The Santa Monica mountains are hot and dry. The Salomon Hydration Pack carried plenty of water, but it was hot. I think that particular bladder/pack is going to have to wait until winter runs. Plus the bladder is hard to clean. You have to clean out the hose as well.
I tried carrying two handheld water bottles, but I think I like having my hands free in case I take a spill or have to do some scrambling. Last weekend, I ran out of water mid run holding one bottle, so that was not good.
So now I will try the bottle + belt option to see if this will be a good compromise, especially for shorter 10-20 mile runs in warm weather. After a few hours of research, I settled on the AltrAspire Impulse. It seems like it has a good weight to cargo ratio.
The test will be this weekend for a 12 mile run. Going to press it a little harder to see how the belt holds up bouncing with the uneven terrain. I need to be running harder anyway now otherwise I won’t improve.
A detailed review after Sunday’s run.
