REI Co-op Swiftland 5 Hydration Vest Review
An affordable, adjustable, size-inclusive hydration vest for runners and hikers
April 6th, 2026
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Our verdict
The REI Co-Op Swiftland 5 Hydration Vest is an affordable running vest that comes in the most inclusive size range of any running vest we’ve found. It’s designed to carry all the essentials you need for trail running and other long-distance runs. It can carry 2.5 liters of water, food, your phone, and a warm layer without bouncing as you run.
We tested the Swiftland Hydration Vest in both men’s and women’s sizes in Colorado and Arizona during the winter and spring. We wore them for long training days in southern Arizona, where carrying enough water for hours at a time is tantamount and in the Colorado Front Range, where we needed to carry extra layers and microspikes in winter conditions.
The biggest standout feature of the Swiftland Vest is its stability when carrying a lot of water. Many hydration vests are made of stretch mesh, which causes the pockets to bounce as you run. The Swiftland is made from non-stretchy, breathable mesh and features side webbing straps to secure it to your torso, creating a solid, bounce-free fit. This allows you to carry more water and other gear comfortably, without the pack sliding up and down on your body, which can cause chafing.
The Swiftland Vest doesn’t have as many accessible pockets as some of our favorite running vests, however. Many other running vests have up to 9 accessible pockets, while the Swiftland has only 4 that you can reach without taking the vest off. And while we didn’t have any issues with chafing, we suspect some people won’t find the webbing straps that run across your rib cage very comfortable.
If you’re a trail runner looking for an affordable running vest that comes in XS through XXXL sizing and can comfortably carry a lot of gear without bouncing, the REI Co-Op Swiftland Hydration Vest is worth considering.
REI Co-op Swiftland 5 Hydration Vest
men's
Women's
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REI Co-op Swiftland 5 hydration vest specifications
Price: $110
Men’s weight: S/M: 9 ounces, L/XL: 9.5 ounces, XXL/XXXL: 10 ounces
Women’s weight: XS/S: 8.5 ounces, M/L: 9 ounces, XL/XXL: 9.5 ounces, 2X/3X: 10.5 ounces
Capacity: 5 liters
Hydration included: 1.5L bladder
Bottle compatibility: 500 mL softflask (not included)
Number of pockets: 4 front, 2 rear
Fit system: Adjustable sternum straps
Material: 70-denier recycled ripstop nylon (bluesign approved)
Men’s sizes available: S/M, L/XL, XXL/XXXL
Women’s sizes available: XS/S, M/L, XL/XXL, 2X/3X
Best use: Trail running, trail races, hiking
Best for
The Swiftland is also great for hiking and mountain biking.
Trail running
Fast hiking
Mountain biking
Comparison table
| HYDRATION VEST | MSRP | CAPACITY | HYDRATION INCLUDED | WEIGHT | WOMEN'S-SPECIFIC FIT AVAILABLE? |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| REI Co-op Swiftland 5 Men's Women's |
$110 | 5 L | 1.5L bladder | 9.5 oz (men's), 9 oz (women's) | Yes |
| Salomon Adv Skin 12 Men's Women's |
$165 | 12 L | Flasks | 8.7 oz | Yes |
| Deuter Traick 9 SL Men's Women's |
$180 | 9 L | Flasks | 6 oz (men’s), 5.5 oz (women’s) | Yes |
| La Sportiva Ultra Trail Vest 10L Men's Women's |
$149 | 10 L | Flasks | 6.8 oz | No |
What we liked
The Swiftland can carry a relatively heavy load without bouncing, compared to many running vests.
Affordable
Durable
Comes in a wide range of sizes
Water bladder included
What could be better
Webbing straps feel outdated
Not many accessible pockets
Sternum strap clips are difficult to use
How we tested
We wore the women’s Swiftland vest on Colorado’s Front Range.
We tested the Swiftland Hydration Vest in men’s and women’s versions while trail running in Arizona and Colorado. In total, we ran over 200 miles with these vests, covering everything from short 2-mile runs to longer 25 to 30-mile days on rugged singletrack trails.
While running, we wore the vest with only the included hydration bladder, and also used it without the bladder, along with a pair of 500mL soft flasks. For longer runs, we carried both the 1.5-liter hydration bladder and two 500mL soft flasks, along with a windbreaker, first-aid kit, a sandwich for lunch, and plenty of gels to eat on the go.
We’ve used this vest on singletrack dirt trails, gravel roads, and mixed-surface runs, where we head out our front door on a paved road, then take a dirt road to a nearby stretch of singletrack. We also tested this vest as if it were race day, assessing how quickly and easily you can refill the included water bladder and refill the pockets with gels.
Performance in the field
Fit and stability
A close-up of the sternum strap clip.
The Swiftland Vest fits well and hugs the body as you run. When the hydration bladder is full of 1.5 liters of water, it bounces slightly, but not more than other running vests. Overall though, this vest can hold a hydration bladder without bouncing as much as many other vests because it’s made with less stretchy material.
The webbing strap design, which attaches the back of the vest to the shoulder straps at the bottom, allows you to adjust the vest's tightness more than in other vests that attach the front straps to the back with stretchy material. With the Swiftland, you can easily adjust the webbing to cinch the vest down around your body, whereas with other running vests, such as the Salomon ADV Skin, you can only tighten the vest across the front with the sternum straps.
A close-up of the women’s Swiftland Vest.
There are men’s and women’s versions of this vest. The men’s comes in sizes S-XXXL, and the women’s comes in sizes XS-XXXL. The main difference between the men’s and women’s versions seems to be strap length and starting from a non-gender specific design. The design works better for a wide variety of body types because the webbing straps mentioned above allow the vest to conform to your body, instead of stretchy material like the Salomon Vest’s design.
Hydration access
The Swiftland can carry a full 3-liters of water.
The Swiftland vest can hold the included 1.5L hydration bladder and two 500mL softflasks. It does not come with soft flasks, though. As you run, it holds a soft flask securely on the shoulder straps. Two soft flasks full of water don’t bounce at all as you run.
It’s relatively easy to refill the water bladder on the move. The rear pocket has an easy-to-access zipper closure that opens directly to the bladder sleeve. You can slide open the bladder without detaching the slider from the pack, too.
The bottles also come out of the shoulder-strap pockets as easily as in other hydration vests, so you can refill them quickly and keep running.
For tips on staying hydrated while you run, check out our Hydration Tips for Trail Runners guide.
Storage and organization
The shoulder pocket is open on the top on the right side for quick nutrition access.
The Swiftland vest has enough pockets to keep nutrition, a phone, and some other essentials organized, but it doesn’t have as many pockets as some running vests.
Each shoulder strap has two accessible pockets: one for a soft flask, and another on top for other essentials. The left shoulder strap pocket has a vertical zippered closure and is the ideal size for a phone up to 6.3 inches. It can likely fit slightly larger phones than that, but even a 6.3-inch Google Pixel is a bit difficult to fit through the zippered opening. The right strap has a simple stretch mesh pocket you can slide gels and other snacks into.
The rear 5-liter compartment has a zippered closure with a hydration bladder sleeve. On top of the bladder sleeve, there are two mesh pockets for keeping small items organized inside the large pocket. On the outside of this rear section is a stretch mesh pocket that’s ideal for a jacket.
Comfort
Testing the Swiftland on a trail run from sunrise to sunset.
The Swiftland Vest is relatively comfortable overall. It has one area of concern for chafing, but we didn’t experience chafing during any of our test runs.
All the areas that touch your body—the shoulder straps and back of the pack—are made of breathable mesh. This keeps the vest comfortable for all-day runs. We’ve worn this vest for 8+ hour days on the trail, removing it only once to refill the bladder, and it never made us overheat.
The webbing straps that run under your arms could cause chafing for some people. We didn’t experience any chafing during testing. But for some people, these webbing straps that run along your ribs and under your arms could cause chafing. We prefer a running vest that uses stretch mesh material to connect under the arms for this reason, though stretch mesh has some drawbacks in terms of adjustability.
Durability
The Swiftland vest is very durable and well constructed. The stitching quality shows no evidence that any seams will fail prematurely, and it’s made with durable materials.
Most running vests use a lot more stretch mesh than this model, and stretch mesh wears out over time. The Swiftland vest uses only stretch mesh for the front pockets and the outer rear pocket. The rest of the vest is made of durable, non-stretchy materials so that they won’t lose elasticity over time.
Features
The hydration tube conveniently stashes on the front shoulder strap.
5-liter storage capacity
This pack can hold 5 liters of gear in the main (rear) compartment, or 3.5 liters of gear plus the full water bladder.
Front hydration pockets
The zippered pocket on top of the soft flask pocket on the shoulder straps is the perfect place for a smartphone.
These pockets are located on the shoulder straps and are made of stretch mesh. They can each hold a 500mL soft flask running water bottle.
Adjustable sternum straps
The shoulder straps and backpack section are connected with webbing.
These small webbing straps slide up and down on a ribbed track along the shoulder straps to tailor fit and secure the pack onto your body.
Multiple stretch storage pockets
Each shoulder strap has two stretch pockets to store water bottles, a phone, and snacks. The outside rear of the pack has another stretch pocket for a warm layer.
Lightweight mesh construction
Every aspect of this pack that touches your body is made of lightweight and breathable mesh.
Reflective elements
The shoulder straps have reflective webbing tabs sewn onto the pockets, and the zipper pull is reflective as well. The back of the pack has the same reflective webbing sewn onto the base of the shoulder strap attachment webbing, a reflective zipper pull, and a reflective logo.
Rear storage compartment
The exterior front pocket is the ideal place for a jacket.
The main zippered pocket on the back of the pack holds 5 liters of gear, including the included 1.5-liter water bladder.
Phone-compatible front pockets
The front vest pockets have room for two soft flask bottles, a phone, and snacks.
The left shoulder strap has a zipper pocket sized for a modern smartphone up to 6.3 inches.
Trekking pole attachment loops
There are cord loops sewn throughout the pack that you can use to attach trekking poles or other gear. These cord loops are compatible with REI’s PackMod bungees or any other shock cord and toggle you have lying around.
Men’s vs. women’s Swiftland 5 hydration vest differences
The Swiftland comes in women’s and men’s sizing.
The Swiftland Hydration Vest comes in men’s and women’s sizes. Both the women’s and men’s vests come in the same two color options: Yellow Volt and Blue Night. All the elements you need to adjust this vest to fit your specific body shape are present: movable sternum straps, adjustable shoulder straps, and comfortable, non-rigid materials.
The men’s vest comes in sizes S/M (36-42” chest, 9 oz), L/XL (43-50” chest, 9.5 oz), and XXL/XXXL (51-58” chest, 10 oz).
The women’s vest comes in sizes XS/S (31-35” chest, 8.5 oz), M/L (36-40” chest, 9 oz), XL/XXL (41-45” chest, 9.5 oz), and 2X/3X (46-50” chest, 10 oz).
The shoulder strap shape seems slightly different between the men’s and women’s versions. However, our women’s tester did not notice anything that immediately stood out to her as a women-specific fit design element. It appears that REI started with a more unisex fit and made different sizes of that design while also tweaking the shape of the shoulder straps to conform to men’s and women’s torsos.
Should you buy the REI Co-op Swiftland 5 hydration vest?
The Swiftland is adjustable enough to wear over different numbers of layers depending on the weather.
Buy if you want a running vest with sizing that fits up to a 50-inch chest in women’s or 58-inch chest in men’s that securely holds 2.5 liters of water plus other gear without bouncing. Buy if you’re looking for an affordable hydration vest to add to your trail running gear set-up.
Skip if you want a running vest with tons of accessible pockets, don’t need the larger sizing options, and don’t need to carry as much water.
Where to buy the REI Co-op Swiftland 5 hydration vest
A close-up of the men’s Swiftland Vest.
The REI Co-op Swiftland 5 hydration vest is only available at REI.
REI
Pros: 100% satisfaction policy for 1 year; 10% dividend for members.
Similar hydration vests
Salomon Adv Skin 12
MSRP: $165
Capacity: 12 L
Other capacities available: 5 L
Included hydration: Flasks
Women's-specific fit available: Yes
Weight: 8.7 oz
The Salomon Adv Skin 12 is another great running vest option, and the overall winner in our Best Running Hydration Vests guide. This vest has a lot more accessible pockets than the Swiftland Vest. It has three pockets on each shoulder strap, another in the stretch mesh that connects the front straps to the back of the pack under your arms, and one more pocket on the back of the pack, with side access on either end. Learn more in our in-depth review of the Salomon Adv Skin 12 hydration vest.
Salomon Adv Skin 12
men's
Women's
Deuter Traick 9 SL
MSRP: $180
Capacity: 9 L
Other capacities available: 5 L
Included hydration: Flasks
Women's-specific fit available: Yes
Weight: 6 oz (men’s), 5.5 oz (women’s)
The Deuter Traick 9 SL is another running vest that’s similar to the Salomon Adv Skin 12. The pocket design of the Deuter is nearly identical to the Salomon, which means the Deuter also has a lot more pockets than the Swiftland. The Deuter has less storage capacity in the rear pocket than the Salomon, however. Also, the Deuter is made of stretchier materials than the Salomon, making it better suited for carrying less stuff than both the Salomon and the Swiftland vests.
The Deuter Traick 9 is our pick for most comfortable running hydration vest.
Deuter Traick 9 SL
men's
Women's
MSRP: $149
Capacity: 10 L
Other capacities available: No
Included hydration: Flasks
Women's-specific fit available: No
Weight: 6.8 oz
The La Sportiva Ultra Trail Vest is another running vest option that uses stretch mesh throughout. Like the Salomon and Deuter vests listed above, it has a zippered phone pocket, two soft flask pockets, and multiple other layered pockets on the front shoulder straps, along with more pockets that run the length of the stretch mesh from the front to the back of the vest. It also has a pocket you can access by reaching around to the backside of the vest.
The La Sportiva Vest has the best trekking-pole carry option of any running vest we’ve tested, with detachable shock-cord loops that let you attach folded poles parallel to the bottom hem.
La Sportiva Ultra Trail Vest 10L
Why you should trust us / About the author
Sam Schild is a thru-hiker, trail runner, cyclist, and mountain athlete based in Colorado. He has been running since he was a kid, when he ran five days a week as cardiovascular training for soccer. As he grew older, he stopped playing team sports and focused on running and cycling.
After moving to Colorado, he started backpacking, which led to hiking and trail running on the local trails. Since then, 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, Grand Enchantment Trail, Arizona Trail, Appalachian Trail, Pacific Northwest Trail, and the Colorado Trail twice. During a typical week, when he’s not thru-hiking, he still runs five days a week. He has worn countless running hydration vests over the years for everything from 100K ultras to multi-day fastpacking and run-commuting to work.
You can read more about Sam on his author page, website, and Instagram.
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