For less than $ 40. , it's a great deal. Helps to intensify your workout . Only problem for me is it fits pretty snug and I wear a size large ..Could have easily paid $ 100. more but at this price, if I break it, I can afford to get another.

I purchased this weighted vest (with shoulder pads) mainly to change up and increase the intensity of my cardio workouts which usually take place in the form of running/jogging. Having used the vest a number of times now, I'm quite happy that I purchased it.

Comfort and fitment are critical to me. The vest molds well to my upper body and with a few adjustments on the side straps I find it to be pretty tolerable for running. I usually adjust it a time or two before beginning in order to dial-in just the right amount of "snugness," so it's not too tight so as to restrict my breathing, but also not too loose to bounce around while I pound the pavement. I have not had any issues whatsoever with the straps bothering my shoulders, albeit, this is only a 20-pound vest. It's comfortable enough during warmups and cool-downs that the vest is hardly noticeable to me. It's worth noting that it's been cold here, so I've been layering up with multiple shirts/sweatshirts, so that may provide a benefit in terms of the comfort of the shoulder straps.

The materials and construction of the vest appear to be very robust. Time will tell, but based on what I see, this is a tough and rugged setup that is built to last.

As far as the weights go, I was a little worried that since they are sand filled bags that they would be prone to failure and leaking, but they seem to be put together well enough. I've played around with them a bit and don't have any difficulty getting them out or back in to make adjustments. For what it is worth, and this is just my opinion based on what I am seeing, I think if you take the weight packs out, you want to keep them aside somewhere so they can hold their shape thereby making it easier to get them back into their compartments on the vest.

For a touch over 40 bucks with the shoulder pads, I'm impressed with this vest. It bears the weight evenly and comfortably. I was looking as some vests with plates, but to me, for jogging, this type of vest seems like it affords the best fitment.

Overall, this vest is a nice addition to workouts that were getting a bit stale, and at a price that seems pretty darn good. I really don't have anything bad to say about it, but if something changes in the future I will come back with an update.

I bought two 40 lb. vests and removed individual weights from one of them so I could have two vests of different weights, and with extra individual weights to swap in as needed. Perfect solution for my purposes. The extra weights stiffen over time and spread a bit, so getting them back in can take some work, but not too bad. For shoulder pads, I used thick sheet foam rubber hot glued under the straps (less expensive and probably a better solution than buying the manufacturers pads, and, in my view, they should just be included, hence four stars instead of five for this review). For heavy vests, some kind of padding is truly needed. I actually had a tendinitis injury at one point before I added these in. Don't take the risk is my advice. The high rating from me is because of the option to remove and add weight, which not all such products enable.

Purchased for my wife. She is a fitness personal instructor and she wears for her training. One benefit that she mentioned is that the vest keeps her warm when she walks dogs in early morning. She purchased the vest with the shoulder pads and totally happy with it too.

I needed to get used to carrying extra weight for fire 1 and 2 class physical testing, I wore it to use with stair stepper at gym.