Disclaimer: I am not a paid endorser of SPIbelt or any of its products. I did get their H2O Companions for free, and I wrote this out of my own doing. I haven’t done a product review in a while.
Whenever we get a package delivered to the house, the kids instantly want to know who it’s for and what’s inside.
I received three SPIbelt H2O Companion hydration bottles (which sell for $9.99 retail) by winning a summer drink contest and by applying for the ambassador program. (By the way, if you like their products, you should like their social media feeds. They have lots of contests and other fun things.)
The kids tried them out right away while I went for a run. Each bottle comes with a grey “clip” that fits under the screw-in lid. The clip slide over your SPIbelt strap while the bottle rests on the other side. To remove the bottle, you just grab the bottle and pull it off your belt. Then you put it back on by slipping the belt back between the bottle and the clip.
The bottle’s lid doesn’t leak when turned upside down due to the stuff inside the nozzle. The only way to get stuff out is to suck on the nozzle or do what my kids did and squeeze the bottle.
I need a hydration system for an upcoming trail marathon that want participants to use their own hydration system at the aid stations. So I wanted to test the bottles out on a normal run and a hilly run.
The first run was a 3-mile out and back with two small hills connected to a bridge. I went with two runners who are faster than I am, so it simulated race conditions in many ways.
The bottles are easy to remove, but I had to pay attention when putting them back on. I always tried to make sure the little bump on the clip which acts as a securing mechanism, went under the belt.
During our last mile, it rained … Hard. I put my SPIbelt under my shirt and sometime during this part of the run one of my water bottles became loose. I felt it almost fall, so I quickly put it back in the belt. I’m not sure if I didn’t secure it in the first place or if my shirt pulled on the bottle, causing it to become loose.
I noted in my Instagram post about my run that I needed to get some waterproof belt and the company responded almost immediately with a suggestion. It’s a sign of good customer service.
The second run was hills. I did about 4.5 miles of Appalachian hills through one of the scenic neighborhood in town. I was a little worried because the bottles only carry 6 ounces of fluid. I get dehydrated easily, so I wasn’t sure whether two would be enough.
The bottles felt light and stayed in place. I’m sensitive to sounds on me when I run, like my glasses bouncing on my head. I heard the belt and bottles too, but because I didn’t feel that anything was wrong, I wasn’t worried.
The belt did well. Since I already had a prior run with the bottles, taking them on and off was easier. I could do it while I ran, which is good for a race setting.
I only had one problem with a bottle. I was working my way up a steep hill and the top of my thigh hit the bottom of one of the bottle clips. The bottle started to become loose, so I quickly reached down and shoved it back over the belt.
I will have to try again to see to if placing the bottles in another position, in the back maybe or more to the side, will have a different result.
For the run, I ended up only needing one bottle. So I think the size will serve my needs.
Overall, I think the H2O Companion is a great addition to the SPIbelt line. They are dishwasher safe (top shelf) and are easy to clean by hand. They are easy to fill up and use during a run or while doing other activity.
The only drawback I saw was the attachment system. I understand why they did it, the clip makes the bottle easy to take on and off. But it’s not as secure as I thought it would be. But I really think playing around with the position of the bottles will make it work.
If you have a SPIbelt and need something for hydration, I recommend the H2O Companion.
Mountain Mama Adventures 