Handheld water bottles

[Jon Allen]

Not a review, but a product question.  When I need water on a run, I have a water bottle on a pack around my waist or a camelbak on my back.  But I have seen lots of people use handheld water bottles.  Has anyone ever used them?  How are they?  Do your arms get more tired from carrying them?

[Paul Petersen]

I've never used them, but can tell you that's what all the Top 5 or so runners at the Bear 100 were carrying. It seems to be the standard for competitive trail runners, as long as they can refill every 5-6 miles or so.

[Chad]

Jon--I typically wear a single-bottle pack around my waist for most runs.  When I go longer, I carry a handheld bottle.  It is surprisingly easy to get used to carrying it.  When I trained for WF100 a few years ago, I often carried two bottles.  So, you get used to it quickly on the trails.

[Jon Allen]

Is there an advantage to handheld as opposed to waist bottle?

[Chad]

The waist bottle is an acquired taste. The advantage is you can store keys, gu, money, ID etc. The downside is people don't like the sloshing of the water.  I'm over it, though.    I prefer the waistpack because I like to have the hands free if I can. Hand bottle is great if you just need to carry water only, but obviously must be carried.  I think everyone will have their own preference, but I think carrying something to drink is very important, especially for anything longer than an hour.

[Superfly]

I use a Nathan Hydro pack. It's works very good full stride. Just takes some getting use to the extra pounds and slashing. It's also nice for bringing extra supplies (Gu, Camera, TP for you and I Jon). The handhelds seem so pesky. I've messed with them at the running store and it seems it would be bug'in overtime by the end of the run.

[Cody Draper]

I've never used them, but can tell you that's what all the Top 5 or so runners at the Bear 100 were carrying. It seems to be the standard for competitive trail runners, as long as they can refill every 5-6 miles or so.

I know that when I ran the Logan Peak Trail race, I was jealous of the guys carrying only a water bottle.  Here I was with my camelback chock full of water and heavy.  The advantage was that I didn't waste any time re-filling my water and had time to stuff my face with food.  However, a single hand-held water bottle seems to be a great ideal if you are able to re-fill often.

[Lulu]

I use an Amphipod hand-held water bottle for hot-weather runs of less than 10 miles. I usually don't stop to fill it. When I have run trail runs in the past, I have carried it for the reasons stated above - easy to fill every 5 miles etc. It fits nicely into my hand, and I have tiny hands. Of course, at trail runs you can see big dudes carrying the same bottle. I can keep my hand relaxed and still hold it. I start my runs with it full, and I definitely feel the weight. This reminds me to drink, and I figure my arms are getting stronger. I switch hands every mile.

For long hot runs, I run with a Camel-Bak because I don't like to stop running. I have two sizes, a small one and a huge one. I mostly wear the 1.5 liter one (small), and I had to refill it several times on several runs this summer.

I like the water bottle but don't like to stop to fill it. I like the convenience of the Camel-Bak but don't like the weight and the fact that it covers a large part of my back. This, I am sure, strongly affects my ability to vent heat off my back. I get hot easily on a run and don't handle heat very well, so this is a big issue for me. I try to counter this by freezing the contents of the bladder on really hot days. I have frozen the Amphipod, but I think I nearly got frostbite in the first two miles of a run in early summer until it melted sufficiently.

[adam]

I think I've always been a little too cheap to get into water carrying gear. It's not uncommon to find me running out in the summer carrying a refilled Disani bottle in one hand if I feel I need it that day.

I used to put a sport bottle out on the trail before runs, but found that that was inconvienent if I decided halfway to run a different route for some reason.

I can see the benefit for ultra events though, which leads me to ask: How many times during an ultra would you find yourself needing to get to a bathroom? Or does it all just stay inside?

[Paul Petersen]

I can see the benefit for ultra events though, which leads me to ask: How many times during an ultra would you find yourself needing to get to a bathroom? Or does it all just stay inside?

During ultras, runners go whenever they want, wherever they want. Just like the proverbial bear.

[adam]

sweet! running AND going as nature intended.

[Jon Allen]

Don't know how to tell you this, Adam, but going in nature is pretty much always an option for you.  For me, running and going as nature intended are always intertwined.  Not just on ultras.

[adam]

Oh, well I realize that. For me, as long as the urge doesn't hit me during the last mile-two miles of a run, I'm all for helping the grass grow a little greener.

I was talking about actually having that be an integral part of a race. You won't see the starters of a road 10k on the line knowing that at some point during the race they are going to have to stop on the side of the road or hit the bushes unless they had some serious stomach problems before hand. It might come up as kind of an accidental thing, but not as something you know you'll have as part of the race.

[Steve Morrin]

I think that if you trained with carrying a water bottle, your arms would adapt and become more used to having the slight extra weight to carry.

[Shauna]

I carry a hand-held water bottle on every single run.  I usually run my long runs at places where I can stop and refill, so it's never been a problem.  I don't even notice it, and I feel very light at races, where I don't use it.  The one I have is somewhat ergonomic, so it's comfortable.