.
The bulge is due to a gu in the pocket already. (It didn't come that way).
I liked that this came in a ridiculous amount of colors (maybe 6 or 7 to chose from?) and this happened to match a recent tank top purchase. Clearly coordinating tanks and water bottles are a must.
The zip pocket was nice, and big enough to fit a gu packet.
On the other side, there's a small velcro pocket big enough to fit a house key.
Unfortunately, the opening of this bottle was not quite large enough to fit an ice cube.
Unfortunately, the strap was just too big for my dwarf hands, and it was unable to be tightened any more. I prefer a snugger fit around my hand. Otherwise, I might as well just wrap my hand around the bottle.
That's as tight as it goes.
For reference, my hand measures 3" across at the knuckles (not including thumb)
Just an observation: No strap across the bottom of the bottle. Only the two straps that go around the bottle at the top and bottom of the pouch. So there's nothing to stop the straps from slipping off the bottle.
The mouthpiece for the bottle is just a basic pull open/push to close - with your hand or maybe your teeth, and squeeze the water bottle to get water with any pressure. (I've become so used to my bite valve mouthpieces)
The bottle does feature numbers along the side so you know how full it is (in ounces).
Pros:
- Smaller than the bigger 20 oz bottles that can be cumbersome to carry
- Comes in lots of fun colors!
- Easily holds house key and a gu
- BPA-Free bottle
- Not too expensive
- Comfortable hand strap, but...
Cons:
- ...Strap not adjustable enough for smaller hands
- Bottle is not insulated so your hand will get wet from condensation in hot weather
- Zip pocket is not big enough for ID/card unless you want to really test the limits of the fabric/zipper
- Bottle opening not big enough for ice cubes
In the end I did return this bottle primarily based on the hand strap being too loose. I decided to suck it up and bring my bigger bottle on shorter runs if I had to on some of those hotter summer days. My bigger bottle is insulated and cinches tightly on my hand.
I'm curious what kind is your bigger bottle. I have the Nathan Quickdraw and it's nice, but I'm going to wrap a washcloth around it next time because it' not insulated so my hand gets cold and the water gets warm.
ReplyDeleteHey Emily- I added another link at the bottom of my post to my write up of my bigger bottle, the Camelbak Quick Grip "Podium Chill" bottle. Sometimes the bottle sweats a little, but nothing like an un-insulated bottle. If I freeze half the bottle the night before and fill the top with water, it has stayed cold for my 2+ hour long runs when it's around 80 out.
ReplyDeleteI am so bad with hydration and rarely take water with me on runs less than 7 miles.
ReplyDeleteI hate having to return an item I am unhappy with
I will never leave my Nathan handheld. I actually use the strapy thingy and shove a bigger bottle in there for enhanced hydration. :)
ReplyDeleteThanks for the link! Does that bottle have the ice "core" on the inside?
ReplyDeleteMichelle- I rarely do, too- It was on my mind a lot during the hot weeks of summer though! I mean like temps in the 80s and humidity 80%+. Luckily we're past that now, but I do not miss those weeks where the overnight low was in the 70s.
ReplyDeleteKara- Nathan was a top contender when I bought my Camelbak! I never tried squeezing in a bigger bottle... but I like your idea!
Emily- My Camelbak podium chill bottle does not have the core on the inside (like a tube in the middle, I think you mean?) The outer wall is just insulated some how.
I too have small hands. I'm going to stay clear of this handheld bottle because I wouldn't want to feel cramped hands. Thanks for your review.
ReplyDelete