The Kailas Fuga Air II 8L is an innovative eight-liter hydration pack with a number of thoughtful design touches that cater especially to trail runners and ultrarunners. In this article, we discuss the main features of this pack and pay special attention to those that set it apart from other running vests on the market.
If you’re looking for a smaller capacity pack, be sure to check out the five-liter Kailas Fuga Air II 5L.
Running with the Kailas Fuga Air II 8L hydration pack. Photo: iRunFar/Pete Reed
Kailas Fuga Air II 8L Specifications
- Eight liters of storage
- Sixteen storage compartments on the front, side, and back of the running vest
- Two soft flasks included
- All-Around Dial Fit (ADF) system to customize the pack’s fit to a runner’s size and shape
- Able to carry two soft flasks up front and a bladder in the back
- Bi-Fix system in the two soft flask front pockets to prevent water from sloshing in them
- Dedicated cellphone front pocket
- Three configurations for carrying trekking poles
- Reflective detailing for visibility
The Kailas Fuga Air II 8L hydration pack. Photo: iRunFar/Pete Reed
The Kailas Fuga Air II 8L hydration pack. Photo: iRunFar/Pete Reed
Kailas Fuga Air II 8L Storage
The Kailas Fuga Air II has a plethora of pockets, some of them in surprising places, like within other pockets. The variety and location of pockets mean you can keep each pocket dedicated to one specific thing, spread the volume and weight of your gear around the vest, and access what you need quickly.
Front Pockets
- One dedicated cellphone pocket on the left side.
- Two bottom pockets, one each on the right and left, for fuel or trash. The left one sits external to the cellphone pocket. The right one has an additional, small internal pocket as well as a key clip. All of these have elastic openings.
- Two vertical pockets that fit soft flasks, equipped with the Bi-Fix system to prevent water sloshing, as well as drawstring closures.
- One pocket on the right that is external to the right soft flask pocket with an elastic opening.
- One tiny pocket on the upper right, perfect for a GPS tracker or salt tabs, with an elastic opening and a flap for extra security.
A front view of the Kailas Fuga Air II 8L showing most of the front pockets. All photos Kailas unless otherwise noted.
Side Pockets
- One side pocket each on the left and the right that sit under the arms, with elastic openings and flaps for extra security. These pockets might fit thin gloves, fuel, or trash. You can access these pockets on the run.
Back Pockets
- One large pocket with two internal openings: one for a water bladder that’s closer to the body, and one for a wind jacket or similar that’s external to that. This pocket has an elastic opening at the very top of the pack, a clip for securing the bladder, and bladder tube feeders on both the left and right. You can access the windbreaker jacket pocket on the run.
- One large pocket in the middle back with an elastic opening. The wind jacket pocket sits over the opening and serves as a flap for extra security. This pocket could store an extra layer, a headlamp and spare battery, and similar. If you have good arm flexibility, you might be able to access this pocket on the run.
- One large pocket in the lower back with two internal openings: one that’s closest to the body and zippered for security and one that’s external to that with an elastic opening. The zippered pocket could store an ID, money, and credit cards, and the external stretchy pocket could stow a thicker layer or extra fuel. If you have very good arm flexibility, you might be able to access the outside stretchy pocket on the run.
A back view of the Kailas Fuga Air II 8L showing most of the side and back pockets.
Kailas Fuga Air II 8L All-Around Dial Fit (ADF) System
A noticeable innovation on the Kailas Fuga Air II 8L hydration pack is the closure system on the front, featuring the All-Around Dial Fit (ADF). Instead of the simple buckle clasps featured on previous Kailas packs, and going beyond the single zig-zag elastic strap featured on other brands, the Fuga Air II 8L has three buckles connected together with a very thin, very solid string. The string feeds into a dial, which can be easily tightened for a very precise fit from top to bottom. To loosen the pack, only lift up on the dial, and push it back down to start tightening again.
A detailed view of the front adjustment dial that Kailas calls its All-Around Dial Fit (ADF) system.
Kailas Fuga Air II 8L Bi-Fix System
The Kailas Fuga Air II 8L features two large pockets up front for soft flasks, which are included with the pack. Those two pockets have some thoughtful details — they’re lined with additional material, seemingly to be waterproof/resistant.
Each pocket has two drawstrings, one at the top to cinch the bottle into place, and one on the medial side halfway down, to tighten down when the flasks are half full to prevent sloshing in a system Kailas calls Bi-Fix.
The dual soft flask pockets on the front of the Kailas Fuga Air II 8L have a unique cinching mechanism, called the Bi-Fix system, to keep half-empty flasks from sloshing.
Kailas Fuga Air II 8L Cellphone Pocket
Some runners have trouble fitting cellphones into their hydration packs. Not with the Kailas Fuga Air II 8L and its dedicated cellphone pocket. The pack states it will fit a phone up to 6.3 inches, and is plenty large. You slide your phone into the opening vertically, and the pocket extends upward, underneath the water bottle pocket, keeping the phone stable yet readily available.
The pocket sits at about the lower ribs on the left front side of the pack, and it is easy for runners to place and remove the phone without it getting stuck behind a soft flask. Thanks to the secure zipper and extra protection of the overlying soft flask pocket, the phone will never fall out, even if you’re leaning over to tie your shoe or scramble up a ridge.
A view of the cellphone pocket zipped and unzipped on the Kailas Fuga Air II 8L.
Kailas Fuga Air II 8L Trekking Pole Storage
Kailas made the Fuga Air II 8L running vest with mountain runners and ultrarunners in mind, as there are three potential configurations for trekking poles: one in the front and two in the back.
If configured on the front, the poles affix to the sides of the soft flask pockets and against the side pockets. In the back, runners can either put the poles vertically in the bottom pocket and affix the poles with the bungee cords up top, or horizontally across the lower back using the bungee cords.
A view of the front configuration for carrying trekking poles.
A view of the second way to carry trekking poles, vertically on the back. Bungee cords stabilize the poles up top, and their bottoms sit inside the back pocket.
A view of the third and most traditional configuration for carrying trekking poles: horizontally across the lower back, held in place by bungee cords.
[Editor’s Note: This article is sponsored by Kailas. Our recent article introduced the brand, and you can purchase Kailas running products on its website and in many Amazon stores around the world. Thank you to Kailas for its sponsorship of iRunFar, which helps to make iRunFar happen and free for all to enjoy. Learn more about our sponsored articles.]
