Water bottle for running belt

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 john arran 25 Apr 2019

I asked this on a gear forum thread about water bottles but perhaps here could be more effective:

Does anyone make a water bottle that's rigid on the outside (so sits nicely in a belt carrier) but has a bladder inside (so it doesn't slosh around irritatingly when half full)?

Seems like such an obvious thing but so far I've yet to come across one.

 BusyLizzie 25 Apr 2019
In reply to john arran:

I tried a belt and found it was rubbish - kept slithering round my waist unless it was painfully tight. Decathlon running vest with soft flasks = no sloshing at all, hands free, bliss. And a pocket for jelly babies.

OP john arran 26 Apr 2019
In reply to BusyLizzie:

I suppose that depends on body shape quite a lot. I know what you mean but I find a bottle position just behind my hips seems to work for me, and I detest having to wear anything approaching a backpack to run in unless I really have to. Each to their own.

 deepsoup 26 Apr 2019
In reply to john arran:

How would that work?  If the bladder is suspended at the neck of the bottle, wouldn't you end up with the whole bladder slopping about in the outer bottle instead of the liquid?  More of a chicken-fillet slap than a splosh I suppose, but still irritating I bet.  You could carry the bottle upside down I suppose, but then it would only be a matter of time before it starts to leak.

Maybe you'd be better off with a system of internal baffles in your rigid bottle, like road tankers have to prevent the load from de-stabilising the lorry as it's driven around.  Something that can be stuffed into the bottle and taken out again to rinse/wash, like an extremely course sponge perhaps?

Oh, or switch your idea the other way around - store the liquid in the space between the bladder and the outer bottle, and have the air in the bladder itself?  Two valves on the lid - one to drink water from, the other to allow the bladder to inflate (and maybe you could also give it a little blow to pressurise the air bag a bit and get a firmer grip on the water).

OP john arran 26 Apr 2019
In reply to deepsoup:

I like your thinking, but I suspect that if the bladder was fixed to the bottle around the edges of a central vertical plane there would be precious little sloshing possible when half full, certainly massively reduced compared to a simple bottle.

 r0b 26 Apr 2019
In reply to john arran:

What about a stretchy belt like the Salomon Pulse Belt with a soft flask?

https://www.salomon.com/en-gb/shop-emea/product/pulse-belt.html#848=10390

I have one of these belts, not used it with a bottle but it is great for a phone and a lightweight gilet, you don't even notice it when it's on

OP john arran 26 Apr 2019
In reply to r0b:

I'm prepared to be proved wrong but I can't see that working with anything as heavy as a water bottle; I once had a small bumbag with an elastic strap and I had to hold it down when running for a bus! What might work is an elasticated mesh pouch on a non-stretchy belt, to hold a soft flask.

 steveriley 26 Apr 2019
In reply to john arran:

I'm on a 500ml softbottle inside an OMM bumbag. It's extra faff to swing the bag around to get so normally drink stopped or on steep climbs, but might also work in a bottle holder - does it have a little drawstring?

Edit: kind of cross-posted

Post edited at 10:17
 the sheep 26 Apr 2019
In reply to john arran:

How much fluid do you usually take with you? If I take liquids I have a belt that has 2 smallish bottles so i just drain one and carry on so no sloshing  

 Luke90 26 Apr 2019
In reply to john arran:

I just got a similar belt for running, which comes with a 500ml soft bottle. https://www.salomon.com/en-gb/shop-emea/product/agile-500-belt-set.html

It really doesn't bounce around much at all. Actually very comfortable, I'm impressed with it. Dead handy for dealing with phone, keys, drink or a small windproof on the kind of run that doesn't require a rucksack but can't sensibly be done with nothing carried at all. Like you, I was a sceptic about bumbags/belts until I tried it on.

OP john arran 26 Apr 2019
In reply to Luke90:

Problem with that one seems to be getting at the water easily while running. Belts themselves have proved to be ok for me, it's just the format of the water bottle/flask for ease of access and smoothness of carry.

OP john arran 26 Apr 2019
In reply to steveriley & the sheep:

The belt I use has a 500ml bottle, which seems about right to me. Anything up to about 15k and I won't bother at all, beyond that and I'll need more than just a few sips.

I think a soft flask might work in a belt holder designed for a rigid bottle but not sure how stable it will be in its hole. Maybe it will be completely fine Or maybe I need a replacement belt that's been designed with easy access soft flasks in mind.

I don't actually use it that often so it's far from an urgent need so I'll keep an eye out for possible better options.

OP john arran 26 Apr 2019

Thanks all for the suggestions.

 nufkin 26 Apr 2019
In reply to john arran:

I seem to remember Ultimate Direction doing something with soft bladders that might suit you. I wasn't really paying full attention as that wasn't what I was interested in at the time, but I've a couple of their range and generally think they're good

OP john arran 26 Apr 2019
In reply to nufkin:

Just had a look on their site and I can't see anything, but thanks for the suggestion.

 WaterMonkey 26 Apr 2019
In reply to john arran:

How about a soft bladder bottle like a camelbak one and fit it into a wide neck cycling bottle? Engineer some solution to keep it in?

 mbh 26 Apr 2019
In reply to john arran:

Have you tried a running vest, as BusyLizzie suggested? They don't jump around at all like a backpack and can give you two soft bottles on tap, one on each side of your chest. I find them infinitely better for drink than a bottle on a belt for long outings. However, they do give you a sweaty back. I have only tried a Salomon version.

OP john arran 26 Apr 2019
In reply to mbh:

> Have you tried a running vest, as BusyLizzie suggested?

"I detest having to wear anything approaching a backpack to run in unless I really have to"

 mbh 26 Apr 2019
In reply to john arran:

I know. Implicit in my response, which was intended to be helpful, was whether you might regard a running vest as approaching a backpack. For me the backpack thing is that it jumps around and is sweaty. The running vest solves one issue, but not the other.

OP john arran 26 Apr 2019
In reply to mbh:

Fair enough. I find the very fact that I have an encumbrance over my shoulders something best avoided if possible. Obviously an unstable backpack load is even worse. Thanks.

 steelbru 26 Apr 2019
In reply to john arran:

As suggested earlier, a waist belt with 2 * 250ml hard bottles. It evens the weight up at start of a run, and less sloshing as bottles or smaller.

or

have you considered a handheld softflask ? eg https://www.salomon.com/en-gb/shop-emea/product/pulse-handheld.html#848=140... other cheaper makes probably available. But then you've got the 0.5kg in your hand which you may not want. Also not sure how rigid the carrier is, if it was non-rigid then the whole thing would flop around when the bottle half empty you'd imagine.

Personally my order of preference is
1. vest with soft flasks up front, no faffing with getting bottles out, the water's just there
2. belt with 2 * 250ml hard bottles
3. belt with 1 * 500ml hard bottle. 

 SouthernSteve 27 Apr 2019
In reply to john arran:

We have both the Salomon Agile 250 and Agile 500 belts in the house. I use the 250 nearly every run. The side pocket for the water bottle takes a soft flask with the occasional problem that it dribbles if you make some very unusual moments - It takes a 250ml soft, but I usually just take a smaller one as I am not one for drinking very much if I am out only for a couple of hours. It is comfortable and takes a big phone, keys and gloves and few little bits in the other pocket. The 500 is a different kind of experience and I find that it flops about a bit more, although you can put much more in it. I have taken to walking more with this when I don't want to take a rucksack and in reality that is not very often. I also have a Salomon 12l vest with two front bottles which allows me to carry too much, but also meets the needs of 'minimum' kit for hill races. 

OP john arran 27 Apr 2019
In reply to SouthernSteve:

Seems there are plenty of options out there but none that quite fit what I had in mind, which is an instant access belt-based bottle that just sits in its holder and won't slosh around when partially full.

Useful to know that such a thing isn't available though, as it means I can probably stop looking for it and either put up with what I use now or change to something quite different. That Salomon one looks to be the best alternative suggested so far, the only drawback being the need to mess with a zip.

Thanks all.


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