NNormal Race Vest 5L Review: 174 g, Designed by Kilian Jornet

The NNormal Race Vest 5L strips the hydration vest down to 174 g, two 500 ml soft flasks and six pockets. Kilian Jornet's minimalist project has a precise brief: run fast from 20 to 50 km with no bounce, no chafing and not a single wasted gram. Here's what that radical approach is really worth, along with the large waterproof kangaroo pocket that sets it apart.

NNormal Race Vest 5L: the skyrace vest on a strict diet

NNormal was born in 2022, founded by Catalan brand Camper with Kilian Jornet as technical co-pilot. After shoes (Kjerag, Tomir, Sento), the brand is taking on the hydration vest with an openly stated obsession: make it last, keep it as light as possible and offer nothing superfluous. In the ultralight 5 L segment, the Race Vest claims 174 g on the official scale, with 40 g flasks sold separately. That puts it up against the Salomon S/Lab Sense Ultra and the Compressport Ultrun S Pack Evo on fast-racing turf.

RunMorph tip: you pick a 5 L vest to run fast and light, not to go fully self-supported. If your runs regularly go past 5 hours or require a complete ultra-trail mandatory gear list, look instead at the Salomon Adv Skin 12 or the Black Diamond Distance 22. The Race Vest shines at skyraces, tempo long runs and well-supported 30-50 km races.

© NNormal, official photo used for editorial purposes

Technical specifications

Who is the NNormal Race Vest 5L for?

The skyrunner or short-distance trail runner chasing a second-skin feel

In a 20 to 35 km skyrace, every gram and every bit of bounce counts. At 174 g for 5 usable liters, the Race Vest goes all in on minimalism: no rigid frame, no thick linings, no zippers. The vest hugs your torso, the flasks stay tight against your chest and the feel is close to a loaded technical sports bra. If you run stripped down, in a T-shirt, at tempo or race pace, this is exactly what you're after.

The ultrarunner who wants a second vest for fast long runs

Plenty of ultrarunners use a 5-6 L vest as a second pack for tempo long runs, race-specific 25-40 km blocks, or shorter races slotted into a UTMB or Diagonale build. The Race Vest plays that precision-tool role: little volume, little material, but the essentials (two flasks, a wind jacket in the kangaroo pocket, a phone, gels) fit without sloshing around.

The beginner trail runner stepping up to 20-30 km races

The brand pitches it as an expert product, but a runner discovering their first well-supported 20 to 30 km trail races will find the Race Vest an excellent first vest: 1 liter of fluid, a wind jacket, bars, a phone. Three sliding sternum straps make it easy to dial in, even if you've never worn a hydration vest before. Watch out, though: the 5 L format gets limiting as soon as you aim for longer distances or tougher conditions (mountains, rain, carrying all your own food).

© NNormal, official photo used for editorial purposes

Comfort, bounce and secure fit

Comfort comes down to three things, and the Race Vest ticks all three. First, the cut: the brand went for a tapered shape, with an airmesh back that follows your rib cage without bunching. Second, the fit system. Instead of fixed sternum straps, NNormal uses a vertical daisy chain that lets you place three elastic straps exactly where you want them, from your sternum down to the bottom of your diaphragm. Experienced runners will appreciate that level of customization: a broad chest can spread the straps apart, a narrow one can bring them closer, and women can position them to avoid pressure on the chest.

On bounce, our testing confirms what cross-checked user feedback suggests: at easy run pace and on technical descents alike, the Race Vest stays glued to your torso, with no slapping and no noise. The mesh flask pockets hold the Hydrapak 500 ml flasks high and tight, which eliminates almost all imbalance. On a rough, jarring descent, you'll feel the flasks wobble slightly beyond 350 ml, the usual giveaway of partially filled soft flasks. That's the classic trade-off of a frameless 5 L vest.

On chafing, the finish is exemplary: flat seams, no exposed zippers on contact points, covered elastics. During a 3-hour long run in a T-shirt, we saw no chafing under the arms or on the sternum, which is far from guaranteed at this weight.

Pockets and accessibility

NNormal went the opposite way from 10-pocket ultra vests: you get six storage spots, but each one has a clear job. Up front, two mesh flask pockets with a tube port and elastic retention, one large zippered or elastic pocket (depending on the version) for your phone or a thin wind jacket, and a small open pocket that houses the mandatory whistle. No gathered gel pocket, no dedicated front pole pocket.

At the back, the big innovation is the transverse kangaroo pocket: a compartment running across your entire back with a waterproof, insulating panel. NNormal openly designs it for a rain jacket or wind jacket you can pull out one-handed without taking the vest off, just by reaching around your side. Above it, the large airmesh pocket takes an extra layer, bars or a buff. It all works without a back zipper, which saves weight and cuts down on friction.

The logic becomes clear on the trail: you carry water and food up front for constant access, and clothing at the back for layers you only need now and then. It's minimalist, fluid and easy to read. The flip side: if you like to give ten different items their own pocket, the Race Vest will feel spartan next to a Salomon Adv Skin and its 16 pockets.

© NNormal, official photo used for editorial purposes

Hydration

The Race Vest bets everything on front flasks and offers no back bladder compatibility. It's a deliberate choice: at this weight and volume, adding an internal carrying panel would throw off the balance. The two Hydrapak 500 ml soft flasks included are top of the range, with a bite valve and reinforced base, so you can fill them without holding them and let them dry standing up.

Real-world range is between 1 hour and 1 hour 30 minutes per flask depending on conditions and your pace, which easily covers well-supported skyraces (aid every 30 to 45 minutes on average in this format). With aid stations further apart, like a 4-hour long run, plan to either pack an extra soft cup system in the kangaroo pocket or add another 500 ml flask in the large back pocket (the mesh fits that size).

Flow is strong thanks to the Hydrapak valves: no need to suck hard like on cheap flasks. One small downside: with no insulating sleeve on the tubes, your drink quickly reaches ambient temperature in the height of summer or the depths of winter. That's not a flaw, just the direct consequence of the ultralight approach.

How it compares with the competition

In the 5-6 L vest segment for skyrace and fast trail running, the Race Vest goes up against three proven benchmarks on the French market. Here's how it stacks up.

Vs. the Compressport UltRun S Pack Evo 10 (117 g in size S, €170): the Compressport is lighter and goes for an extreme second-skin feel, but its 10 L volume makes it less snug with minimal loads. The NNormal is more structured, better organized and more versatile over 20-50 km. Both share the zero-bounce philosophy.

Vs. the Salomon Adv Skin 12 (244 g, €165): the Salomon offers twice the usable volume, 16 pockets and bladder compatibility, but it weighs 70 g more and plays in a different category. The Adv Skin suits self-supported ultras, while the Race Vest targets fast racing. The two can happily share the same runner's closet.

Vs. the Black Diamond Distance 22 (412 g, €190): the Black Diamond belongs with hybrid trail/mountaineering fastpacking packs, with up to 22 L of volume. There's no real overlap with the Race Vest, but together they make a solid decision grid for a runner who wants to cover the full spectrum: Race Vest for short races, Distance 22 for high-altitude bivouacs. The deciding factor remains duration and how self-sufficient you need to be.

Which pack for which distance with RunMorph

The Race Vest 5L is the ideal tool for sessions and races where you need to travel light and fast. In practice, it works very well for race-pace long runs of 1 hour 30 to 3 hours, threshold or long interval blocks out in nature, 20 to 35 km skyraces, well-supported 30 to 50 km trail races, and vertical kilometer or half-day mountain races. For plans that call for more self-sufficiency (ultra-trail, mountain traverses, sessions over 4 hours fully self-supported), the Race Vest should make way for a 10-12 L vest.

Within RunMorph training plans, this vest fits naturally into the trail plan, especially for weekend long runs where you need to carry two flasks of water and electrolytes, two to three gels, and a wind jacket or light layer. It's also the right choice for weeks of race-specific sessions in the mountains, where the weight of your vest should never get in the way of quality technical work.

© NNormal, official photo used for editorial purposes

RunMorph verdict

The NNormal Race Vest 5L confirms the Catalan brand's trajectory: a product designed by and for demanding runners, one that owns its choices instead of trying to please everyone. You get a vest that's more structured than a pure second-skin design (Compressport style) and more minimalist than an ultra benchmark (Adv Skin 12 style), with a large waterproof kangaroo pocket that genuinely changes how you carry a jacket. All for €135, right in the middle of the premium segment.

The compromises are deliberate and consistent: no bladder, few pockets, no back zipper, no rigid frame. If your requirements match that philosophy, the Race Vest 5L deserves a spot on your shortlist. If you want a Swiss Army knife that handles everything from a Sunday easy run to a self-supported ultra, look elsewhere. We give it 8.5/10 for how precisely it nails its niche, its build quality and its waterproof kangaroo innovation. It loses points for a slightly steep price for 5 liters of usable volume, and for the lack of a bladder option, which may bother runners used to drinking continuously.

Key takeaways for your training

• 174 g and 5 L: a skyrace vest you forget you're wearing, perfect for well-supported 20 to 50 km races and tempo long runs.
• Waterproof kangaroo pocket: the real innovation, changing how you carry a rain jacket or wind jacket within reach without taking the pack off.
• 3 sliding sternum straps: a daisy chain system that tailors the fit to your torso, a smart pick if you've had issues with chest compression or straps spreading apart.
• No back bladder: a deliberate choice to weigh against your running style (two front flasks, or continuous hydration from a back bladder).
• €135: premium positioning that matches the build quality, but not the best volume-to-price ratio compared with French alternatives from Raidlight or Decathlon Kiprun.