Guest Post: Trail Mix by Nathan

This post was contributed by my good friend and fellow runner, Jeannie. Please check out Jeannie's own blog, here: "Somewhere There is Jeannie". You can also follow Jeannie on twitter at: http://twitter.com/whereisjeannie

And now....Jeannie's post!

I finally found a fuel belt that I am very pleased with after some research and unsatisfactory trials with other belts. The belt is Trail Mix by Nathan. I couldn't ask for a better fuel belt.

My main criteria for the belt is that it needs to have a sizeable storage for my iPhone, keys, chapstick, ID card, Metrocard, and some emergency cash.

The large pocket on the Trail Mix is able to do that comfortably. In fact, you can fit almost any handheld device in the main pocket. You can hold your cell phone, Blackberry, and iPhone or iPod Touch. There is an outer mesh pocket; where I stored my chapstick or hard candy for easy access.

It's very roomy but you don't necessarily want to pack the mesh pocket full of stuff; it then becomes an unsightly bulge.

There is an inner pocket for storing your ID card and money with a Velcro closure. There's even a clip for your keys, which you can tuck into the inner pocket.

The belt also features two holsters with two 10 oz. water bottles; which lasted me during my one hour run. The holsters held the bottles in place during my run. I was able to grab the bottles and return them to the holsters. The bottles did not leak during the run.

Another feature of the belt are the adjustable ties for holding towels or jackets. That's where I secured my little hand towel to wipe away the sweat from my face.

When I first put it on and ran with it, I noticed a bit of chaffing and the belt would begin to shift. I realized that I probably didn't tighten the belt enough. Once I adjusted the belt, the chaffing and shifting stopped. I wear mine with the pocket to the side as opposed to the back; it is a snug hug.

The Trail Mix is only available in grey with yellow accents. The color works for both men and women. I would have liked the belt to come in a variety of colors like magenta, or black.

Storage wise, the Trail Mix fulfilled my requirements, and then some more. I highly recommend this belt to runners who are looking to keep their hands free and are looking to hold a little more than something larger than a credit card. For longer runs two 10 oz. bottles may not be enough. Nathan does offer belts with 4 bottles are a single large one.

Check out their website here for other products by Nathan.

http://www.nathansports.com/index.html

For more information about Trail Mix, click here

http://www.nathansports.com/our_products/hydration_nutrition/trail_mix.html