#Review: Raidlight Revolutiv 12. A little bit of love from Europe #ultraboyruns

There are things in life that when you come across them that you wonder how you ever survived without them, you wonder why no other genius has come up with this years before you found it, you may wonder but ultimately you don’t care because your life has just gone through a revolution.

For me the thing that changed my life was the Revolutiv 12l from Raidlight.

I realise that some people may believe I am overstating the improvement that my life has gone through since this race vest was posted through my door but you’d be 100% incorrect. The Raidlight Revolutiv 12 litre is a true innovation.

I’ll be honest I like Raidlight – I always have, there is a little bit of quirkiness about them that you don’t get with companies like Salomon or Ultimate Direction, they have that je’ne cest que and they successfully plough their own little furrow and you’ve got to admire that.

To the Revolutiv 12 though and here we have a race vest that is designed for both the elite and the every(wo)man and I say that very much as an everyman runner. I’m not going out there and winning races but I am going out up hills, across mountains and across every type of terrain and over all sorts of ridiculous distances.

WHAT THEY SAY
Raidlight say about this vest that;

Innovation has a name: discover REVOLUTIV, the 2019 RaidLight range. Its 12L capacity allows you to tackle medium and long distance trails.

This year we have developed an ingenious system that allows the upper back pocket to be tilted forward very easily. No need to remove the vest from your back to grab your accessories! You now have access very easily and quickly to equipment that does not fit into the spaces provided at the front of your trail vest.

Weighing less than 200g this running vest will even make you forget that you are carrying it! Yet you will be surprised to discover all of the equipment you can take with you on a trail. Enjoy the amazing features of one of the best trail running packs. Finally, all the storage space is simplified and optimized to allow you to perfect your performance. Give yourself the means to achieve your wildest goals!

SPACE
The vest is set up for approximately 12 litres of storage but this is highly compartmentalised – a key benefit of the vest. The main reverse section of the Revolutiv is split into two 5litre(ish) parts – wholly independent of each other but when conventionally worn sit one atop each other. This is then all kept in place by two easy lock, spring loaded magnets and they really work. The individual sections of the bag work just as if they were a single compartment with two zips!

It’s when you unclick the magnets that the magic starts to happen, for someone with a perenial bad back you’d think that reaching round to unclick magnets would be something of a chore but thankfully not so. The clever chaps at Raidlight have positioned the clips within easy reach even if you are an old dilapidated fart like me. Once unclipped you can then flip the top of the pack over your head and wear it on the front (reclipping the magnets round the back to make it nice and snug).

Thankfully the party piece doesn’t end here and with a simple unclipping the top section that has just flipped over your head it can be completely removed.

Basically three race vests in one.

You would think that there would have to be compromises to make this work or lots of faffing around trying to get the race vest to the configuration you want but let me assure you there is none of that. The unique selling proposition of this race vest works and works well.

COMFORT
I suppose the whole vest is really stripped back, not a single ounce has been added that didn’t need to be there and there is little doubt that every space age fabric that could be thrown at this has been.

This is not a criticism it is simple a fact and the development team have clearly given consideration to comfort. It could be argued that sometimes these super lightweight vests can compromise on the comfort in order to get weight down or techology in, but here those things are not a problem and it is as comfortable as my beloved (and incredibly silky) Oxsitis Hydragon 17 – high praise indeed.

FITTING
This fits more like a Salomon vest than anything else – the thin stretchy material hugging your figure while being highly adjustable with the sternum straps and also the wire tightening adjustors on the side to keep it nice and tight

In my experience it doesn’t ride loose very easily either and so as a consequence once you’re in it then you’d be comfortable and happy to be in it until the race ends. The balance of the vest is excellent too and it never feels as though it is overloaded anywhere and I am a runner who tends to overload on kit regardless of the race or the distance.

BUILD QUALITY
There are some niggles that I am less keen on about the two main storage sections  – they key one being the zips. The zips feel weak and I realise that you’re looking to avoid adding weight but the truth is that if the zip explodes on a trail somewhere then you’re going to be in trouble. It really wouldn’t add much weight to include a stronger feeling zip.

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS

• Weight 200g
• Volume of 12l
• Materials 91% Polyester 9% Spandex
• Delivered with 2×600 ml EazyFlasks (compatible with all Raidlight bottles),
• Chest sizes: S 68-88cm / M 75-100cm / L 90-120cm.
• Running vest with 8 pockets, 2 compartments of 6L and 5L at the rear .
• Two zipped side pockets
• Upper rear pocket flips forward for quick access to items on the move, fixed lower rear pocket for mandatory equipment storage (perfect for Ultras)
• 2 front shoulder pockets for hydration compatible with all Raidlight bottle systems
• Monofiliment Polyester harness for an optimal breathability, resistance and lightness. Compression system with the 2 Freelock® micrometric buckles
• Front pole carrying system

COST
Let’s make no bones about this the Raidlight Revolutiv 12l is expensive, when it was launched you were looked at around the £160 price point – in the subsequent months this has dropped a little to be around £130 but that is still a lot of cash to stump up for a niche item.

However, I feel Raidlight have produced something that nobody else is doing – it feels like something Salmon might make but has the capacity and durability of something that Ultimate Directions might make and the reality is that it is neither of these, it is very much its own thing.

The gimmick of the flippable and removable pouch extends the value further and I genuinely believe this to be a worthwhile race vest – albeit with some caveats – lets say I’m looking forward to version 2 where the minor things that bug me would be ironed out.

SUITABILITY
So what is the Raidlight Revolution 12l suitable for? Well the answer to that is complicated – if you’re an elite runner then it is probably going to be perfect for you for any race – the multi format bag really does allow you to pick and choose how much kit you’re going to take and how heavy the pack will be. Water upfront only might be a bind for some runners but I think a 1.2litre capacity for water should be sufficient for most races and running adventures between refills.

For me as a much slower runner this is a race vest for up to 50 miles and no further just because I need to carry that little bit extra in terms of food and equipment but if you weren’t such a dawdler then you could probably use it for any running distance.

EXPERIENCE & DURABILITY
I’ve run three races in my Revolutiv 12l since I bought it last year, two ultra marathons and a 10km but in addition to that I’ve done a couple of hundred miles with it in training across the Ochils and Pentlands in Scotland. I’ve used it in every weather condition and across all sorts of terrain. The Revolutiv 12 has been a wonderful companion on my most excellent adventures and I look forward to further such adventures.

In terms of durability the race vest shows almost no sign of wear and tear – the one little bit of wear and tear is in the transfer logo on the translucent back panel and this has started to flake – I’ll assume this is more to do with the effort I’ve been putting in and sweat dripping down the back of me. This is an aesthetic thing though and in no way hinders the usefulness of the vest.

SUPPLIERS
You can buy this directly from Raidlight, Northern Runner or Castleberg Outdoors – all of whom are absolutely lovely suppliers of brilliant kit and service. Please always buy from independent retailers or the manufacturers they really do need your support!

CONCLUSIONS
There is much to love about this race vest, aside from the multiple formats you can adopt when running it has Raidlights innovative front carrying system for poles, it is super, super light and it fits like a glove around even the oddest shape of runner (I’m an oddly shaped runner).

It feels like expensive kit, it looks like quality kit when its on and it operates like the premium product it is but the price point while high, I feel, is worth it.

I don’t use it everyday but have used it quite a lot for testing purposes and it has yet to fail me – but this is race vest rather than a training vest (I tend to use my old indestructible UD PB v1.0 for that) and that should be factored in when you are considering purchasing it – I feel it would be wasted as a training pack.

If you’re considering the Raidlight Revolutiv or you already use Raidlight gear and fancy an upgrade then I would suggest you consider this, try it if you can though as this might not suit everyone because it is a niche product. However, if you fall into the niche of being an ultra runner than loves quality kit then you’ll be drooling over this awesome bit of kit.

To be 100% clear – I paid for my race vest, I never accept samples for reviews and my review is based only on my experience of a product I wanted to buy.