Product Review: Nathan Synergy Hydration Pack

I've been a fan of Nathan products for a while now, however my experience has been limited to the hand held bottles and light weight waist packs. I recently acquired the Nathan Synergy Hydration Pack.

I chose this particular model because of it has a fairly large capacity (750 cubic inches) which I like for long distance runs in the mountains as it allows you more than enough room to pack an extra layer, food and equipment etc... Even better, it has pockets in the front for quick access to gels and electrolyte pills. Another nice feature is the two large side mesh pockets which allow you even more quick storage for gloves and maps or ditch the hydration bladder and just carry a couple of water bottles in these pockets! Lastly I ditched the waist packs a long time ago because I just don't like that constant pressure around my midsection (too each their own) and what is great about the Nathan Synergy Hydration Pack is that it is actually a vest. No waist strap; you put it on like you would a vest and it has several adjustment points on either side and in the middle of the front. I thought it might bounce around quite a bit on steep, technical downhills; I was wrong! It fits very well and doesn't bounce a bit! Now this particular model comes with the unique dual chamber Synergy bladder that allows you to carry two different fluids at the same time and included is a potency dial that allows you to manually adjust the blending of the liquids before they reach the end of the tube (and your mouth :) ). This is pretty ingenious technology, but with all the tubes and parts it is a bit complicated. I personally prefer a much simpler bladder. However this pack is great and a welcome addition; my new favorite pack!