Now that I have finally upped my running mileage to a point where I need to bring some fuel with me, I would like some rec. on these new-fangled fuel carriers out there. Right now, I have an old 1 bottle ulitmate direction with the attached two mesh pockets flanking the bottle. First off, I have always hated this thing as it bounces way too much, is too difficult to adjust, and his just plain uncomfortable. I have been shopping for a replacement and have come across the fuel belt and a new, fuel belt-like ultimate direction. Does anyone like either one over the other, or have you tried either one?
I have one of each. I bought the fuelbelt first. It looked great, felt great and had all the right pockets I needed for what I take on long runs. The problem was getting the bottle back in on the run. The material is too thin and when you pull the belt tight enougn that it dosn’t bounce it pulls the thin materal out of round. I attempted to fix it with duct tape with no better results
I brought it with me for the Caliman 1/2 because I had never tried Amino Vital and every time I pulled the bottle out I had to rotate the belt around to get back in. I went to Sports Basement the next day and bought the Ulitmate. It works well.
I only have a fuel belt,but love it. Mine is an 8 bottle due to the fact that I do 15-20 mile trail runs in the middle of no where. When training or for IM i just take 4 bottles. Also have 2 ten oz bottles to put perpetuem in for IM.
Go with Fuel Belt for sure. Plus Vinu the owner is just plain cool.
The new and improved Fuel Belts are hitting the stores. I have seen a few of the 4 bottle belts and they do IMO look to be a nice improvement over the previous versions.
After resisting for a long time I got the 6 whole fuel belt. It is great, no problems. Although, I would not carry more than 6 due to the weight, in fact I rarely carry more than 4.
I have a 6-bottle Fuel Belt (“Terminator”). Just got it…but its the older design.
I have only used it once. It worked well enough, but no matter how tight I made it, it would still slip down on my back until the back four bottles were resting on my butt. So once I finished a bottle, I put it in the back and moved a full one up. Once I was say two bottles into the run, it felt better. I guess this will only be an issue at the start of runs.
I’m a big guy, with about a 38" waist. Per their web site, I ordered a belt that is one size smaller (a Large, 33"-36"). That was too big. To get it to be tight, I had to really stretch it, and the velcro didn’t line up. So I ended up ordering a Medium. That is supposed to be for 31"-33" waists. Even then, to get it to be secure, I have to stretch it until the velcro almost doesn’t line up (as if it is too big of a belt). Definitely keep this in mind…if a local store sells them, that might be the way to go (if you can try it on).
I tried calling Fuel Belt several times with questions about what size to order and to maybe place a sale (the “Order” button didn’t show up in my browser for that particular product). Never received a return call to messages left during normal business hours. I ordered from TriSports. They let me exchange the belt, but not the bottles because I had put water in them to test the fit of the Large belt.
I can see your problem with that. I have an athletic frame and my belt sits just where my hips start to go out. Perfect for me, but for anyone that has a stomach the same size as there hips it could be a problem.
I love my fuel belt, I usually only carry two bottles. Most of my runs are 10 miles or under and in 90F+ weather. I never have a problem getting the bottle in or out.
I agree. I think my 4 and 6 bottle Fuel Belts are the best running equipment purchases I’ve made. They don’t bounce at all and also make a good place to carry an extra gel, key or ID,hang a small MP3 player or pepper spray. They also have reflective strips.
Thanks guys for all your help! I think that I am going to call BandL tomorrow and see when the 2005 models will be arriving. I think that I will go for the 20 oz water and one gel flask option if it fits ok. The price with the UD is nearly the same anyway.
Amphipods look like a fuel belt killer. The worst part of the FB is putting the damn things back in, the amphipod run lite is so far superior at this, I find it difficult to believe that the fuel belt as we know it will exist next year - they will have to innovate.
I have tried them on at my LTS, and should be getting my 4 flask belt this week.
I will be retiring the fuel belt. Will sell for a reasonable offer…
You can turn the belt around and run with it backwards. I do that for all my runs since I like to have the two bottles close together and in front. I also try to alternator bottles to keep the weight even.