New Balance: Sport Hydro Belt - Review Part II

Sorry, New Balance: Sport Hydro Belt, you suck.  I mean, it had so much potential!  The pocket was huge and the zipper seemed sturdy.  The bottle leaked.  While I ran, it leaked.  When I drank, it leaked all over my hand.  I tried recapping it but nope, it leaked.  Maybe it's just a bad bottle.  A very BAD bottle.

When I drank from it, the water gurggled out.  There was so much air coming out with it, I felt I'd choke.  I did, once, but nothing bad.  The nozzle is also really hard, not good for when you're bouncing and running around.  I didn't like the bottle AT ALL.  It's also hard to squeeze, I'm used to my Nathan one.  The only good thing about the bottle is the red cap and lettering.  It gets 0/5 Bears.

The belt.  Oh, the belt.  It bounced around a lot, even with a heavy water bottle weighing it down.  I tried readjusting the straps, which seemed to loosen up as the belt rode up or down.  I finally got them tight enough but it was only because I pushed it all the way down my hips.  I felt it'd slip down at any second, it ended up going on the stroller.  The pocket was really roomy, I'm sad it didn't work out.  The belt gets 1/5 Bears because it had a super awesome pocket that I know I could fill up with stuff come race day (camera, very important!).

Also, when I tried taking the bottle out of its holder, I struggled so much I had to stop.  I was wrestling with the belt, it was hard putting the bottle back in, too.  I'm guessing the netting would get looser with time, but it's not something you can ignore.  I don't think I would drink as much water if I had to beat up the belt for my water.  I didn't, I ended up with 1/3 of the bottle full, I usually drink it all.

In short, I'm returning it today and visiting Academy to try on new belts.  I don't think this belt is meant for runners, it'd be great for walkers!  Having it tried out, I might buy it for my sister online (she walks e/day) but maybe for $8-$12.  It's certainly not worth $22.  Eh.

See Part I with more pictures on my other post.


Rating: 0.5/5 Bears (I would not recommend)