eoGEAR Hydra Chest Harness

Overview

This hydration chest pack was designed for backcountry skiing (aka skimo) and SUP (stand-up paddleboarding). It is also useful for alpine or nordic skiing, hiking or trail running. 

• The chest module has three pockets—
  - Zippered gusseted pocket (lower right when worn): for an avalanche beacon, snacks, point & shoot camera &/or car keys
  - Zippered slip pocket (upper right): for a smartphone (there is a think piece of closed-cell foam between the two right pockets)
  - Mesh pocket (left): for a hydration container; it has an elastic drawcord
• This kit includes the 2707 Hydra Chest Module attached to the 2581 Rear Y-Harness (which has 25mm/1" over-the-shoulder webbing).
• Also included is a slot for mounting your GPS or fitness watch in front. This is useful when skiing with gloves with long gauntlets which typically covers your GPS. This is also very helpful for SUP as it is difficult to view a watch on your wrist when paddling.
• The chest module is adjustable vertically with a locking Swedish-made cam buckle that doesn’t slip out of adjustment when removed.
• The torso strap of the Y-Harness has elastic built-in to provide some “give” while exercising and breathing hard.
• The base price DOES NOT include hydration bottle or flask, which will be available separately.

For Skiing Use: This product is designed to replace the beacon harness that most backcountry skiers already wear. One problem with backcountry skiing is that your water bottle is buried in your pack and inaccessible. Carrying it on the outside of the pack, typically on the left shoulder strap, as with skimo racers, is problematic as the bottle can freeze. Also, some bottle or bladder bite-valves freeze, so consider one with a push/pull valve like the old-style bike bottles.
Carrying a smartphone for taking photos in an outside pocket of a jacket quickly kills the battery life. Placing both of these elements near your chest alleviates this problem. For alpine skiing, nutrition can be placed in the beacon pocket as a beacon is not typically used for in-bound skiing or boarding.
Beacon Warning: most experts agree that having a smartphone in normal operating mode does not interfere with beacon transmission (i.e. if you were to be buried), but may interfere when it is in search mode. We recommend putting your phone in airplane mode if/when a search is necessary...or place your phone in your backpack, some 20cm away from your beacon.

For SUP Use: Get ride of that hot & sweaty backpack & try this hands-free solution! If your smartphone is IPX 6/7 rated you can carry it in the phone compartment without fear as these phones are designed to take repeated dunkings. The larger zippered pocket can be used to stow nutrition, car keys etc. Typically, a flask with a straw is best for SUP, so one can drink hands free.

For Running Use: The larger zippered pocket is used to stow nutrition, car keys etc. Typically a flask or a bottle with or without a straw can be used.

Media Review

Check out this cool SUP review on the SUP Connect site (Dec. 2018)!

Weight
TBA

Capacity
Fits a typical-sized avalanche beacon, nutrition, a moderate-sized smartphone (up to 75x150mm / 3x5-3/4" in size, a 2018 iPhone X shown) and a hydration container up to 650 mL (20 oz.), including most bike bottles.

Product photos are shown with metal zipper pulls. Final productional models will have a non-corrosive plastic zipper pull (needed feature for those paddling in the ocean).

Outside Dimensions 
TBA

Fits most athletes...
...from about 165cm to 196cm (5' 5" to 6' 5")

eoGEAR SKU # 2707-KIT