Published July 31, 2026 03:06PM
As the chill reaches your bones on a high-altitude trail run, you remember the layer you brought exactly for this situation. You lift your arm over your head and rummage around in your pack, grabbing the first object you feel. It’s a flattened peanut butter sandwich. Shoulder aching, you drop the sando and keep reaching, arching your back and grimacing at the awkward angle. Next thing you grab surely has to be that layer, right? Wrong. It’s the Ziploc bag you stuffed with toilet paper.
You stop, unhook the sternum straps, yank the bag off your shoulders and drop it to the ground. The poles affixed to the vest’s external bungee cords hit the ground and are dislodged from their resting place. We’ll worry about that later. You stuff your hand into the pocket, elbow deep, and find the base layer that has found its way to the bottom of your vest. As soon as you’ve re-affixed your sternum straps, you realize the poles are still on the ground. Sighing, you grab the poles, and reach around your back, once again, to wiggle them into their bungee’d resting place. It’s a lot of work just to find the one thing you need.
Vests are a boon for runners out for long days on the trail, but if we’re honest, they’re not always the best at keeping things right where you want them. Mary Poppins may have been able to pull whatever she wanted out of her bag exactly when it was needed (without looking, I might add), but when you’re on the trail and a little bit loopy, us mortals require a bit more precision.
Raide Research, a Colorado-based brand that got its start making backcountry ski packs, has offered a solution: the LF 5L vest.
Raide LF 5L Running Vest
The LF 5L offers thoughtfully designed innovations that promise to ease the burden of carrying gear on the trails. As soon as I saw Raide founder Kyle Siegel’s extremely detailed 15-minute video explaining all of the LF 5L’s features, I knew I had to find out if the vest’s ambitious design could deliver.
After wearing the Raide Research running vest, I can report that, while I’ve tested a lot of running vests over the years, none of them are nearly as well-considered as the LF 5L. Nor are any of them quite as aspirational. Raide has created a vest that possesses every feature runners need, plus a few more they may want in the future—depending on their ambition. Chief among these is a dedicated place to carry an ice tool on serious alpine climbs. I haven’t used that yet, but now I have to, right?
Loading the Bag
The front of the vest has the two standard pockets for flasks (two Raide-branded 600mL flasks are included), two stretchy stash pockets for gels, and an iPhone-sized zipper pocket with an internal key ring. The side panels each feature a pocket perfect for stuffing used gels or, if you’re like me, empty candy wrappers. All pockets are easy to access and hold fluids and gear securely.
The back of the vest is where things get interesting. Rather than use the back panel as a one-pocket catch-all dump zone, Raide set out to solve one of the trail runner’s biggest pain points: keeping gear organized. The main back pocket is broken into two sections, providing dedicated space for poles (no external quiver necessary) and an extra water flask—separate from any other gear you are carrying. Both pockets are secured with an elastic loop that keeps your gear secure, even when jostled around during uphill scrambles and bone-jarring descents.
Beneath the partitioned back panel is a stretchy, grip-dot-lined passthrough pocket that makes it easy to stash extra layers, nutrition, or other essentials without fear of them slipping out. While testing, I stuffed a long-sleeve tee, a lightweight shell, and two PF 90 gel pouches into this section with room to spare, and, more importantly, without any bounce. The passthrough is also low enough on the back to comfortably reach into it without popping a shoulder out of place. Within the passthrough pocket is a zippered pocket that sits against the back and works well for storing things you don’t need to pull out often, like a first aid kit or headlamp.
Fit and Construction
You can’t talk about loading a running vest to the brim without mentioning how well it fits and, therefore, whether or not it bounces.
Runners who want to churn butter on their runs will be sorely disappointed with the Raide LF 5L—the vest simply doesn’t bounce enough. I’m being cheeky there, the natural up and down of the run is probably enough to churn butter, but the Raide vest is designed to eliminate bounce, and it succeeds.
I had this thing loaded down with gels, layers, poles, and 1.5L of water, with no bounce to be felt, thanks to a clever combination of fabric and tech. The ventilated Dyneema base is light and strong (Dyneema has a high tensile strength, 15 times stronger than steel), and flexes without stretching or sagging; it moves with the body without loosening up over the length of a run. The DotAir 72% recycled nylon/28% Spandex blend used for the pocketing does stretch, but quickly snaps back into shape, holding everything close to, well, the vest. As someone who runs hot, I loved the breathability of this pack—I will have no hesitation using it on summer’s most scorching days.
In addition to the resilient, breathable fabric, I appreciated the sternum strap tension system. Unlike on most vests, the straps across the chest are not stretchy but are made of inelastic nylon. They’re also sewn into the bottle pockets, rather than the inside of the shoulder straps, providing an easy-to-adjust, tensioned fit that doesn’t loosen as the miles add up. The side panels also have hidden straps that help disperse the load and ease the burden on the chest straps.
As for sizing, I am usually somewhere between a medium and a large. I took a large in this vest, which fit perfectly, so I’d recommend sizing up if you’re in between. I had no issues with chafing or rubbing, and the vest always stayed put, whether it was packed light or full to the brim.
One Minor Issue
This pack is already one of my favorites, but I have to mention one thing that has given me trouble.
Within the divided rear pocket are snap buttons that, in theory, allow you to cut the back pocket in half, holding smaller items like an extra flask higher on the back for easy access and better weight distribution. However, under the weight of a full flask, these snaps had a tendency to come undone on downhill sections, forcing me to take the pack off, pull the bottle up from the bottom of the pocket, and re-snap the buttons. This is a small thing that likely won’t happen with lighter items, but it may occur if you’re opting to carry extra flasks (or something else heavy) in the upper half of the rear pocket.
When to Use the LF 5L Vest for Trail Running (And When to Use Their Belts Instead)
The 5L vest has the highest capacity of Raide’s trail running packs, a step up from its two running belts, the LF 2L and UL 1L. The vest is the best option for long runs or adventures in the mountains thanks to its ability to carry extra water, layers, poles, and an ice tool, if you need it.
The 2L belt, the first trail pack Raide developed, is an option for runs or races where you will be moving quickly, want a stash of water, a lightweight layer, poles, and a few gels—and prefer a waist-based pack without shoulder straps.
The 1L belt is more of a daily run companion, with enough space to comfortably carry your phone, keys, and a couple of gels. It also has bungee cords for pole storage and comes with a 500mL flask that you can stow in the rear pocket, making it suitable for short, fast-paced mountain missions where you don’t need to carry a lot of gear.
Rounding out Raide’s storage options is the TrailTech Short, which has two gel-sized pockets, a zipper pocket, and two hip pockets big enough for an iPhone or a 360mL water flask. I’ve been testing these for a couple of months and wear them at any opportunity. The pockets hold everything I need for a short run, and even a long run, if I can refill my flask along the route. Even when loaded down, there’s no bounce (the Raide way), and the liners have so far prevented any chafing.
And to be completely honest, you may want to default to any of those other Raide options right now—the LF 5L vest is sold out at Raide, Backcountry, and Huckberry (though you can get on notification lists for when it returns).
Who Is the Raide LF 5L For?
The Raide LF 5L is a hard-wearing, breathable, lightweight running pack that largely delivers on its hype. If you prefer a moderate-sized vest that is meticulously organized, well-balanced, and secure, if you run exceptionally hot, or if you like to escape to the mountains for alpine adventures that require poles or an ice axe, it’s worth consideration. At $219, the price is higher than most running packs, but the quality justifies the price.
Three Hydration Vests We Recommend If the Raide Is Sold Out
Nathan Sports QuickStart 3.0 4-Liter Hydration Pack
Weight: 12.4 oz with bladder
Sizing: One size fits most
Hydration: Comes with 1.5 L bladder
Capacity: 4 L
Pros and Cons
+ Push-pull valve on bladder keeps water from leaking
+ Bladder is easy to fill
– One size doesn’t fit all
Salomon ADV Skin 12
Weight: 11.3 oz with flasks
Sizing: XS-XL
Hydration: Comes with two 500 mL (17 oz) soft flasks
Capacity: 12 L
Pros and Cons
+ Well-thought-out gear organizing pockets
+ Customizable fit
– Lacks a dedicated outlet for a hydration hose to thread smoothly to the front
Patagonia Slope Runner Vest
Weight: 6.9 oz with flasks
Sizing: XS-L
Hydration: Comes with two 500 mL (17 oz) soft flasks
Capacity: 4 L
Pros and Cons
+ Water resistant
+ Great pass-through pocket
– Lack of large main compartment limits carrying capacity
