Got Water? Nathan Speedbelt 2 Review

First things first. Thank you! Enough folks have read my Hoka One One reviews and bought items from The Clymb that I managed to pick up another Nathan Speedbelt 2. This time it was free. That's right! Zero. Nada. Zilch. Why? Because of you. Thanks!

Notice I said another. I am a big fan on the Nathan Speedbelt series. The biggest issue I have had with water belts is that they refuse to stay in place on my girlie hips. It turns out the hour glass figure and water belts don't play nicely together. I tried the Fuel Belt, and there was no love. I had it so tight that a buckin' bronco would have complained, but that didn't stop it from heading north. Guys don't seem to have the same problem. I also tried another belt in the Nathan Sports series. That one didn't work out too well either. It seems the Speedbelt series is the one for me. I've been wearing them for years, and I decided a review might be helpful. You paid for it so here it is.

Nathan Speedbelt 2 in stealth mode

My past Speedbelts were gray. I was happy to see one in black. I wear black shorts, and lets face it, black has that slimming effect. :-)

The Speedbelt 2 has a place to carry two 10 ounce water bottles. It also has a nice size pouch to store some things while on the run. First, lets talk about the pouch...


My old belt had the standard pouch that my Nexus 4 refused to call home. My phone was just too big. This time, I was in luck! My Nexus has a 4.7" inch display (specs 133.9 x 68.7 x 9.1 mm), and it fit! There was another cool little surprise.  I could actually see the phone through the pouch! See:

Stealth mode and an almost invisible pouch. Call me
Wonder Woman.

There are a few other nice things about this pouch. It has a divided area that isn't see-through and helps separate things. That means I can throw something else in the pouch and not worry about scratching my phone. It also has a place to attach a key so you don't lose it out on the trail and a small card to put down your emergency info.

There is also another small key pocket upfront. My car keys won't fit, but my house key will.

Left cap is the standard version
Right cap is the race version

So about those water bottles... they carry 10 ounces of fluid which is generally enough to get you to the next aid station in a trail ultra unless it is an extremely hot day. They have a nice ergonomic shape that fits the hand nicely, and in general they stay put in the holder. I've had one bounce out maybe 3 times in the past 5 years. The only thing I would really change is the cap.  In fact, I do change the cap. Once I tried the race cap, I couldn't go back to the old popup style so I ordered more bottles with the race caps. The race caps allow you to drink without having to look down or use two hands. On the road that is no big deal. On the trail it can cause you to kiss the dirt.

Finally onto my favorite part of the belt, the velcro attachment that keeps this thing where I put it:

I can get this belt tight enough to stay without making it too tight. This is what originally sold me on the Speedbelt and keeps me coming back.

And now for the model shot with the help of Charlie and Honey:

Another nice touch is that the silver you see on the belt is reflective. In fact, I had to turn off the flash to take the above picture or else risk blinding you with the Nathan logo in the middle.

These belts have an MSRP of 45 bucks. If you keep your eye out on The Clymb, you can get them for less than half the price on last year's model. Stay hydrated and happy running!