Swix Focus Trail Vest Review

Ok, I’m calling shenanigans on this one. IMG_3096.jpg

I found this on eBags when I was trying to hunt down my favorite runderwear (Patagonia hipsters). I was curious because I have an addiction to hydration packs and this pack looked similarish to the 2016 Salomon pack that you can’t easily find in a 5set anymore.  It turns out Swix is less “similar” to Salomon and more like Single White Female. Things are going to start getting awkward.
So per the website this has:

  • Soft breathable vest contours to your body with no friction or bounce when fully packed with your gear.
  • 3 fully adjustable sternum straps, soft and easy to adjust, no buckles, no heavy webbing.
  • Stretch mesh front hydration pockets hold up to 500ml, placed to prevent bounce and instability.
  • Front zip pocket for mobile security.
  • Two side hip pouch pockets with easy access from left or right to get to your equipment fast.
  • Insulated hydration sleeve with clip.
  • Two vertical zip compartments on back to hold battery pack and other accessories.

What it really is, is a mimic of the Salomon 5 set (I have the 12set for demonstration purposes), only with a smaller zipper pocket, bad stitching, and bottle pockets that claim that can hold up to 500ml but don’t. The hip pouch pockets are badly angled and you can’t fit a phone in them or much more than gel packets. The front is SO similar to Salomon that it even has the EXACT SAME CLIP SYSTEM (which has 2 sternum straps thank you very much). The straps are damn near impossible to tighten and would never have been able to secure this bad boy tight enough. I bought this in the S/M and I’m a US size 4-6.

Salomon vs. Swix
OMG I LOVE your clips, can we be besties?
IMG_3098.jpg
Not a stalker at all

 

 

 Damn sales goggles got me. The stitching was falling out right out of the box.
IMG_3099.jpg
I will not buy obscure hydration packs from Norway. I will not buy obscure hydration packs from Norway….

Leave a Reply

Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in:

WordPress.com Logo

You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. Log Out /  Change )

Facebook photo

You are commenting using your Facebook account. Log Out /  Change )

Connecting to %s