Gear Army: Nathan Sports Waist-Belt Hydration Pack
To you, it’s the Nathan Elite 1 Mutation hydration pack ($50). To your friends in the running club, it’s a fanny pack.
What your friends don't know, however, is that the so-called "fanny pack" is actually badass.
The waist belt is extremely light, and the Velcro buckle didn’t chafe my skin or clothing. It is not reflective, which is considerate since I figure I’m attracting enough attention wearing a fanny pack in the first place.
The holster is angled and insulated, so the 22-ounce bottle is easy to grab (the finger loop on the lid is a nice touch), and drinks remain cool. The bottle does not contain bisphenol A, which is used in some plastics and has been linked to cancer and other disorders.
I fit my keys, subway card and cash in the stretchy mesh pouch in the front, and there’s room to spare for a few energy gels.
But I’m hung-up on the $50 price tag given a slight — though not intolerable — plastic smell in the bottle, despite having washed it after each workout. It is considerably less than my first use a month ago, and the plastic taste has dissolved proportionately. Experience tells me it will dissipate more with time, but it seems like a reasonable gripe, if pressed for one.
--Ken Derry can be see at left hiking the Wonderland Trail on Mt. Rainier in 2006. Most of the time, though, he's jogging the track at Yankee Stadium thanks to his job: He's the managing editor of the baseball team's in-house publication.
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