Salomon Adv Skin 12 Running Hydration Vest Review
An in-depth look at our favorite running hydration vest for running and trail running
Updated March 26, 2024
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Salomon is a big name in trail running, and the Salomon Adv Skin 12 vest lives up to it. With a storage capacity of 12L, it’s in the middle of the capacity range among most vests. The Salomon Adv Skin carries all 12L of gear just as well as when the pack is nearly empty. We’re confident this is the most comfortable running hydration vest we’ve tested (and we've tested a lot for our Best Running Hydration Vest guide, where it won Best Overall Running Hydration Vest).
We’ve been testing this hydration vest since 2020 and have tested the newest version (released in 2022) for almost a year. This Salomon vest shines in its versatility precisely because of its easy fit adjustments to accommodate changes in your loading weight and even body shape changes from season to season. We also like how it handles several shapes of hydration flasks, water filters, and bladders.
This Salomon Vest has pockets everywhere, and though it takes some practice with the vest to figure out where your items should live, once you do, it’s clear the Salomon Adv Skin is made for the movement of running and all of the things that we carry with us to get far out there.
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Capacity: 12 L
Other capacities available: 5 L
Included hydration: Yes, 2 soft flasks 500 ml included
Hydration bladder compatible: Yes, compatible with 1.5l bladder, includes insulation sleeve
Women's-specific fit available: Yes
Weight: 10.3 ounces (293 g) men’s/unisex medium
Pockets:
1 trash pocket
1 internal bladder sleeve
2 front stretch zipped pocket
2 shoulder stretch pockets
2 stretch rear top pocket
1 rear tunnel pocket
Best For
The Salomon Advanced Skin 12L running vest is appropriate for any running involving extra gear, except for non-racing overnight runs when some level of sleep insulation and shelter is required. That’s the case whether you’re heading out for short or long races and daily runs on trails in the mountains, foothills near town, or dirt roads. We liked it for trail running and endurance races. If you like to road run and carry an extra layer, water, bars and gels, or other items along, the Advanced Skin 12 is equally suitable.
Some runners may prefer running belts on shorter outings for increased back breathability. Some runners may even be satisfied with stuffing items in a pair of running shorts.
But many folks find running belts chafe or bounce excessively, and shorts pockets are too small or sag and bounce with too much weight. That's why we recommend the sleek Salomon Adv Skin 12, which moves with you to feel more comfortable during a trail run. That's the reason it's the overall winner in our guide to the Best Hydration Packs.
Interested in running? Check out the Running Gear section:
How We Tested
We've owned and extensively run in the Salomon Adv Skin 12 running vest since February 2020. Since the newest model was released in 2023, we’ve run in it almost exclusively for the past year.
It’s spent most of its life on trails in the high country of Colorado in and near the Sawatch and Sangre de Cristo ranges, with additional time spent in Tennessee, Utah, and California.
We typically take it on runs longer than 2 hours, especially if there’s no access to water, and on shorter runs when the weather is changing and unpredictable.
We also have a women's tester who carries the 8L women’s version of the vest on every run, even if it’s just for her phone and keys.
Collectively, we’ve carried it up long trails and down long, hot dirt roads back into town from the foothills. We’ve taken it across expansive high-elevation mountain ridgelines in the Rocky mountains.
It’s seen on and off-trail use. It's there with us for a long run and shorter training trips.
It's carried our water bladders and flasks, sandwiches and snacks, phone, rain jackets, insulation layers, sunglasses, batteries, headlamp, and emergency beacon on remote all-day outings out of service.
We’ve rarely washed it, using it repeatedly and only rinsing it when the salt marks build up. We’ve forgotten it closed up in bins after days of long summer runs, scrambles, and hikes, and buried in a pile of other running gear.
We’ve scraped it on rocks, fallen on trails wearing it, and thrown it haphazardly on the ground and in the back of the truck. We’ve abused the thing, and despite its lightweight build, it keeps going without issue.
Salomon updated this running vest for 2023, including a name change to the Salomon Adv Skin 12 Set (to indicate it comes with included soft flasks). This review reflects our experience with both the newer and older model, what has changed, and what improvements we’ve seen.
The Salomon Adv 12 in Salida, CO. Photo by Justin Walker
What We Liked
Carries well empty or full
Includes 2 x 500ml quality hydrations flasks
1.5L hydration bladder compatible rear reservoir with bladder hang hook
“Adv Skin” fabric creates a supreme fit around the ribs and chest
Stretchy shoulder strap for managing bounce
Functional pockets galore
Uses a unique Quicklink bungee system instead of the standard sternum strap. The Quicklink allows more stretch, and more evenly contours to different body types.
Some affordable replaceable hardware is available
Torso length sits high enough for back ventilation but not too high as to be unreachable
Available in a smaller size for those looking to prioritize pack weight or small loads
Price is fair, and the vest is on sale periodically
Adjustable Fit and Comfort
Ultimately, what we think makes the Salomon Advanced Skin 12 stand out is how well it fits and secures a load, whether it’s almost empty or at capacity, along with its dialed fitting system. The stretchy shoulder strap fabric creates a minor suspension so that the vest stretches through the impacts of the running stride, but not so much that it feels sloppy.
The Salomon “Adv Skin” mesh fabric balances breathability, durability, and stretch. This vest won our award for best running hydration vest because it is notably the most comfortable. Of the packs we tested, it conforms the best around the ribs, where a lot of oddly shaped gear (food, headlamps, and layers) usually ends up. This discomfort is a common flaw in the running pack category. The Salomon Adv Skin's mesh kept everything in place so we could run comfortably without feeling our gear.
Salomon uses a few adjustable stretch “shock cords” and plastic hardware to help dial in the fit around these curvy areas in conjunction with the Adv Skin mesh. Specifically, one fit detail that we liked is the bungee style “Quicklink” style of adjusting the hydration vest up front.
Found in all Salomon running vests, this criss-cross bungee allows for excellent stretch and better conforms to various body types compared to many vests—which use the more common dual sternum strap. The chest strap on this vest--and also found on any other Salomon product --keeps everything in place better.
Adjusting the front of the vest with the fan-favorite Quicklink adjustment system. Photo by Justin Walker
Additionally, Salomon even offers a replacement Quicklink set to replace a worn one. While we haven’t broken ours, it’s a low gauge shock cord system with small plastic pieces that could break. Knowing that we can replace it for $8.00 gives us peace of mind. Otherwise, we’d have to DIY fix it or purchase a new vest.
It might be a good idea to add a replacement Quicklink system to your cart when purchasing. I keep one inside my hydration pack just in case. It’s low volume and low weight. Worst case scenario if you didn’t carry it? Tie any broken cord into a knot to get you home.
Hydration System
The Salomon Adv Skin 12 excels using flasks and a bladder with a 1.5L capacity and a hang loop in the rear closure.
We love that the Salomon Adv Skin series comes with 2 x 500ml hydration flasks. For those getting into running, paying $20-30 per soft flask after investing money into a running vest is a drag. We're big fans of soft flasks over traditional bottles, and even recommend them in our Best Gifts for Runners guide. It's nice that with the Adv Skin they are included, and we find the quality of these flasks to be great.
For those who like bladders, the Adv Skin 12 has an insulation sleeve for a 1.5L bladder to keep it cool (but you have to provide your own bladder).
We think hydration flasks have several advantages over using a bladder for some people. One is that they’re more simple to clean and get dry.
Secondly, if one of them gets a hole, one is still functional to get you through the day.
Speaking of multiples, you can keep water in one and some liquid nutrition, such as Tailwind or Scratch powders, in the other. The multiple bottle strategy also works for electrolytes.
You can carry more water in a bladder, however, but we’ve had no trouble using flasks with lockable nozzles for extra capacity in the rear back pocket with mesh pocket of the Adv Skin 12 as well.
Often, if we need more than a liter up front, we’ll pack a full Befree water filter bottle in the back or a lockable nozzle Ultimate Direction 500ml Body Bottle flask. That said, using a bladder can be a convenient way to keep a lot of water readily available near your mouth to encourage drinking throughout the day. Either way, the Adv Skin 12 has no problem accommodating either method, or using both together!
Material: Breathability and Water-Resistance
The primary fabric that sits next to your base layer running shirt is a weave of large, open-hole mesh fabric commonly referred to as “spacer mesh.” This mesh helps create airflow between your body to aid in transporting moisture away from your body and keeping you cool.
By nature, any fabric against your back will inherently run warmer than wearing no vest. The spacer mesh aims to simulate this feel as much as possible–while also allowing you to carry the gear you need to get out in beautiful scenery.
The Salomon Adv Skin 12 vest doesn’t sit so low that it overheats your lower back. While it could potentially have more breathability if it had high-rise torso length, we think it sits just right. It's still easy to reach for items behind you, whereas higher-rise torso lengths on vests make it nearly impossible to get your gear without taking the pack off.
When it comes to water resistance, there really is none, and we don’t fault the vest for this. Water resistance isn’t standard on these running vests styles, especially when it comes to such stretchy fabric as is found on the Adv Skin. Other than DWR applications, waterproofness may come at the expense of more static fabrics with tighter weaves like Silnylon or polyesters found on waterproof backpacks and rain jackets.
If you need to waterproof anything in your pack, we’d recommend using the running pack equivalent of a backpacking pack liner. This waterproofing might be a heavy-duty Ziploc bag, a stuff sack or dry bag, or a small plastic bag mimicking a larger pack liner.
Pockets and Gear Accessibility
A version of our kit to carry in the Adv Skin 12 for a long day out at altitude in the mountains. Photo by Trey French
Holy pockets. The Salomon Adv Skin 12 has no shortage of pockets. Here we go:
1 trash pocket. This pocket is up front, inside one of the stretchy pockets. It’s great for nutrition wrappers to keep the waste separate from your food and prevent accidental littering when searching for something in the stretch pocket that is shared with the trash. It makes being Leave No Trace, the ethics of the outdoors, that much easier.
1 internal bladder sleeve. This large pocket is in the rear of the vest that sits closest to your body, or “center of mass,” to keep the bounce down. We found that the bounce is minimal with a 1.5L bladder in this pocket, especially with the dialed-in fitting adjustment for the rear pockets.
1 top-loading rear pocket. Note: This pocket is sized similarly to the bladder but has a layer of fabric separating the two pockets. This separation into two pockets can be helpful when carrying a bladder to isolate the bladder from any potentially sharp objects and to make removing and refilling the bladder easier.
1 outer top-loading pocket: This is new for the most updated vest. This pocket runs about one-third of the back of the vest and is great for packing a single jacket like a wind shell or rain jacket. It may be more easily accessed without removing the pack than the rear tunnel pocket.
1 tunnel pocket: It’s accessible with either the left or right hand and runs across the back of the jacket.
2 front stretch zipped pockets. We like to store small, easily lost items like sunscreen, chapstick, our phone (they’re pretty big pockets), and maybe some small nutrition items like Honey Stinger waffles, energy chews, or Tailwind packets. These also work well for putting your wallet and keys on one side. We designate that zippered pocket as a security pocket that only gets opened when starting and finishing your run back at the car.
The same gear shown above is loaded into the newest Salomon Adv Skin vest with room to spare in the front pockets and rear tunnel pocket. Note that the Befree filter .6L flask is a little tight for the front pocket designed for .5L flasks, and may be better suited in the rear of the pack for filtering water into a smaller flask. Photo by Trey French
2 x 500ml hydration pockets. Each soft flask pocket fits various 500ml sizes (long and slim, wider, etc.) and has a toggle to easily wrap around the top of the flask to secure it from falling into the pocket after clearing some water from the flask. This is a simple function that we wish all running vests shipped with, even if they were removable.
2 shoulder stretch pockets. These are layered over the water bottle pockets. We like to keep food and small compressible items here, like gloves or a warm hat.
1 x large rear tunnel pocket. This pocket runs continuously from left to right across the rear bottom of the vest. It relies on tension to hold items in, and we’ve never lost anything using it. That said, it’s good to take the time to check the ground after stashing or removing a running jacket or other pieces of gear in there because it’s possible to push or pull something out.
Option #1 for storing a compact jacket—which may be more suitable for those with limited shoulder mobility or struggle to reach into a tunnel pocket. Photo by Trey French
Volume
Our model expands up with storage up to 12L. We’ve put a lot of stuff in there, filled it to the brim, and it feels maybe even generous for the 12L rating. That said, 12L might be a good recommendation for regular use to prevent wear on the fabric. We don’t have any holes or signs of sagging, but we could see it happening if you tried to carry your favorite bowling ball in the rear pocket.
Option #2 for storing a compact jacket. The pass-through “tunnel pocket” is a typical design feature on running vests. The one on the Adv Skin 12 is easier to reach than many other vests but is still not the most natural arm-reach motion. Photo by Justin Walker
Salomon offers the Adv Skin vest in an 5L version as well. Our reviewer wanted a general do-it-all vest, and the 12L checked those boxes for the storage needed for big days and carries. Because it condenses down, it handles lower volume days, too. If you have a specific need for the Salomon Adv Skin and don’t anticipate ever using more than 8L, we can’t find a reason to advise against it.
Weight
The latest version of Salomon Adv, 12 in a unisex medium, is spec’d at 293 grams or roughly 10.3oz. We’d say this is perfectly acceptable and lighter than we would anticipate without knowing, given all the pockets and toggles on the vest. Our previous version, sized at a men’s medium, made for a 37.5”-40” chest, measures 278 grams / 9.8oz. Though this isn’t a delicate piece of gear, it might be best served by someone who treats it better than we do!
Durability
Durability is another area where the Adv Skin 12 shines. Constructed from high-quality materials and reinforced stitching, it’s lasted hundreds of miles over rugged terrain and repeated use with limited signs of wear and tear.
Sizes available
In men’s/unisex, it’s available in XS-XL for chests measuring 32”-45”.
For the women’s model, it’s offered in an XXS-L for chests measuring 23”-40”.
It’s not the most inclusive sizing out there, and we’d love to see the vest offered in a wider range.
Sustainability and Ethical Business Notes
Salomon is big for a running (plus other sports) company, with 1,650 employees reported, with offices in Europe, North America, Asia, and South America. Salomon uses its size to enact positive change in various fields, not limited to the following: engage in local community action, climate issues related to products, equity in gender and race employment, fair labor practice in their immediate company, as well as their supply chain. They offer a long list of concrete goals for public view in the coming years.
What we love about their delivery of this information is that they couch it all under sustainability. Not limited to the environment but the sustainability of the workplace, supply chain, local communities, and making the sport more inclusive. You can start your journey reading about Salomon’s ethics here.
What Could Be Better
There aren’t any feature changes we can think of to give Salomon, but we’d love to see the vest offered in larger sizes across both men’s and women’s versions.
On some older versions, there were complaints of some broken hardware that seems to have since been resolved. It wasn't an issue for us, but we’re happy to see Salomon responding to some of the feedback they’re getting and offering replacement parts, which is more sustainable than buying a new vest.
Some may be shocked at the price, but it is average for the industry and not incredibly steep.
This adjustment along the ribs on the old Adv Skin 12 is the cause of some complaints of the cord pinching. We find that we simply have the vest too tight there if it pinches, and loosen it, but Salomon migrated the routing of this adjustment on the 2023 model away from the body over the pocket instead! Photo by Sasha Hashemipour
2023 Updates
The newest version of the Adv Skin 12, renamed the Adv Skin 12 Set, uses durable zippers and toggles from YKK, which is THE zipper brand. There’s no YKK on our older model, but any switch to YKK is an upgrade for reliability, longevity, and ease of use. You'll find the new YKK zippers on the zip opening and zippered pocket in the stash pocket.
Salomon routed the cinch cord for the rib area farther up the vest over the side pocket, relieving any pressure point problems from the previous model. Photo by Trey French
Another update for 2023 is that Salomon has moved some cinch cords from running parallel (horizontally with the bottom hem of the vest around the ribs) to pointing the cord up diagonally towards the rear back top loading pocket. When we accidentally over-tighten those adjustment points on our version, there can be pinching before finding the sweet spot. The new features are designed to resolve this issue. It also provides security for storing items in the rear tunnel pocket that the new adjustment point runs across.
Other Capacities Available:
Salomon Adv Skin 5
If you typically stick close to home or the trailhead, run short races, and don’t intend to carry lots of water or clothing, consider going for the Adv Skin 5. You’ll save a little weight and volume.
Ultimately, we don’t regret going with the 12L for its added versatility. Other than size, the 12 and 5L are mostly the same, one significant difference being that the top pocket has an open elastic closure instead of a zipper.
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Other Running Hydration Vests to Consider
Salomon Sense Pro 10
We awarded the Sense Pro 10L the Best Running Hydration Vest for Racing in our Best Hydration Vests guide. After some testing, our reviewer handed it off to a friend to run a trail race in the humid state of Georgia, the Cruel Jewel 100. It's touted as one of the most challenging trail races in the US, with 33,000 feet of steep elevation gain. After 30 hours, no chafing!
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Salomon Sense Pro 5
The Sense Pro 5 is a more race-oriented vest with fewer adjustments, zippers, and doodads. It has a more streamlined design but retains the same Quicklink system up front and a similar amount of stretch. It’s paired down to a more race-specific use, which means it’s a little quicker on the transition from dumping and reloading, but may lose some of the versatility of the Advanced Skin models.
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Salomon Active Skin 8
Salomon describes the Active Skin 8 as a stepping stone into running hydration. What we think Salomon is getting at here is its affordability at $115, which includes identical 2 x 500ml hydration flasks.
We think the Salomon Active Skin 8 is an excellent deal for those looking to primarily carry the vest for food and hydration, plus a low-volume layer or two. It has fewer pockets and volume, but it keeps the same Quicklink system up front, comfortable mesh. As a bonus, our tester reports it has a faster drying time, which could be better for those running primarily in humid environments.
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compare similar salomon running vests
| RUNNING HYDRATION VEST | HYDRATION INCLUDED | WEIGHT | SIZES | EXTERIOR POCKETS |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Salomon Advanced Skin 12 (men's) | Y, 2 bottles | 9.77 oz | 32-45" chest | 6 + main pockets |
| Salomon Advanced Skin 12 (women's) | Y, 2 bottles | 10.1 oz | 23-42" chest | 7 + main pockets |
| Salomon Advanced Skin 5 (men's) | Y, 2 bottles | 8.04 oz | 32-45" chest | 7+ main pockets |
| Salomon Advanced Skin 5 (women's) | Y, 2 bottles | 8.3 oz | 32-40" chest | 7+ main pockets |
| Salomon Sense Pro 10 (men's) | Y, 2 bottles | 5.8 oz | 30.9-44.1" | 8 main pockets |
About the Author / Why You Should Trust Us
Trey French is an avid runner and Treeline Review writer. Photo by Justin Walker.
Around 9,000 miles of combined running and hiking miles inform his approach to gear testing—from hikes of the CDT, PCT, Long Trail, and other self-made routes, to runs across the Grand Canyon, trail races, and obscure lines drawn on a map up or down the side of a mountain. Trey firmly believes that a piece of gear should facilitate experiences rather than discourage folks from getting out the door. Keep it simple, keep it functional, and keep it fun!
Based above Bishop, CA, at 5,000ft, Trey runs in all seasons—for mental health, fitness, and preparing a base of fitness for big mountain adventures, come the spring melt. After a winter of getting by with handheld water bottles and running waistbands, the late spring and summer bring long days of projects in the mountains. This season also beckons the need for a vest to cram more food, water, an emergency satellite beacon, and other items into one’s running kit.
You can read more of Trey's work at his blog or on his author page.
