Salomon Active Skin 8 - Women's Review

We recommend the Active Skin 8 because of how well it can accommodate high liquid capacities. Between its front flask pockets and its back sleeve, we could run comfortably with 3 liters of water and plenty of snacks to get us through long days on the trail. We love when affordable products perform in the upper echelon, and the Active Skin 8 is certainly a vest that impresses.

Performance Comparison

Comfort

The Active Skin 8 strikes the perfect balance between softness and rugged durability. The edges that contact the skin are made of semi-stretchy polyester that remains comfortable over the long haul. When the cinch closure system is snug, the edges don't rub or even become noticeable during long runs.

The well-contoured front panels are perfect for bustier women, as the shape truly takes into account the places where women might prefer to have less pressure. The flasks and flask pockets have angled bottoms, and when full, they encourage the bottom edges of the front panels to sit ever so slightly away from the body, which adds comfort. The arm holes are cut big enough to be versatile, preventing you from needing to buy a pack for summer outings and one for bundled-up winter excursions. The back mesh is porous and breathable, which makes it a great vest for runs in warmer weather. If you are running with an uninsulated hydration bladder, though, your water is likely to heat up.

The bungee closure system is comfortable, flexible, and easy to adjust as you run. The left panel has two hooks, and the front right has two anchor points. Each panel has a small, vertical daisy chain so you can decide where you want the pull tab to sit. You can move the anchor points and hooks, but they are super difficult to get back onto the daisy chain, so we recommend finding your perfect fit and then keeping it that way. The front bungee system is the only adjustment point on the Active Skin, so it is important to select the correct size out of the four available by Salomon. The pull tab has two holes that the bungee feeds through, making it possible to tighten the lower portion of the vest without over-cinching the upper.

Features

The Active Skin 8 comes with an easy-access safety whistle and a handful of reflective bits for optimal safety. The safety whistle is not as loud as some, but it is definitely better than not having one at all.

This hydration vest doesn't come with specified loops for holding your trekking poles, but the nature of the external compression system makes it easy to stash them within the web of bungees. Collapsible trekking poles can also be stored in the generously sized back compartment or in a flask pocket if you choose to run with a hydration bladder. The small daisy chains that act as the anchor points for the bungee system add a welcome bit of external storage on the front of the pack.

Hydration System

The hydration system of the Active Skin 8 combines all of the best elements of other hydration systems into one pack.

This vest comes with two 500mL soft flasks that are more triangular than cylindrical. This provides comfort and makes filling and replacing them easy. The width of the flask pockets also contributes to this ease of use. The flasks have straws atop them, which is a great feature if you want to turn your head and have your water within mouth range. Each breast panel has three loops, so you can choose where you want the straw to be. We found that having the straws go through the medial loops caused them to hit our faces a bit as we ran, but using the middle or most lateral loops prevented this. The straws are slightly flexible, so you can bend them away from your face if they begin to encroach.

In addition to hosting one of the best soft flask hydration systems in our review, the Active Skin 8 can accommodate a hydration bladder in its bladder-specific back sleeve. This vest does not come with a bladder, and while the manufacturer states that it can accommodate a 1.5L bladder, we had no trouble slipping a 2L into the back pocket. The hydration sleeve has a small clip at its top for securing your bladder, and the hose can be threaded through the three breast panel loops to prevent bouncing. Beneath each of these 3-inch, horizontal loop systems is a small, mesh pill pocket. These are great pockets for energy gels, but they also make it easy to stash the mouthpiece of a hydration hose so it won't get in your way.

Volume to Weight Ratio

The Active Skin performed well in this metric due to its lighter-than-average weight. A women's size small weighs 7.5 ounces and, as stated by the manufacturer, can hold up to 8L of gear. We found that we could stuff up to 10L of gear into this pack, with three of them being water. The flexibility and lightness of the textiles that make up the Active Skin allow it to be suitable for feather-weight fiends, but also for runners who want to pack more than one sandwich for lunch.

Pockets

The back pocket of the Active Skin is spacious and simple, with an additional flap closure pouch on the back wall.

This main compartment is accessible via a J-shaped zipper, which is genius. Many packs offer a clamshell opening, which we have found to be great for accessing gear — and for spilling gear out onto the trail. This J-zipper allows you to open only one side of the main compartment without having the structure of the vest collapse before you watch your gear waterfall into the dirt.

Both front panels have small mesh pill pockets with flap closures. This was where we stashed our pepper spray on long runs, and it worked out well. While we never had to use it, it was comforting to know that we did not have to fish through any gear to grab it if needed. Beneath these pill pockets are the wide flask pockets, each of which has a slightly wider mesh pocket atop them. These front pockets have mellow elastic closures, which aren't the most secure, but we never had any issues with anything bouncing out of them. The left chest panel has a third pocket, accessible via a vertical zipper. We ran with our car keys in this secure pocket, but there is also a carabiner inside the main compartment for secure storage of keys.

The pockets of the Active Skin are stretchy and can accommodate more trail snacks than they appear to be able to. One of the things we love about this pack, and why we recommend it, is that it can comfortably carry a lot or a little. If you want to run with the Active Skin stuffed to the gills with everything you could need in the backcountry, its external compression system ensures that you can do so without having your gear bouncing every which way. If you want to run with only some water, an extra layer, and a phone, the pockets flatten out, and you can cinch the bungees to accommodate this as well. The versatility of the Active Skin 8 is part of what makes it a favorite of ours.

Should You Buy the Salomon Active Skin 8?

This is one of the few hydration vests that inspire us to just say, "Yes, you should buy this vest." The Active Skin 8 is comfortable and stays that way whether loaded up or only stocked with the essentials. The bungee systems are great for fine-tuning the fit and providing compression so your gear can ride as close to your body as possible. Our only caveat is to ensure that you purchase the right size; otherwise, the bungees might not provide the correct amount of compression for your body. The pockets are well-designed and user-friendly, plus the price of this pack is lower than some of our equally high scorers.

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