Hydration Belt Confusion

[jenifred]

I have given in and decided to try running with a belt. But I have NO clue what to look for. two bottles, four bottles? pouch, no pouch. price?

To all the experienced runners out there, do you have any tips?

Thanks!

 

[jmasgat]

Things I would consider.....

--Volume: 2 bottle (~20 oz) will probably get you through a lot of training. I use 2, and the only time I felt I needed more was doing long runs of more than 10-15 miles in hot conidtions.

--storage: what do you want to carry with you? Fuel for longer runs, identification. If you want a cell phone or other things, you should make sure you get a belt with enough storage or loops (if you do gels)

--Fit/Form: Besides betlt, there are hand-held and packs. You may want to look at those. As for fit, go try them on at a running store. You need to see which one will work for you.

For example, I ended up with a Nathan Speed belt 2 bottle, because I liked how it set on my back, I liked that the bottle cages were rigid-so I could just reach around and grab it and easily put it back without stopping. The one I have has a small pouch, which is sufficient for ID, 4 gels but not really anything more. When I started to train for marathon during the summer, I bought a Camelback Annadel so I could get more volume. It has more storage, but getting access to the gels on the run is more difficult.

Good luck finding one that works. I would suggest looking at Nathan, Amphipod, Fuel Belt, Camelbak. They are pretty commonly found and you can get an idea of what you like.

Maura

 

[John VN]

Just a side note about Gel packets.

DW sewed Velcro onto my belt in all areas that were open. I then cut 3/4" pieces of adhesive backed Velcro fastening them on the Gel packs and stuck them on the belt. Peeling them off one by one was much easier than going into a pouch or bag when on the move.

The 4 bottle Fuel Belt I have has plenty of water capacity and room for a bag and Velcro. Problem is the bottle holders are elastic and a pain, joints have arthritis and bone spurs, re-inserting the bottles when moving quickly.

 

[VernRDH]

I just bought the Fuel Belt 4 bottle belt (on sale at my local Fleet Feet). I used to wear my Race Ready shorts with the pockets that I put my small (~5oz) bottles in. Trouble was, when I emptied them, they would sometimes work their way out and I would lose them. The Fuel Belt seems to work better with the larger bottles and elastic to keep them in. I had no trouble putting them back while moving. There is a small pouch, that could probably hold some gels/money/keys.

I went with the 4 bottle vs 2 because next year I will be training for my first full and I didn't want to have to get another belt if I needed to carry more liquid.

Good luck with whatever you choose.

 

[MouseDogMom]

I have a 4 bottle Fuel Belt. I like the 4 bottle variety on long runs so I can carry both water and Gatorade if the mood strikes and still have sufficient quantities of both. I've bought additional pouches for the belt over the years that I use during marathons when I need to carry phone, camera, extra gels, tissues, or whatever I happen to feel like I need that particular day! (My first Disney marathon I looked more like a pack mule than a runner, but I felt safer having stuff that I didn't need than not having things that I might need. Now I'm not quite so crazy about carrying so much during the race!)

A friend in my running group gave me the tip of putting rubber bands around the belt, so that when you take off things like gloves, you can stick them in the rubber bands and they stay nicely.

Like Maura said, it's very much a personal preference. DH is on his third round of hydration belts, and he's still searching for just the right thing for him. Good luck!

Jackie

 

[jenifred]

Thanks for the advice everyone. Great info. Looks like I am on my way to the local running store for some fittings.

 

[tmbacon]

I just bought a Nathan Speed 2 last night at my local running store. I do a group run which meets there weekly, so I was already in my running 'gear' and they let me run around the block with some of the hydration belts to test them out. I also tried out a Fuel Belt and Amphipod. I opted for a 2 bottle with pouch vs. 4 bottle, I am only training right now for a half-marathon and so I wasn't sure I needed 4 bottle just yet.

The Speed 2 fits my cell phone, 2 gels, ID/money, and my keys. It also has a small pouch in the front which can hold some Sport Jelly Beans or even a few Shot Blocks. It is velcro closure, vs a clip/snap shut, and I think this really helps it stay in place. And, it comes in a cute hot pink color!!!

The Amphipod was uncomfortable for me and ended up bouncing all over the place. The FuelBelt wasn't bad, but the one they had wasn't big enough for me to put a cell phone in the pouch.

Ask if the running store will let you do a 'test run' outside for a few blocks. Every person has a different build/preference, so sometimes you just have to do some trial-and-error.

See the link below for more good info, I had asked a similar question not long ago. Good luck!

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2717167