The  hydrogen economy requires large-scale storage and transportation options like long-distance transmission pipelines. The applied materials (typically steels), must be carefully tested under different conditions (pressure, temperature, impact of impurities, etc.) for their suitability and service with hydrogen. In combination with mechanical load, as occurs in every gas network, hydrogen can induce degradation of the mechanical properties and promote finally resulting in embrittlement, i.e. the formation of cracks. The conventional testing procedures consist of autoclaves in which samples are strained under pressurized hydrogen. The test apparatus requires large amounts of hydrogen and thus a high level of safety and costs. In very specific cases, these tests might be replaced by simplified electrochemical charging. However, these test alternatives raise several questions regarding the equivalency of both testing scenarios. In the following, we show recent activities at the Bundesanstalt für Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), namely the hollow-specimen technique developed for slow strain rate testing, is described and manifested via several examples. In the process, a sample is filled with hydrogen from the inside and simultaneously subjected to a mechanical tensile load. The method requires only a limited fraction of hydrogen compared to the existing method, which significantly reduces the safety-related issues and thus the high costs.