Following the end of a five-year relationship, eager for a healthy distraction, I began ultrarunning. The moment my mileage crossed into double digits, I visited my local gear shop to pick up a vest large enough to carry water, layers, and Spam musubi (still my trail fuel of choice to this day). Not sure what I was really looking for, I tried on a handful of packs and went with the one that fit my long torso and narrow shoulders the best: the women-specific Ultimate Direction Ultra Vesta ($140).
That was almost four years ago, and though I upgraded from the 3.0 Adventure Vesta to the slightly larger 4.0 Ultra Vesta model in 2018 and that one was discontinued for the 5.0 I will always swear by Vestas.