Details
Brand
Salomon
Model
Hydro 45 Belt
Use
Hydration
Key Features
• 45-degree placement of water bottle pouch to improve access and stability• Extra pouch for storing smaller accessories• Breathable mesh accents on both pouches for extra ventilation• Bonus water bottle allows for storing up to 20 ounces of liquid• Option to choose between either black or red color scheme
Comfort
One aspect of the Salomon Hydro 45’s design that can become a comfort issue is the distribution of weight. With all of the stored items being placed on the front of the belt with only a small strap behind, a filled water bottle and side pouch will end up feeling very front-heavy. The fairly flimsy looking strap and buckle on the rear may also lead to slippage with sufficiently heavy materials placed in these front pouches, leading to further discomfort while running.;The primary purpose of the 45-degree placement of the water bottle pouch is for ergonomics. In addition to purportedly being easier to access and store, this angle is also meant to minimize excessive movement while running. In practice, however, this doesn’t seem to work out quite as expected. According to reviews left online by verified customers, the angled bottle pouch is easy enough to access when pulling out the bottle to take a drink but can be surprisingly difficult to store the bottle afterward. Another reviewer mentioned that the thin straps can dig into the wearer’s sides when the bottle is filled, although they also mentioned that this becomes less of an issue as the water is consumed. Yet another reviewer mentioned that the bottle still managed to move considerably while they ran, almost completely negating this aspect of its design. Ultimately, it seems that this is far from the most comfortable option in regards to hands-free water bottle storage.
Size
One of the benefits offered by a hydration belt, as opposed to a hydration vest or backpack, is that it takes up significantly less space on the wearer’s body. In addition to facilitating breathability more effectively due to a diminished surface area, this also often comes at the benefit of a decreased weight burden. However, one common drawback to this design is that a hydration belt is unable to store as much water as the other options.;The Salomon Hydro 45 belt comes with a water bottle that can easily fit inside the belt’s water pouch. This 3D bottle from Salomon has a maximum capacity of 20 ounces, which is roughly enough to facilitate a workout session of 1 ½ hours according to the estimate outlined in the intro. This is more than enough water for the vast majority of exercise routines performed by the casual runner and is certainly capable of providing enough hydration to accommodate a 5K or half marathon. For comparison, the average hydration vest can usually store double this amount of water due to having two water bottle pouches, and a hydration backpack will often come with compatibility for water bladders with storage space of 1 to 2 liters. This is significantly more water than is stored on the Hydro 45 but is also superfluous for most casual runners. With the exception of hardcore hikers, campers, and marathon runners, the Salomon Hydro 45 offers more than enough hydration to service most individuals.
Accessories
The Salomon Hydro 45 comes with one compatible accessory: the 20-ounce Salomon 3D water bottle. This bottle comes with an easy to use squeeze valve and can store enough water to ensure proper hydration for around an hour and a half of physical activity. It is unknown whether or not the plastic it is made from BPA materials, as there seems to be no evidence of the bottle being sold separate from the belt, but it is machine washable.;Aside from the included water bottle, this belt is more focused on providing compatibility for certain accessories than it is in providing them or in being an accessory itself. This is the purpose for Salomon including an additional zippered pouch for the Hydro 45. This pouch is smaller than the one used for storing the included water bottle and isn’t placed at the same 45-degree angle. It’s just large enough to hold a few very small accessories, such as a smartphone with a screen under 4 inches in size or a few small snacks. This pouch offers about as much storage as the common pants pocket, if not a bit less. This lack of storage space helps to keep the belt at a lower weight but it also feels like a redundant afterthought due to its limited effectiveness.
Use
The Salomon Hydro 45 is a water belt. Referring to this product as a belt can be a bit confusing since it doesn’t function as a traditional belt that provides support for the wearer’s pants. Instead, this product is a belt in the fashion of utility belts, where its primary purpose is to allow for easy storage of essentials with equally easy access. For the Hydro 45, the primary essential item it is meant to store is a water bottle.;This belt features two storage pouches made from a lightweight yet highly resilient synthetic material. The larger one is meant to securely hold a water bottle, it is placed at a 45-degree angle, which is where the Hydro 45 derives its name. The second pouch is smaller and secured with a zipper, offering a meager amount of additional storage for small utilities like a watch or some energy gels. These two pouches are intended to be worn on the front of the wearer’s body, with one single buckled strap connected to the rear. Although this design may cause problems with weight distribution and stability, they allow for the wearer to easily access everything stored without much fuss or difficulty.
Style
One thing that Salomon is known for among other manufacturers of trail running and hiking equipment is their unique sense of style. This is most evident in their trail running shoes that define themselves effectively from competing brands by having virtually no resemblance to any other model.;Although it isn’t expressed to quite the same degree as with their running shoes, Salomon still offers a visually distinctive style in their design of the Hydro 45 that helps to set it apart from other offerings. The main one is the 45-degree angle at which the bottle pouch is placed on the belt, while it is ostensibly designed in this way to facilitate easy access and prevent excessive movement, neither of these effects are present in practice. Therefore, it seems that this placement was mostly implemented for marketing purposes, a theory that is further reinforced by the advertisement of this design facet in the product’s official title. This water belt is offered in two different color schemes, red and black, with no clear implementation of reflective elements for increased visibility.
Durability
With a running belt, durability isn’t as important of a design factor to emphasize due to its limited exposure to hazards. A running vest or backpack is much more susceptible to damage due to their increased size and storage capacity and will, therefore, require much more effort to be devoted to their resiliency. This isn’t to say that a running belt doesn’t need any defenses from the elements, simply that it can get away with less while still being a viable option for runners looking into hands-free hydration.;Although it resembles a much more sturdy material such as nylon, the thin fabric used predominantly in the construction of the Salomon Hydro 45 is a ripstop polyurethane. While not as resistant as nylon or taffeta, this material is more than enough to handle common road hazards such as contact with brush or the odd fall. The strap and buckle in the rear are made from less sturdy material and appear very flimsy, however, not one customer who has left a review for this product online has stated that they ran into any issues with this portion of the belt. Consequently, it appears that the durability of the Hydro 45 is adequate but not breathtaking.
Breathability
For many running accessories and articles of running apparel, breathability is a major concern. Part of the reason why hydration is so important while exercising is that the body loses fluids through perspiration, therefore, wearing more breathable apparatus helps the body to avoid sweating as much and retain more fluids.;As a running belt, the Salomon Hydro 45 doesn’t cover enough of the wearer’s body for breathability to be a significant concern. If this were a hydration vest or hydration backpack, it would be more important for this item to offer solid ventilation due to the increased space it takes on the body. However, the majority of this belt’s material is concentrated around the front of the wearer’s lower torso with barely any material placed on the back. Because of this, even a complete lack of airflow would be relatively insignificant for the wearer and their perspiration habits. However, Salomon still saw fit to incorporate breathable materials into the design of the Hydro 45, with some portions of both pouches being made from a highly perforated synthetic mesh material that allows for air to flow freely and prevent heat retention.
Price
Another benefit offered by a simple water belt as opposed to a hydration vest or backpack is a lower cost. This is true with the Salomon Hydro 45, which features a cost on par with that of some accessories and replacement parts for these more expensive variations on the same concept. When considering that this belt also comes with its own water bottle, the value factor is further enhanced, making this one of the most reasonably priced accessories for any individual interested in a hands-free hydration tool during their running sessions.
Bottom Line
The final verdict on this hydration vest from Salomon seems to be that it is adequate but far from perfect. There are some interesting ideas present in its design, such as the angled placement of the water bottle pouch, but it seems that this design decision is unable to fulfill the lofty claims made by the manufacturers. Runners who choose to wear the Hydro 45 on their running sessions should expect slightly more convenience than simply holding a water bottle in their hand but not nearly as much convenience as a hydration vest or pack. Fortunately, this water belt is lightweight enough to not feel burdensome while still offering enough fluid capacity to accommodate the vast majority of physical activities practiced by ordinary people. And when considering the extremely reasonable price this is offered at, there’s no real reason to complain.
