Running in the heat is hard enough without having to carry your own water. But if you’re ever heading off the road and away from car support, that’s exactly what you’ll have to do. And since you will want to be carrying a lot of water if you’re running any distance, selecting your hydration system carefully is critical.
.
Speaking of critical, that’s exactly what I was when it came to my previous belt – Nike’s Hydration Belt was frankly dismal. Although it was pretty well-balanced, that fact that I had to contend with bottles falling out left and right nearly put me off the belt concept for good.
.
Luckily I found Fuel Belt’s offering, and I’m delighted with the results.
.
The most important thing to me when it comes to carrying water is invisibility. If, after the first 100 yards, I have forgotten that I have three-and-a-half pounds strapped around my waist – that’s an unqualified success. And that’s precisely what this Fuel Belt delivers.
.
It wraps tight and snug, fastening in such an emphatic manner as to instill great confidence. Once velcro’ed together, it stays where you put it: no bounce, no chafing, nothing. It just stays where it’s supposed to be, no matter how long the stride or how long the run.
.
The bottles are contoured for easy handling, and marked with fluid ounce markers – which are handy for figuring how much water you really need to carry next time, if you don’t use it all. They snap into their holsters and you gain the extra assurance of an elastic loop to keep them there.
.
The belt also comes with a pocket, divided into two sections. It’s fairly well-sized and functional, perfect for a set of keys and a chapstick, for instance. It also has reflective tabs, as is common to almost all running accessories these days (and quite rightly).
.
In reviewing my running products I don’t usually mention form as well as function, but in this case I should add that the thing just plain looks good – and doesn’t make you look like a dork even when it’s fully-laden.
.
Overall rating: 10/10 – I really don’t see what else they could do to make this better. At least until we discover anti-grav…
- The World Record Hottest Mile? - August 1, 2016
- The Hottest Day In History - August 1, 2016
- The 2014 Darth Valley Challenge - April 5, 2014