and storage options available with this pack. The ability to strap stuff to the outside of the pack is also nice. I was even able to strap a small fishing rig to my pack. I was also happy with the fit. For reference, I’m 5’10” 175lbs with a 42” chest and broad shoulders. The large size fit me fine. Lastly, when I emailed with a question, Zach answered it himself. This is my first product from this company but I’m very impressed with my first experience.
John Hannon (verified owner) –
Pack fits true to size, ordered a large and it fit great. Plenty of room for all mandatory/required gear for 100/200+ mile ultra marathons. Adequate places to carry enough fluids & food for the longer distances between aid stations. Pack fits secure to your body and feels like an extension of a shirt. Doesn’t move around when full and easy to tighten down. My only issue is the zippered pocket on the left front where I put my cell phone is the phone has a tendency to slap my lower rib cage every once in a while. It can get irritating but I will get used to it and block it out. Other than that I would recommend this pack to any ultramarathon runner.