Regarding the materials used, the product is well made. I had an issue with the shoulder pads not shipping. Although Amazon had no way to correct this directly without me losing the good price I got (The price has gone up since it was ordered, so returning and repurchasing looks like giving up the good price paid), reaching out to the company, directly, resolved the issue quickly and easily.

Despite now having the shoulder pads, the issue is that very little weight is distributed to any other part of your body than your shoulders. A hip belt would likely go a long way in allowing me to wear the weight for longer periods before feeling strain in my trapezius muscles. A rucksack with hip belt would probably have been a better option. Also, I thought 40 lbs was going to be too light, but I removed about 40% of the weight and it still fatigues the shoulders after a 1-mile walk. I will drop the weights into a backpack just to see if it feels better with my hips bearing the weight.

After a few days you get used to carrying it.. the knees and feet adjust.. I'm soaked after a 45 minute walk.. I feel great throughout the day and sleep hard at night.. the dad bod is melting away!! Quality vest, definitely a good buy.. you simply just have to do the work to get the results you want

I bought this for my husband during lockdown.
Over the last 3 years he has walked 2500 + miles in it. This vest has been a life saver.
Get the shoulder pads"¦ worth it.

I bought the 40 lb version with shoulder straps in April 2023 after using a 12 lb weight vest for trail hikes for some time. I really liked the removable weights, as it allowed me to slowly ramp up the intensity while allowing my body to safely adapt. I loaded the vest for 20 lbs for my first outing, and after 3 miles I was completely exhausted. What a workout! After that I slowly added an extra 4 lb bag every week or two until I finally hit 40 lbs. At first it was a real challenge to wear it for about 4 miles on flat ground, but now I comfortably hike 7 pounds with significant elevation changes. I definitely feel that I'm ready to step up to a heavier vest, but I can't recommend this product enough. The first is secure (although your shoulders will take some time before they stop hurting) and the quality has held up over the dozens of times I've worn this vest the last 9 months. Start small and gradually work your way up and you'll be amazed at your own perseverance and toughness.

I purchased this for working out. I wanted something adjustable to "build up to." This may accomplish that, maybe.

It comes with 40 pounds of weight as such I figured the shoulder pads would be prudent. What they came with? Not so much. It is just a very thin bit that velcros around the shoulder bits. At most it makes the shoulder straps a little bit wider which might help a little. There is practically no padding in these shoulder "pads" and they are kind of stiff too. I was definitely expecting a lot more padding, and until I can resolve this issue on my own I don't know how much weight I can actually wear without it hurting my shoulders.