Carrying water on a long run is mandatory but can really be a pain if you choose the wrong water pack. By wrong I don’t mean a poorly made water bottle or carrying case. By wrong I mean whatever works for you as a runner. Thankfully you have several different types of water carrying cases to choose from. Some are worn on your hands, others on your back or around your waste. Let’s review a few of them.
70 Ounces
Camelbak Classic Hydration Pack – This 70 ounce backpack is a marathoner’s dream, especially if you train solo. The reservoir is enough for you to get a 3 to 5 hour run in. It’s actually designed with serious cyclists in mind but because of the comfortable fit, massive capacity and light weight frame I recommend it for runners. The frame itself weighs just over a pound and will max out at approximately 5.5lbs once filled to capacity with fluid. The pack also has storage compartments to hold food or other items if needed.
2 bottle pack
Nathan Dual Bottle Waist Pack – Most beginner runs start with a waist pack of some sorts. The same makers of this waist pack also make 4 bottle versions with each bottle housing up to 10 ounces. One of the downsides of waist packs is that they can tend to bounce quite a bit while running. Usually though if you can find the right size you can fit them tightly enough around the waist to mitigate most of the bounce. The 2 bottle and 4 bottle waist belts are great for mid distance runs between 5 miles and 12-15 miles. Not to mention the removable bottles come in handy for quick refilling if you stop by a water fountain or store.
Hand held bottles
Nathan Hand Held Bottles The Quickdraw series of water bottles are great for shorter runs and quick loading and reloading. I have however noticed several ultramarathoners who wear one bottle in each hand and refill frequently to stay hydrated. Each bottle holds 22 ounces and has a storage compartment for additional cargo to take with you while on the run. The bottles are cheap, easy to clean, durable and can be found in pretty much every runners store.
Personally I own all 3 types. Typically I bring the CamelBak with me on runs longer than 15 miles. The water belt comes out on hot days when the backpack can be a bit of an irritation, and the hand held bottles are great for my track workouts so that I can leave them by the track side and sip from them during breaks.
If you don’t feel like spending the money on all 3 to find out what works for you, then ask a running buddy to borrow theirs and see what you like. Along the way you’ll inevitably develop your own preference for hydration packs but no matter what you should make sure you have hydration close and accessible when running.
[...] and the gear you should buy prior to starting. Check out these articlesfor a good list of marathon gear and most of this is mandatory per APLA’s guidelines for training with the [...]