Hi,
After 10 months of regular use, my 4 bottle Fuel Belt will need to be replaced as the elastic bands are no longer holding the bottles in place. I’m considering getting a replacement belt with higher fluid capacity. Most of my training are done on paved road (distances of up to 30km) and I do need some storage space for mobile phone/keys etc.
I’ve narrowed down my choices to the following :
6 bottle Fuel Belt (48 oz capacity)
Nathan Speed 4 (40 oz capacity)
Nathan Elite 2V (44oz capacity)
Which would you recommend for good comfort, functionality and durability? Any other recommendations that would fit the bill?
Sounds like you have worn Fuel Belt and the Amphipod? I have a fuel belt but it seems to give me side stitch everytime I wear it. Did you experience that as well and not with the amphipod?
I can only comment on Fuel Belt vs. Nathan. I switched to the Nathan (Speed 4) a couple of years ago and for me, it was definitely an improvement over the Fuel Belt mainly because you could grab and return the bottles from the holster with one hand. Fuel Belt required two. The elastic on the belt itself is starting to fail now after 2 1/2 years and is getting too stretched out, but I got a lot of use out of it.
i use the 6 bottle fuel belt for long training runs and love it, have had it for 2+ years, the key is to get the old school one like the one you have shown in the pick and not the helium, although the helium is supposed to be lighter it has too much bounce and the velcro does not seem as secure as the original design.
I have had the amphipod and really hated it, yea you can add some but if it isnt comfy it doesnt matter how flexible it is. I love the Nathan speed series, I find it very comfy, they have a new one with 3 bottles that looks sweet I am thinking of getting next! But I would give the Nathan a go, worse case just get at REI!!
Sounds like you have worn Fuel Belt and the Amphipod? I have a fuel belt but it seems to give me side stitch everytime I wear it. Did you experience that as well and not with the amphipod?
I have used the Nathan and the Amphipod. The thing I like about the Amphipod is that you can position the bottles horizontal to the ground. On longer runs with the Nathan (primarily shirtless), I would periodically get some irritation due to the tops of the bottles rubbing on my sides. Could be I am just too fat though
Just bought the “Amphipod Full Tilt Velocity Waist Pack” from REI and love it. Easy Access, contour fit, pouch, but don’t know if the bottle will be enough for you…
I have an amphipod and the Nathan Speed 4, I’d choose the Nathan everytime over the amphipod, never used a fuel belt. Amphipod is modular, but the bottles bounce more, and they are harder to get back in. It may seem to have clicked in, then next thing you know it’s bouncing behind you. also, the bottles themselves are not as nice as Nathan’s.
Don’t know if this will apply to you or not, but if nothing else more info can’t hurt right?
I tried a crap ton of diffrent belts for a while and hated all of them, then I bought one of the Nathan hand held bottles with a pouch… that thing is awesome! So great in fact that I recently bought another so now I have double the carrying capacity. The bottle it comes with is a 22oz bottle, so carrying one in each hand would give you enouph fluid, and the pouch is big enouph to hold a cell phone and car keys.
Since you already have the extra bottles, why not just buy another fuel belt? Also, I have that Nathan belt (2-bottle version), and it works great. Personally have never tried the fuel belt.
I’ve got the old old 6 bottle fuel belt. I probably only use it 8 or so times a year and the elastic is probably not as good as new one. It’s great when I only use 4 bottles but when I put all 6 in it bounces to much while the bottles are full.
I started with a single bottle holder on a belt. It is mounted on a large-ish square pocket. An early version of a tri store in Canada years ago, had about 30 of them made up to their design. They worked a treat. I have stitched on some wide elastic on each side of the bottle holder, to carry two Leppin bottles so if I hydrate well before I head out, and prepare to dehydrate a little, I can go 2 hours or so with that setup. I also plan my runs around drinking fountains or friends houses to top uwp with water along the way. I used to fill my bottle with hot gatorade and cover the top half of the bottle with a foam beer cooler thingie and it would keep my bottle from freezing for 30-50 minutes down to about -25degC years ago. (now I live in New Zealand and we rarely get frosts in my part of the country). Ihave a two bottle version too, but rarely use that anymore, now I have a camelback.
I bought a surplus Fuel Belt (4 bottles) from a buddy several years ago too. Tried that once and now I just loan it to people I don’t like.
About a year ago, I bought a knockoff brand camel back with a 1.5 litre bladder. It is actually a great design and I love it. I have a couple of neoprene cell phone holders on the shoulder straps for my Leppin bottles and with 2 more in the small pocket (along with cell phone, keys, cash etc) I can last for 4-5 hours if I can refil once along the way. I LOVE my camel back and all the negatives I thought would be there with a camel back simply don’t exist. It fit’s my back beautifully, no bounce is evident, it’s easy to drink from, it’s easy to refil (real camelbacks are even better apparently) and so on. I used it for the Rotorua Marathon and managed a PB by a huge margin, because I could fuel and hydrate when I wanted, on my schedule rather than for sporadically spaced aid stations. I love my camelback! Theonly problem is that on truly hot days, I do notice it, but that is more than offset by the fact that I have lots of water, readily at hand.
Of the 3, I’d recommend the Nathan Speed. At first the bottles were a bit hard to get out, so I put electrical tape over the gripper elastic. The Nathan bottles are great for water, but the valve is too small for gel to work well (I ended up removing the yellow stopper for the one I put gel in), just FYI.
Having used both of these, my current favorite is actually a De Soto tri suit. I put the bottles in the rear hip pockets and there is no belt, no bounce. Not sure if that’s enough capacity for 30k though.
I purchased a Nathan went for a few runs and had a bottle eject on each run. Purchased a fuel belt, 2.5 years later I have no complaints. It has worked great, I rarely use the elastic part that goes over the bottles and have still never lost a bottle. It look as it is almost new.
My wife and I each have a Fuel Belt Helium 4 bottle, and a Nathan Speed 4. I like both quite a bit. I do find that anytime I add the 3rd bottle on the Nathan or the 4th on he Fuel Belt I get some bounce. I have rarely used all 4 bottles on the Nathan, but when I do it bounces until I am at least halfway through the 2nd bottle.
The Nathan is easier to get the bottles in an out of, which I like, but the larger bottles rub a little if I am not wearing a shirt. I find myself using the Fuel Belt more, but I do like the Nathan as well.
My wife is the same way, she likes both, but seems to wear her fuel belt more.
If you took either one away from me and told me I had to use the other one from now on, I honestly wouldn’t care. Both work well, I am happy with either.
I used to either carry a bottle in my hand, or use a camelbak on my long runs, and I do like the belt system better. I have not used any other belts other than the Fuel Belt Helium and the Nathan Speed.
I tried the fuel bet but I found that it was too hard to get the bottles in with just one hand. Since they’re made of elastic fabric they’re almost impossible to return to the belt with one hand. Then Nathan’s belt has a plastic part at the opening that makes single hand return a breeze.
