A while back I got a 4-bottle pink Fuel Belt. PINK!!! It’s sooooo cute… I may have mentioned this on here before, but I don’t usually run out buying pink stuff all the time. But for some reason when it comes to workout gear I am drawn to the pink items. But color can’t be the only deciding factor when it comes to gear, right? There has to be some kind of benefit to owning something as well. And now that I’ve done several runs with this Fuel Belt, I finally feel I can post a review about my experiences thus far.
What the Company Says:
• Lightweight helium 3-D Ventilated Foam Pads provide highest level of breathability and comfort
• Four 8 oz. bottles evenly distributed
• Knit elastic with velcro closure
• Detachable race pocket
• Reflective piping keeps you visible
• Bottles are dishwasher safe
My experiences with the Fuel Belt:
I was excited to use this because I could carry more liquid on me than I could with my other pack that holds one 20 oz. bottle. Plus, since it had 4 bottles I could carry a mix of sport drink and water. I really prefer a water chaser when it comes time to gel. Unfortunately I discovered that the little bottles don’t really hold 8 full ounces. Even though they have a metered guide on the side that marks the ounces, they’re not accurate. I guess if I filled the bottle all the way to the very top they might hold 8 ounces, but then I wouldn’t be able to get the lid on or open them at first without spilling all over myself. I found the bottles held about 6 ounces when leaving room to put the lids on. (Yes, I weighed them because I’m a nerd like that.)
The Fuel Belt also doesn’t fit around my waist very well. I have to pull the velcro strap around and do a strange overlapping set-up so it doesn’t spin around while I run. I tried to follow the advice that was offered of just wearing it lower on my hips and that lasted about 2 minutes. I’m a female, thus I have curvier hips than a male and pushing something down on my hips doesn’t work. At least not in this instance. So to get the belt to sit at a comfortable place without moving, a little extra manipulation was in order. This would probably be different for people who have a waist size that fits within the specified dimensions on the various sizes.
The pocket it comes with is tiny. Microscopic… I can fit one gel, maybe two in there. That means I can’t haul my cell phone, car key, lip balm or anything else I may need/want on a long run. They do offer additional pocket sizes for sale on the website, so maybe the medium or large would work, but I can’t see that there would be much room for those in between the bottle holsters on the belt.
The holsters are a stretchy elastic and I really don’t think I could maneuver getting a bottle back into them while running quickly. I have to be walking to manipulate the bottles in and out of the belt. It is very possible that I’m just completely uncoordinated though.
And the worst thing I’ve found is that the belt rips little holes in my skin around my waist. Perhaps I need to use a bunch of Body Glide around my waist anyway for these long distances, but I am actually still nursing these open wounds back to health and I will be putting Mederma on them as soon as they are all healed because several of them look like they will scar. This side effect could also be due to the fact that the sizes don’t fit me properly.
As much as I wanted to love and use this belt all the time, I just don’t think I can like it enough for continued use. I know other people in Team In Training who have really liked these belts. I also love their entire purple Team In Training line of products. But again, I can’t judge all of my running gear purely on looks. It has to be functional and for me, this one doesn’t make the mark.
Jill Will Run 
You really got to get a Nathan hydration belt. I had the bouncy problem pretty bad with my old Amphipod belt. I know exactly what you mean about it only staying on your hips for about 2 minutes. I think there are two reasons the Nathan one doesn’t bounce: first, the entire length of the belt is stretchy so it kind of squeezes you, but comfortably. Second, it comes in different sizes so you can buy a small and not have to overlap the velcro so much. I had no problem this weekend pulling the bottles from the belt, drinking and replacing while continuing to run. You still need to use alot of body glide though, it will still rub, especially if your shirt isn’t long enough to stay under in and protect your skin.
I have a black one just like the one you’re describing. I, too, was annoyed they don’t hold 8 full ounces. I’m not a GU girl so luckily I can carry my cell but my keys won’t fit in the pouch with the phone. And mine fits okay -i must have a bigger waist than you 😉 – but it does rub just enough that the seam on the back of my shorts will cut into my back. I haven’t found a better solution for carrying my water and Accelerade with me on long runs though. I did find a hand held water bottle that straps on so you don’t have to grip it the whole time not quite like the Team in Training one), but that’s just for one drink and I don’t want to run with stuff in my hands if I don’t have to. Ugh. If you figure something out, let me know. I promise to do the same. There’s got to be a better option there somewhere.
Alissa: I was actually considering the Amphipod and my friends have had good experiences with it. Maybe I’ll borrow one of theirs for a run to see if it bounces too much and then try to find someone with the Nathan belt and give it a “test run”.
~moe~: Your phone fits in your Fuel Belt? You must have a tiny phone. Granted, my iPhone is bigger than most, but still… that pouch is TINY. But I hear you on the importance of carrying two kinds of drink. But definitely, any recommendations you’ve got please let me know!
I use a Nathan 2V (with two 22 oz Bottles) that has two big pouches for other gear. I can get 5 or 6 gels, plus a cell phone and ID, and light cloges in each pouch. (Don’t normally carry that many gels, went shopping for GU on a run.) I’m pretty happy with it.
The 2V Plus has an extra pouch built in instead of the open back, if you need that much storage space.
http://www.nathansports.com/our_products/hydration_nutrition/elite_2v.html
Aaron: Thanks for the Nathan 2V recommendation. I really appreciate hearing what works for other runners. I definitely want to shop around and find something better for my next marathon, which means I need to start shopping ASAP!
I love my Fuel Belt Helium. I find that it fits nicely around my waist and doesn’t bounce like so many other hydration systems. With the velcro strap, you can adjust it easy to fit. I have a four bottle system and, when using all bottles, the fuel belt is balanced nicely.