By Laura Yates
The OMM MtnFire 15 vest is the newest addition to the OMM range available in 3 different colours; I have the pleasure of testing it out in bright blue whilst out in the beautiful setting of the Lake District. The vest is available in 3 unisex sizes small, medium, and large; I tested the medium, my everyday clothing size is ladies 10/12.
The 15-litre capacity is perfect for those covering more considerable distances or multi-day adventures. The vest fits exceptionally well to the body with a clip waist strap and a bungee chest strap that hooks together. Both fastenings are fuss-free and easy to use, even with cold, wet hands.
The main body of the bag is made from a water-resistant material, with the bottom of the pack made from a waterproof (dry bag type) material; this is great for when you’ve put the bag on the ground to look for items as it doesn’t soak up the moisture from the earth.
It’s also great whilst out in the typical English weather as you don’t have to worry about kit getting wet in those bursts of showers. I also used a dry bag inside the vest as I was out in particularly bad weather; however, the items I had not stowed within the dry bag remained dry in the vest, so the pack is very water resistant (it chucked it down!).
The main part of the vest fastens with a roll top fastening and clip strap. The roll top took a little getting used to securing correctly, but it is much better than a zip fastening! Again, even with cold, wet hands, I could get into and out of the bag quickly, something I struggle with if it’s a zipper fastening and I usually have to use my teeth. I found that if the pack had fewer items in it, I struggled to get the roll top not to gape open, but with a fuller pack, it closed really well, offering fantastic protection to my kit.
There is plenty of room within the vest for all your mandatory kit for an event, plus additional layers; I had three coats in there at one point, along with all my basic mountain kit and still had room for more.
There is also a bungee cord that offers compression across the main body of the vest to get the pack tight and secure to prevent any bouncing.
The OMM logo on the back of the vest and the two on the front are made from reflective material, and reflective tabs on your hips and shoulders make you highly visible in the dark.
The pack has seven large stretch pockets at the front, 2 of which are zipped for more secure storage. The vest comes with 2x 350ml bottles, which sit comfortably in the front pockets; I did switch these out for 2x 500ml bottles (not included) as I was out for quite a long period; these also fit comfortably within the pockets. However, I would have preferred it to come with this size bottle considering the storage capacity of the vest. The vest also can hold a 3l bladder (not included), which is handy if you’re planning an overnight camp or have long distances between re-supply points.
I did have poles with me whilst testing this vest and was disappointed to find there were no pole attachments on the bag, meaning I had to carry them the entire time. I did find a YouTube video on how to make your own attachments for the vest, but this feature would have been a handy, functional addition to the vest.
Overall, I found this race vest to be hard-wearing yet lightweight, with room enough to hold all my essentials for long days on the trails. It fits exceptionally well with no bounce and no chafing. There was easy access to my snacks throughout the day in the elasticated mesh pockets whilst keeping my essential items (phone, car keys) secure.
