The AIRunTech Hydration Running Belt is a no-bounce running accessory that comes with two pull-top water bottles and pockets to hold them. Hannah reviews this waist pack after testing it during sprint intervals and on long, hot runs.
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- There’s a new running belt in town and it comes with two water bottles.
- Is this the best hydration belt for running?
- What do I like about the AiRunTech hydration running belt?
- What I don’t like about the AiRunTech hydration running belt.
- How to use the AiRunTech hydration running belt.
- Verdict: After Review, the AiRunTech Hydration Running Belt Holds Water
The Product
There’s a new running belt in town and it comes with two water bottles.
I usually try to avoid drinking water on my runs unless I’m out for over an hour, but this climate change-induced heat is just plain dangerous. I call it “vampire heat” because it sucks the life out of me when I’m exercising.
So, I searched for some kind of running belt or vest that came with water bottles, that wasn’t too bulky, and that was super cheap in case I hated running with so much gear.
With its included two 6 oz water bottles and $16 price-tag, the AiRunTech Hydration Running Belt fit that bill perfectly. And despite it’s low cost, it ended up meeting my hydration needs perfectly while running.
Brand
AiRunTech
ASIN
B07QDW8T87
Retail Price
$16
Product Type
Hydration Running Belt
Is this the best hydration belt for running?
No, probably not, but it’s definitely the best running hydration belt for $16. I mean the value for the money is unreal here. It reminds me of the good old days of Amazon products.
I already like my Sport2People belt and I wanted a different one purely for water-carrying purposes. The AiRunTech Hydration Running Belt fits that bill exactly. It includes the belt and two BPA-free water bottles. Everything’s a little cheaply made, but for $16, it’s a fantastic deal. I expect to use it through these heat waves and for long runs even on cooler days.
The belt is so cost-effective, I had no problem cutting a hole into one of the pouches to see if I could film with my Akaso action camera while running (hint, it worked with surprisingly little jostling, but my arm kept getting in the shot).
What do I like about the AiRunTech hydration running belt?
It’s really a no-bounce belt.
This belt really doesn’t bounce, even at hard paces. The first time I wore it was for an all-out sprint workout and it didn’t move at all. It’s secure when the bottles are full or empty. In fact, it can feel a little too snug and stable on long runs.
The water bottles are just the right size.
I bought the 2 x 6 oz water bottles version, so that’s 12 oz of liquid on a run. The belt also comes in a 2 x 10 oz version, but I thought 20 oz of water might get heavy.
The 6 oz water bottles are just the right size and don’t dig into my hips if I face them outward. 12oz is also enough water for an hour-ish run in the heat — I’m just trying to intake enough so I don’t bonk in the humidity.
Also, even though the bottles are small, I find that they’re easy to wash, even without a bottle cleaner. I like to wash my hydration bottles after every use.
The hydration bottles are easy to squeeze.
The bottles squirt a targeted stream of water when squeezed, so they’re actually ideal for dousing myself when the sun gets too intense. I hold the bottle over my head, and squeeze the cold water onto my scalp and neck. I wear a Nike Dri-Fit hat, so I cool down as the water evaporates.
The AiRunTech hydration running belt has lots of storage.
It has too much storage, in fact. If I filled every slot, it would be like running with a full toolbelt. But I’m able to carry my phone, keys, water bottles, and tuck my Akaso action camera in one of the loops when I need a break from carrying it.
I can use this running belt for other activities.
This is actually an ideal hiking belt. I’m more comfortable carrying more when hiking than running, so I could see myself bringing my water bottles, keys, phone, Akaso camera on its hand grip, maybe a sunscreen, pepper spray/whistle, and a snack in this belt.
What I don’t like about the AiRunTech hydration running belt.
The Velcro strap is like a weird umbilical cord.
Like, what is going on here? How does it even attach? Maybe the weird construction is how it stays so steady? It also can be detached completely from the main part of the belt.
The sizing is enormous.
I suspect I’m too slim for this AiRunTech running belt, so I have to Velcro it all the way, and then it still has extra length that I have to wrap up around the belt. This method works surprisingly well, but I don’t know if this is the intended way to wear it. I also worry that wrapping the belt will make it get flabby quicker. But if I don’t coil it up, I’ll be running with a belt tail.
The long-term quality is questionable.
The grumpy zipper.
The AiRunTech hydration running belt zipper pales in comparison with my Sport2People zippy zipper. This one is stiff and doth protest too much. I could see it giving up sooner rather than later.
Poor phone access.
I also have to wear the AiRunTech belt facing backward because my elbows glance off the water bottles if it’s on my front. The problem is that once I get it secured behind and the extra length all tied up, I can’t access my phone, which sits in the middle of the belt. With my Sport2People belt, I can easily pull it around to my front when I need phone access.
The plasticky plastic.
The pull-push spouts on the water bottles are actual rubber and nice quality. But the bottles themselves are pretty hard and feel like they might crack after some UV exposure. I like that they’re BPA free, but my first swigs taste like plastic. The last swigs also taste plastick-y, especially as the bottles start to heat up in the sun.
How to use the AiRunTech hydration running belt.
How to carry cold water when running.
I freeze my liquids directly in the AiRunTech hydration running belt bottles before my run. Hydration isn’t as satisfying when it’s hot from baking on my hips in direct sun for an hour. The bottle volume is small enough that they begin to thaw by the time I need a drink. When I forget to freeze them and only have refrigerated water, it get unpleasantly warm within 30 minutes.
How to drink water while running.
The included AiRunTech bottles have a push-pull spout lid and are easy to suck water from. The belt also little straps to secure the water bottles in the holsters, but I found that this wasn’t very sanitary: I had to put my hands all over the spout to wrestle the water bottle out. I stopped using the straps and the water bottles still stay in.
The pouches definitely wouldn’t hold a HydroFlask or a regular plastic water bottle, since they don’t have enough depth. However, if the included bottles conk out, I’m sure I could find another flask style bottle that would work in this belt.
Verdict: After Review, the AiRunTech Hydration Running Belt Holds Water
This hydration running belt isn’t the best running accessory I’ve ever used. The long-term durability is questionable. The plastic bottles are easy to drink from and squeeze, but they feel (and taste) a little cheap. The belt has more than enough storage — too much in fact. Because it’s bulkier than what I’m used to in a running belt, the whole shebang gets kind of tiresome by the end of long runs.
However, when I don’t wear the AiRunTech hydration running belt on hot days, I regret it. I’m using it specifically for emergency hydration, and for $16, it more than gets the job done. Overall, even if I only use this running accessory a few times, I know I’ve already gotten what I needed out of it.
Hannah H.
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