I’ve tried some bottle belts/waist packs in the past but have never really been a fan of them.  Since I decided to start to run some longer trail races I knew I needed something along these lines though.  After looking at the various options at I decided to give the Nathan Trail Mix a try.  It seemed to be perfectly suited for my needs; it’s a great size for training runs and I didn’t want to be dependant on aid stations during races. 

I tried my Trail Mix belt for the first time a few weeks ago and loved it.  I had the 2-10oz. Flasks filled with some Hammer Heed and had a couple of gels in the zippered pocket.  The pocket also had plenty of room for car keys and a cell phone or ipod etc.  

When I started running I was surprised that I couldn’t even tell I was wearing the belt.  The weight of the bottles was distributed evenly and they didn’t bounce at all.  As advertized, the flasks can be easily removed/replaced with one hand, a great feature that doesn’t slow your pace and sets this belt apart from most others.  With 20oz capacity you have plenty of fluid for a decent length training run (or race) and if needed there is plenty of space to add a Nathan clip on flask for some gel.  One problem I noticed with the clip on flask is that it really wouldn’t stay clipped to the belt when trying to remove the flask.  This was easily fixed with a small zip-tie to secure it to the belt.  It also has two shock cords to help hold other items such as gloves.  I imagine this will come in handy but haven’t had a chance to test it out with the warmer weather.  

My only complaint about the belt is that the buckle system is a bit fragile.  On my second time out with this belt and I went to give it a little tug to tighten it and part of the buckle snapped off.  I guess this is the first one that has been returned for this problem so many mine was made on a Monday morning or Friday afternoon?  Of course I had this replaced with no hassle.  Now I am a bit more careful when tightening up the belt and haven’t has an issue with it since. 

If you are in the market for a fuel belt I would give this some serious consideration.