A quest for the perfect water bottle belt, Part 3

Solda water bottle belt

Wed, Nov  30, 2011 - By Mike Muha

The next sweet water bottle belt to ingratiate itself was a Solda belt. It looked like a nice holster for the water bottle, and duo pockets on either side. Maybe this will be the one.

Solda water bottle belt

Did it meet my expectations? Was this the one?

Belt management system

The belt was a thinner material than the last two belts. While running, the belt would loosen in the buckle and I was constantly pulling it tight again. The problem was much less severe while skiing.

There's a little sliding clip on either end of the belt that holds the excess belt instead of it flapping down your body. It worked OK. Best to trim the belt to a short length, then use the clip.

The pockets

The picture above suggests two pockets. The picture lies. It's actually one pocket that goes BEHIND the water bottle holster. The two zippers access the same pocket.

You can guess what happens: you load wax and corks and phones and gel packs into the pocket, and they end up behind the water bottle.

It's a mess. You usually have to take the belt off to retrieve the contents. The zippers are pretty short and make access difficult.

The Holster

The holster works pretty well. Standard water bottles slide in and out easily, at least if the pockets were empty. Pockets full of wax were another matter: Your body presses the tins into the side of the holster, making it harder to replace the bottle.

Bottom Line

Not so sweet, not the one. I don't remember the last time I used this water bottle belt.

Not to be too tough on the Solda belt, you should know that there are many similar belts out there from other companies. Avoid any belt with a pocket that goes behind the holster.