Review: Nathan gel pack

[OakLeaf]

This is the belt I've been looking for.

The pouch is big enough for a modern phone. There's actually plenty of room left over after I pack my HTC Incredible, car key and ID.

The belt is small enough for an actual human female runner. With a 29" waist on a good day, I am NOT small as runners go, and yet this is the first belt I've ever tried on that I can wear without cinching the straps as tight as they can possibly go. I have never been able to wear a belt on my hips, it always migrates to my natural waist, so YMMV.

And it doesn't bounce. There's only the slightest bit of stretch for comfort, so it stays rock solid at the small of my back. Doesn't constrict my breathing.

I've only worn it once so far, for just about 3.5 miles. I really don't think it will chafe or slip around, but if it does, that's not unique. Some Body Glide over the sacrum usually takes care of chafing, and if I have to reposition a belt every few miles, that's NBD.

Some cool features are an open stretch pocket intended for gel wrappers, and a pull-out tab you can fill out with ID information. There's a key clip inside and a little sleeve to keep your house key from scuffing up/tearing whatever else you put in the belt.

It's not waterproof, but honestly I always double-bag my electronics anyhow. The inside of my neoprene iFitness belt gets soaked just through the seams, so I don't even worry about water resistance in a belt. I think the mesh drainage in the belt is likely to make it more comfortable on a hot day.

[OakLeaf]

Update: the one concern I had about potentially using this as a race belt, was how it would ride with an ovoid 5-6 oz gel flask in it, instead of a flat phone.

Answer: it rides great. I only tested it with water, and I learned the hard way in a race last year that Perpetuem paste is denser than water and a full flask is just that much heavier - but in a zipped pouch, I really don't think that's an issue. It's not the easiest thing in the world to unholster and replace, but it's doable without breaking my pace too badly.

This belt's the one.