Nathan Hydration Bottle With Clipless Cap

I love these things. I have a Speed 4 hydration belt. So, I wish they came in packs of 2 or 4, 3 seems stupid or else "cleverly" designed to make us buy more. The yellow part is soft enough that you won't hurt your teeth, but holds up well over time. Like all containers, they get a certain funk. I find a few sprays of vinegar and a rinse out takes that right away. I tried all kinds of things to get rid of the taste and smell, but that works best. Grippy sides and ounce markings also make them better than competitor products (I'm looking at you amphipod).

I own numerous Nathan products and love the design of the carriers that accompany these bottles. I also love the soft rubber mouth piece on these caps which makes taking a drink on the run very easy. My only complaint is that after a little over a year, both of my bottles like this leak. I have NEVER washed them in the dish washer to cause warping but the rim of the bottle itself has collapsed a bit in a few spots which does cause a little spillage while running. It doesn't last long because once the bottle contents gets low, there is less to spill but in the beginning of a long trek, one might expect to get a little splash here and there. Overall, a great product I just wish the bottle itself had plastic a little more 'stiff'.

The bottles that come in the Nathan Speed 4R Water Belt are 8 oz, but these 10 oz bottles will fit in the holders, but it's tight. They don't come out nearly as easily, but you can put them in and take them out with two hands, while running. You should know that after I discovered how tight they fit and that you have to use two hands to really push them in, I decided to stick with my 8 oz bottles. It'd be nice if they could make them just a tad taller to keep the width down. Either that or design the water belts a bit better to account for this. But again, if you really need them in the belt, they'll fit. If you're not familar with the quality of Nathan products, it's pretty good stuff, or at least, better than any other option I've used. Their bottles aren't 100% water tight, but can come close. If you lay them down on the floor mats of a car and you have some gel or sports drink in them, it's possible that you might stain your carpet a bit. If you're not paying close attention when putting the tops on, you can think you've screwed it on tight, only to discover during your run when water is dripping down your leg that you cross threaded it. Cross threading them is a really, really easy thing to do.

I use this bottle regularly in my Nathan Trek waist pack. Do NOT put these in the dishwasher as the rim will warp and the top will not fit. The top drink spout is easy to open with a hand or teeth on the run and is soft enough not to hurt your teeth while drinking on the run. It also needs care in cleaning. I think my bottles range from 2 to 5 years old, I use them 3-5 times/week, and other than the one dishwasher mishap, none have leaked or broke.