Instinct X8 Running Pack Review

As with many folks I've spent a lot of my trail running journey using the classic Salomon Adv Skin 12 pack. It's always been highly rated for it's comfort, fit and spacious stretchy pockets: it served me well over many an ultra race.

However when you get to 100+ mile races, it starts to be a little too small. The required kit, the extra layers, the extra snacks, additional water bottles, all present a challenge for a 12L pack designed for shorter distances, especially if you want to be more self sufficient / uncrewed. The 2025 edition of the pack exacerbated this, it wasn't as well received due to smaller pockets, less storage options and some durability issues.

On the Epona I found i just about had enough room, but it was mid-summer so the need for extra layers was minimal. On the Wild Horse the pack was bursting at the seams, with none of the extra water and layers I really should have been carrying.

So along comes the Instinct X8: an 18L pack from a lesser known company. Myself and a few other runners were impressed by the smart design of their Reflex Belt, one of the best belts on the market in my view, and the X8 on paper looked like the ideal long distance / multi-day pack to me.

Let's break down the specs and talk about how it performed.

Details and Specs

Core Specifications

• Capacity: 18 Litres total volume: 9L around the vest and
• Weight: 546 grams
• Sizing: One size fits most, unisex
• Material: Weather-resistant main compartment crafted from Cordura ripstop

Hydration

• Front Hydration: 2x front pockets to fit 500-600ml soft flasks (the pack optionally comes with 2x 600ml soft flasks, standard 500ml flasks fit too)
• Rear Hydration: Pouch and routing holes for a 2.5L bladder

Storage and Accessibility

• Main Compartment: Features a large "back door" zipper for access, approximately 9L capacity. Partitioned into 4 pockets: one large main pocket, a rear laptop sleeve pocket, and 2 smaller pockets on the door itself
• Front Pockets
  • 2 vertical zipped pockets
  • 2 stretch mesh pockets (one side has an extra pocket in front of it)
  • 2 zipped shoulder pockets
• Rear Pockets:
  • Top stretch mesh pocket, can be reached from over your shoulder, has a toggle to cinch it down
  • Bottom pass through kangaroo pocket, large enough for a coat
  • Door pocket on the outside of the main compartment

Fitting and Adjustment

• Front Adjustment: Three front straps that move freely on rails either side of the pack with clips and pull chords to tighten
• Side Adjustment: A bungee system to tighten around your waist
• Back Adjustment: Thick zigzag cords either side of the main compartment to cinch it down. The top and bottom outer pockets both have chords for locking them down to secure their contents

Attachments

• Poles: Loops to carry the poles on the bottom, on the back either side of the main compartment, or on the front either side of your chest
• Technical Gear: Options for carrying an ice pick / shovel
• Underneath Attachment: Option to store a sleeping mat or tent below the main pack body.

Care

• Washing: Must be hand washed (I've been taking mine in the shower post run 😅)

First Impressions of the Instinct X8

I can't express how excited my geeky mind got when this arrived, I took it out for a long run on the Chepstow to Tintern trail as soon as I could, loaded with significantly more gear then I'd need for a mild weekend run.

When packing it for the run I was struck by how large the main compartment at the back is. I could happily fit all my safely gear in, multiple backup bottles, and a coat, and still have room in the laptop sleeve and door pockets for extras.

In terms of accessible pockets you can reach whilst moving, there are 7 on the front round your chest, along with the coat pocket at the top of the bag you can reach into over your shoulder, and the kangaroo pouch at the bottom.

The front pockets have enough room to store head torches, gloves, buffs, food and the like, but aren't as large as those you find on the Salomon. This is because the pockets don't wrap around under your arms. The disadvantage is a loss of storage, however I did find that this means nothing was ever rubbing on my side, I'd just have to stash the bulkier things in the kangaroo pouch instead.

The top rear pocket feels a little lose when putting things in there, as does the kangaroo pouch, however they each have chords to cinch them down and stop any movement.

I found the top pocket great for a packable coat, or some thicker gloves. The kangaroo pouch was ideal for stuffing layers as the day got warmer, it's very big in there. I've also used it to store 2x water bottles with no hassle.

In an at-home test, I packed everything I could think of for a 100-mile race (including waterproof jacket and trousers, safety kit, 4 bottles of water, food/grub, 2 pairs of gloves, hat, and a power bank) and still had plenty of space left over.

Hydration wise: this can carry a LOT of water, a big advantage in races with checkpoints spaces far apart (looking at you Wild Horse). The bottle holders at the front are a bit fiddly, you have toggles with tie down round the sides of the bottles, but soft flasks get smaller as you drink from them, so I found myself adjusting them quite often. It wa a bit annoying. You can also put the cord around the neck of the bottle which holds them up a bit better.

One thing that is pure gold is the bottle holders do not overlap the front mesh pockets. The amount of times I've struggled to get a bottle into a Salomon vest because I put my snacks in the pockets first, solved now!

Despite being a larger back it's pretty comfortable and breathable. It doesn't bounce around, and because it sits quite high I've not experienced any rubbing or chafing, it just stays out of the way.

The rear bladder compartment is large, if you don't use bladders you could easily put your waterproofs in there.

The majority of the toggles, straps and adjustment points have large thick toggles to pull on, useful in the winter when wearing thick gloves.

I wa dubious about the one size fits all approach with this pack, but I will say, at least for my body, it did lock down nicely. The moveable front straps and bungee cords on the side do their job well. One thing to note though: the front straps do have a habit of shifting, they move a bit too freely on that rail and end up sliding out of position.

There are a LOT of cords, toggles, straps all over the shop, it's quite a complex pack. There's a level of learning to it, but also I was worried I'd just be bombarded with loose toggles hitting me all over the shop. Thankfully you can tuck them away easily, though I forgot once and got my face pummelled with the bottle holder cords on a descent.

Further Impressions

After a few runs here's some extra notes on the pack:

Considering how full I've loaded it at times, it doesn't move or bounce, which is a major positive. I've also not felt any back aches from it being loaded, the weight balances well. When I have bottles stashed behind me in the kangaroo pouch there's no rubbing along my back. It's really well designed.

The cords are easy to pull and correct whilst moving. I do often have to tuck them away to prevent them swinging about, especially the waist cords and bottle toggles.

The bottles still give me hassle. It's not a deal breaker, it's just a little annoying to get them to stay up consistently.

There's not really anywhere in the front to easily store your phone, the zip and stash pockets are a little too small. The bottle holders are big enough to fit your phone and a 600ml bottle though, so that's an option.

Finally I took the pack out with barely anything in it for a few social 10ks, just some bottles and a first aid kit. Happy to report it didn't bounce with a reduced load, still locked down well.

Next

This is definitely the pack for next year for me. I'm completely sold on it.

For races where you need to carry a lot of supplies it's ideal, yet I'm finding it'll still work for the shorter stuff.

As "one pack to rule them all" it's a strong recommend from me.