Hyperlite Mountain Gear Pemi 15 Running Vest Review
A 15-liter waterproof running vest for fastpacking and long days on the trail
July 10th, 2026
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Our verdict
The Hyperlite Mountain Gear Pemi 15 is the ideal fastpack or running pack for running or hiking when you need to carry more gear than a running vest allows, but you still want the comfort and bounce-free fit of a vest. It has running vest straps and tons of pockets to keep essentials within reach, as well as a roll-top main compartment made of ALUULA waterproof fabric.
I tested the HMG Pemi 15 while trail running, scrambling, and hiking across Utah, Arizona, and Colorado. I wore it for a 25-mile off-trail segment of the Hayduke Trail across Arches National Park, where I carried 4.5 liters of water plus food for 12 hours, a puffy jacket, a windbreaker, and a first-aid/emergency kit. I’ve also used it for other long days hiking and running in canyons around Moab, Utah, Southern Arizona, and in the mountains of Colorado.
The Pemi excels at carrying more gear than a running vest while still feeling like one as you move. It doesn’t bounce much, even when it is stuffed full of gear. It also has tons of pockets that make it easy to access any item—the most notable is a vertical zippered pocket that lets you reach the main compartment without undoing the roll-top closure. It also has an actually useful water bladder sleeve on the outside of the pack, so you can remove and reinsert a bladder without unpacking everything in the main compartment.
This is also the only running backpack we’ve seen made with the very durable and waterproof ALUULA fabric. While the Pemi 15 doesn’t have taped seams and isn’t fully waterproof, we’d trust it to keep our gear mostly dry in all but the heaviest deluge.
The biggest downside of this pack is that it’s quite expensive. The Pemi costs at least $50 more than most of the other high-capacity running vests we tested for our running backpacks guide, and $85 more than our overall winner from that guide.
But if you’re looking for the most water-resistant running backpack for your next mountain mission and don’t mind paying a little extra, the HMG Pemi is a great option.
Hyperlite Mountain Gear Pemi 15
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Hyperlite Mountain Gear Pemi 15 Running Vest Specifications
Price: $250
Volume: 15L
Weight: 12.1-12.8 oz
Strap type: Running vest straps with two elastic shock cord sternum straps
Back panel: Foam
Hip belt: None
Closure: Roll-top with side access zipper
Water carry: Two soft flask pockets (up to 500mL flask), hydration sleeve
Shoulder strap pockets: Four pockets per strap
Exterior pockets: 9 (4 strap pockets per strap plus 1 external stretch mesh pocket)
Bottom pocket: No
Waterproof: Water-resistant (waterproof materials without taped seams)
Main body material: ALUULA 97
Pocket mesh material: Lycra stretch mesh shoulder strap pockets, UHMWPE stretch mesh rear pocket
Chest width sizing: Small/34"-38", Medium/38"-40", Large/40"-42", X-Large/42"-44"
Variants available: None
Made in: Mexico
Best for
Overnight fastpacking under 15 pounds
Peakbagging and mountain running
Desert running and hiking with longer water carries
Mountain biking and bikepacking
Off-trail alpine running and hiking
Comparison table
| Running Pack | Body Material | Volume | Weight | Water Layout | Exterior Pockets | MSRP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hyperlite Mountain Gear Pemi 15 Running Vest | ALUULA 97 | 15 L | 12.1-12.8 oz | 8 x strap pockets, hydration sleeve | 9 | $250 |
| Black Diamond Distance 15 Backpack | UHMWPE ripstop nylon | 15 L | 11.6 oz | 2 x soft flasks, 2 x 1 L bottles | 7 | $200 |
| Ultimate Direction Fastpack 20 (men's) | Polyester | 23.4 L | 18.4 oz | 2 x soft flasks, 2 x 1 L bottles | 9 | $165 |
| Ultimate Direction FastpackHer 20 2.0 (women's) | Polyester | 23 L | 19.8 oz | 2 x soft flasks, 2 x 1 L bottles | 9 | $165 |
| Outdoor Vitals Skyline 30 Fastpack | 100D Robic | 28 L | 20.6-21.6 oz | 2 soft flasks included, 2 L pockets, hydration sleeve | 6 | $188 |
| Nashville Pack The Cutaway 30 (Gridstop) | 210D Venom Gridstop ECO | 31-35 L | 12.9 oz | 2 x soft flasks, 2 x 1 L bottles | 7 | $362 |
What we liked
Great pocket design that makes all your gear easy to access without stopping
Carries heavy water loads plus gear well
Durable external mesh pocket
Shoulder straps are comfortable after 10 hours on trail
Feels stable when running and scrambling
What could be better
Made with waterproof materials, but the seams aren’t taped
Sizing runs small
Expensive
How we tested
I tested the Pemi 15 running vest for several months during the spring and summer in Arizona, Utah, and Colorado. I wore it while running, fast hiking, and on adventures that were a mix of running, hiking, and scrambling.
I used it for desert runs where I needed to carry 4+ liters of water plus food for an entire day. I also used it for mountain running and peakbagging, where I carried warm clothing, food, water, and an emergency kit. I also used it for off-trail hikes in canyons, where I needed to carry a lot of water and a pack durable enough to withstand abrasion from rocks and brush.
I am 5’9”, 165 pounds, with a 37-inch chest. I tested a size medium Pemi, which fits chests between 38 and 40 inches, according to Hyperlite’s sizing. I think this pack runs slightly small, because the medium fits me fine, and I often opt for a size small. When the back is nearly empty, I still don’t cinch the shock cord chest straps all the way, and when I have it stuffed full of gear, I almost wish I could loosen the chest cinch more.
We also tested the Pemi 15 alongside other running vests and fastpacks to directly compare features, performance, fit, best uses, and more.
So far, I’ve used this pack for close to 200 miles, with a fair amount of bushwhacking and dragging it through desert brush in overgrown canyons. It still looks almost new.
Performance in the field
Carry comfort and load stability
The Pemi 15 feels good when you’re running. This pack is designed to carry moderately heavy loads, and it does that well. It doesn’t bounce as much as heavily loaded running vests do. The shoulder straps distribute weight across your shoulders and chest, so it stays comfortable all day.
Hyperlite states that this pack is comfortable up to 15 pounds. I found 10-12 pounds was my limit for comfortably running with this pack, but that’s more because running isn’t as comfortable with 15 extra pounds on your back, no matter how comfortable that extra weight is. However, hiking with 15 pounds of weight is comfortable, so you can load up on food and water, then start running when you’ve drunk and eaten some.
If you use this pack when it isn’t full, it’s very comfortable. However, the extra material will bounce around, which could be annoying to some people. There are side compression straps to shrink the internal volume, but the extra material still crinkles annoyingly.
Pocket accessibility
The Pemi has tons of accessible pockets you can reach without taking the pack off. Each shoulder strap has four pockets: a 500 mL soft flask pocket, a top-access stretch mesh pocket layered over the soft flask pocket, a side-access zippered pocket sized for smartphones and other small items like lip balm, and another top-access stretch mesh pocket on the remaining section of the strap that goes under your arm.
It also has a large Ultra-High-Molecular-Weight Polyethylene (UHMWPE) stretch mesh pocket on the back of the pack. This material is rad because it’s much more durable than other elastane-based stretch mesh while still being stretchy. There is also a zipper running vertically along the side of the pack, allowing you to access the main compartment without opening the roll-top closure—a brilliant feature that makes grabbing stuff on the trail faster.
Every pocket on the shoulder straps is very easy to access while you’re moving. You can also remove one shoulder strap to reach the rear stretch mesh pocket. If you’re skilled, you can also get into the side-access zippered opening without stopping.
The Pemi’s water bladder sleeve is accessible on the outside of the pack, too. This allows you to remove and refill the bladder more quickly, since you don’t have to unpack the main compartment to access it (see more on this below).
Water management
As I mentioned in the pockets section, the Pemi’s water bladder sleeve lets you access it from the outside of the pack. You can slide a 2-liter (or smaller) bladder into the durable mesh sleeve, which lets the water’s weight rest directly against your back. There isn’t anything built into the pack specifically designed to hold a water bladder’s drinking tube. But I don’t see this as a flaw, because it gives you the flexibility to secure the tube with any part of the shock cord system that zigzags across your chest.
The shoulder strap pockets can each hold a 500 mL soft flask running bottle. These pockets hold the bottles securely while running, and I’ve never had an issue with them bouncing out or falling deeper into the pocket when they’re emptier, either.
Fit and adjustability
The Pemi comes in four different strap sizes to fit different chest circumferences: small (34"-38"), medium (38"-40"), large (40"-42"), and X-Large (42"-44").
The sternum strap system is a piece of shock cord that hooks across your chest in a zig-zag and tightens via a toggle. You can adjust this system almost infinitely, as there is a chain of loops running along the inside edge of each strap. The shock cord can be secured to any of these loops, and the two hooks and toggle can also hook anywhere along the straps to fit your body best.
Packability and compression
The Pemi 15 has two cinch straps on the side of the pack that let you compress it when you aren’t using the full volume of the main compartment. You can also use these side compression straps to lash extra gear—running poles, ice axe, or a jacket—to the outside of the pack. The webbing that forms a chain of loops on the shoulder straps is also used on the back edge of the pack, so you can adjust the compression straps to suit your needs.
In total, there are three of these side compression straps per side. One of the side compression straps also has hardware to hold an ice axe. Since the compression cords have a hook and toggle on one end, they can also clip to themselves to secure the handle of the ice axe.
The roll top also secures to a pair of adjustable, movable clips. You can move these clips up or down along the chain of loops on the back of the pack, depending on how far down you need to cinch the roll-top closure.
Durability
Overall, the Pemi 15 is a very durable pack. I’ve used it for roughly 200 miles so far, hiking through brushy, overgrown desert canyons and scrambling in alpine conditions, and it still looks almost new.
The ALUULA fabric used on the pack body is extremely durable. I used another pack made of the same ALUULA material, a Nashville Pack The Cutaway, for an entire 2,000-mile thru-hike on the Appalachian Trail. After 2,000 miles, that pack is still in great shape, so I’d expect the Pemi to hold up for years.
The UHMWPE stretch mesh used on the Pemi’s back pocket is also much more durable than standard stretch mesh used on many running vests and fastpacks. The Pemi’s back stretch pocket will likely last longer than the shoulder strap pockets, which are made of standard Lycra mesh.
The back panel mesh is also very durable. After several months of use, there is no visible wear on this back panel material, either.
Features
15 Liter Volume and Four Size Options
The Pemi holds 15 liters of gear and doesn’t come in larger or smaller volume options. It comes in sizes small through extra large. Each size fits a range of chest circumferences: small (34"-38"), medium (38"-40"), large (40"-42"), and X-Large (42"-44").
Running Vest Style Straps
The Pemi 15 has running-vest-style chest straps. The sternum strap consists of an adjustable, replaceable piece of shock cord with hooks and a toggle for tightening or loosening.
Rigid Foam Back Panel
The Pemi’s back panel is made of rigid foam. The foam is not removable.
Roll-top Closure
The Pemi has a roll-top closure for the main compartment. The roll top clips onto webbing straps that are adjustable up and down the pack.
Four Shoulder strap pockets
Both running vest shoulder straps have four pockets—a soft flask bottle pocket, two snack pockets you access from the top, and a zipper-closure pocket that’s large enough for a smartphone.
Hydration sleeve with external access
The Pemi has a hydration sleeve that you can access from the outside of the pack.
Main Compartment Side Zipper Access
The main compartment, which you pack through the roll-top closure, also has a zippered opening on the side of the pack. This zipper allows you to grab an item quickly without opening the roll-top.
Ice Axe or Trekking pole attachment
The Pemi 15 has hardware to carry an ice axe. It also has moveable cinch cords with toggles and hooks that you can use to lash trekking poles to the back.
ALUULA 97 Main body material
The Pemi is made with ALUULA 97, a UHMWPE (Ultra-High-Molecular-Weight Polyethylene) fabric that is adhesive-free, waterproof, heat-weldable, and UV-resistant composite material.
Rear UHMWPE mesh pocket
It has a rear pocket made of UHMWPE stretch mesh that is extremely rip-resistant.
Waterproof materials
The ALUULA material used on the pack is waterproof. However, the seams are not taped, so it isn’t completely waterproof, only extremely water-resistant.
Sustainability
The ALUULA 97 material used on the Pemi is 100% recyclable and is made entirely of Polyethylene with no adhesives. This material is extremely durable and up to 8 times stronger than steel for its weight, so it will last a long time.
All ALUULA materials are made using low-energy, low-waste, and low-fume production methods. Offcuts and old products can be chemically recycled into ethylene gas and repolymerized for reuse in new products. You can read more about ALUULA fabrics on their website.
Should you buy the Hyperlite Mountain Gear Pemi 15 running vest?
Buy if:
You want a high-volume running vest, but don’t want to use it for overnight fastpacking
You’re a dedicated ultralight fastpacker who can cram an overnight kit into a 15-liter pack.
You’re looking for the ideal pack for mountain running, where you need to carry a lot of layers and food.
You want a durable pack for hiking, trail running, and scrambling.
You’re a peak bagger who needs to carry a lot of gear while summiting remote mountain peaks.
Skip if:
You need a running vest, but don’t need 15 liters of gear because you only carry water, snacks, and a jacket.
You want an affordable backpack for summertime adventures.
You want to start going on overnight fastpacking trips and want to carry 20+ liters of gear.
Where to buy the Hyperlite Mountain Gear Pemi 15 running vest
The Hyperlite Mountain Gear Pemi 15 running vest is available on the Hyperlite website.
Hyperlite Mountain Gear
You can sometimes find more options when purchasing directly from the manufacturer. It can make it easier if you need to submit a warranty return, such as due to a defect.
Similar running vests
Hyperlite Pemi 15 Running Vest vs Black Diamond Distance 15 Backpack
Price: $200
Volume: 15L
Weight: 11.6 oz
Exterior pockets: 7
Water layout: 2 x soft flasks, 2 x 1 L bottles
The Black Diamond Distance 15 is our favorite for scrambling in our running backpacks guide. It costs $50 less than the Pemi and weighs about the same. Overall, we like both the Distance and Pemi a lot because they occupy the “Goldilocks” zone between smaller-volume running vests and larger-volume fastpacks. They’re both extremely durable, comfortable, and capable of carrying larger loads for mountain running, winter trail running, and scrambling.
The Distance comes in 8L and 22L options, as well as a 15L size we tested. The Distance has three stretch mesh pockets on the shoulder straps—a soft flask pocket, a larger drop-in pocket that stretches over the top of the water bottle pocket, and a smaller drop-in pocket where the shoulder straps are sewn into the pack. The Distance has an extra zippered pocket on the right shoulder strap, too. This is one less pocket than the Pemi, which also has zippered pockets on each shoulder strap (for a total of four per strap). The Distance also has two external pockets for folding running poles, but no other external pockets. This has less external pocket space than the Pemi, which has a UHMWPE stretch-mesh pocket.
Black Diamond Distance 15 Backpack
Hyperlite Pemi 15 vs Ultimate Direction Fastpack/Fastpackher 20
Price: $165
Volume: 23L
Weight: 18.4 - 19.8 oz
Exterior pockets: 9
Water layout: 2 x soft flasks, 2 x 1 L bottles
The Ultimate Direction Fastpack is another pack that’s similar to the Pemi. The UD Fastpack is a 20-liter pack, compared to the Pemi, which can hold 15 liters of gear. The UD Fastpack is available in women’s and men’s sizes, comes in 30-liter and 40-liter versions, and is the overall winner in our running backpacks guide.
The Fastpack and Pemi have a very similar pocket layout. They both have a stretch mesh pocket on the back and multiple pockets on the vest-style shoulder straps. The Fastpack has side water bottle pockets on each side, unlike the Pemi. The Pemi is more durable than the Fastpack and weighs 12.1 oz, compared to the Fastpack's 18.4 oz. The Fastpack is significantly less expensive than the Pemi, too.
Ultimate Direction Fastpack/Fastpackher 20
Men's
Women's
Hyperlite Pemi 15 vs Outdoor Vitals Skyline 30 Fastpack
Price: $188
Volume: 28L (size L)
Weight: 20.6 - 21.6 oz
Exterior pockets: 6
Water layout: 2 soft flasks included, 2 L pockets, hydration sleeve
The Outdoor Vitals Skyline 30 Fastpack is the overall winner in our fastpacks guide. The Skyline comes in three sizes: S, M, and L. The small and medium-sized packs have a 23L main compartment volume, while the large has a 28L main pack volume. The size small weighs 20.6 oz, and the large weighs 21.6 oz.
Compared to the Pemi 15, the Skyline is better suited for overnight fastpacking because it can carry more gear. The Skyline also costs almost $100 less than the Pemi. Both the Pemi and Skyline have UHMWPE stretch-mesh external pockets and similar shoulder-strap pockets on their vest-style shoulder straps. The Skyline also has side pockets and a bottom pocket, unlike the Pemi.
Outdoor Vitals Skyline 30 Fastpack
Hyperlite Pemi 15 vs Nashville Pack The Cutaway 30 Gridstop
Price: $237 (pack body) + $125 (vest straps) = $362
Volume: 31 - 35 L
Weight: 12.9 oz (18”)
Exterior pockets: 7
Water layout: 2 x soft flasks, 2 x 1 L bottles
The Nashville Pack The Cutaway 30 is another pack that’s similar to the Pemi 15. The Cutaway is our favorite fastpack for adjustability in our Fastpacks Guide, and comes in 20-, 30-, and 40-liter sizes. It’s available in ALUULA Graflyte material, similar to the Pemi’s body material.
The Cutaway has the most possible pockets accessible while wearing the pack. It has four accessible pockets per shoulder strap, a bottom pocket, and side water bottle pockets that connect to the rear mesh pocket. If your shoulders are flexible enough, you can reach into the rear pocket and pull out a jacket without taking the pack off.
The 30L Cutaway weighs about 15 oz, compared to the Pemi, which weighs 12 ounces for half the volume. The Cutaway is significantly more expensive than the Pemi, though. The pack body starts at $215, and can be more expensive depending on the material you choose. The vest straps cost another $125. However, because the vest straps on the Cutaway are sold separately, they’re replaceable. So even if you wear out the shoulder straps, you can replace them without needing to replace the entire pack. The Cutaway is also made in the USA.
Nashville Pack The Cutaway 30
Why you should trust us / About the author
Sam Schild is a thru-hiker, trail runner, cyclist, and mountain athlete based in a converted camper van across the western United States. He has been running since he was a kid, and tests running backpacks, running vests, and fastpacks for Treeline Review, among other (and maybe all?) things running.
He has completed countless ultra-distance self-supported trail runs across the American Southwest. He has thru-hiked the Pacific Crest Trail, Continental Divide Trail, Appalachian Trail, Grand Enchantment Trail, Arizona Trail, Hayduke Trail, Pacific Northwest Trail, and the Colorado Trail twice. Most of those trails were completed with a frameless backpack or fastpack.
You can read more about Sam on his author page or his website.
