Camelbac Hydration pack? Is this a good idea for the half Marathon?

I ran with my hydration belt of my half marathon and I was glad I did.  I'm a slow runner so on the return trip most of the water stations had run out of cups.  Plus it was just nice piece of mind that whenever I wanted water I could have it regardless of where the water stations were.  Hope this helps a little.

its very good on a hot day. I feel its better to have a mouthfull of water evrey 5min or so to stop dehydrating & I tend to gulp water from cups at drink stations & end up swallowing too much air.

It's not the best choice if you ask me. I had a teammate use one and it seemed to be awkward for her and it made her a bit sluggish.  I would opt for a hydration belt, light and easy access :)

I ran with my hydration belt of my half marathon and I was glad I did.  I'm a slow runner so on the return trip most of the water stations had run out of cups.  Plus it was just nice piece of mind that whenever I wanted water I could have it regardless of where the water stations were.  Hope this helps a little.

Thanks for the replies :) Great advice ! My friend has a camelbak I am going to try out, its a 1.5 litre one.  I am going to look for a hydration belt on ebay tomorrow. Great! Running my first two half marathons in August and September and a 20 miler round Millport, so I definitely need some sort of hydration system on me.  Thanks again :)

It's not the best choice if you ask me. I had a teammate use one and it seemed to be awkward for her and it made her a bit sluggish.  I would opt for a hydration belt, light and easy access :)

Thanks ! I'm going to look for a hydration belt on ebay tomorrw, great idea. And try a junior camelbak 1.5litre my friend has too :) Thanks again xx

its very good on a hot day. I feel its better to have a mouthfull of water evrey 5min or so to stop dehydrating & I tend to gulp water from cups at drink stations & end up swallowing too much air.

Thanks Bill :) I'm the same, I gulp down cups of juice and end up with tummy ache, going to try out junior hydration back pack and source a hydration belt on ebay tomorrow. thanks again xx

Would say it's completely up to you. I've not used my Camelbak for half marathon (races) but I have for my last marathon and for all my long training runs. I much prefer it to a hydration belt which I find really uncomfortable. You can keep your gels / beans / any energy snacks in there too! I don't think I would look back from my Camelbak, really good investment!

Would say it's completely up to you. I've not used my Camelbak for half marathon (races) but I have for my last marathon and for all my long training runs. I much prefer it to a hydration belt which I find really uncomfortable. You can keep your gels / beans / any energy snacks in there too! I don't think I would look back from my Camelbak, really good investment!

Hi Laura :) Thanks for reply ! I ranwith a hydration belt, but I must admit, it annoyed me  a bit and I had to keep moving it round.  Going to try out a Camelbak and see how i9t goes.  Saying that, the hydration belt I have just holds one bottle and has a tiny pocket? Which one do you use? Maybe I should try a different style? xxx

I use a Nalgene hydration pack for long goes and a hand held bottle for short runs.  I don't run without water.  A buddy of mine tried using a belt and kept having it rub wrong where the belt sat.

On any race more than a 5K I run with a hydration belt (fuel belt), I run with a hand held on 5k's and no matter what system I use I am always glad I have water and/or gatorade with me.

Thanks for all the advice! Greatly appreciated! I have purchased a Raspberry Pink Camelbak 1.5l and can't wait to try it out this weekend! Will post how I get on! Thanks again ! Have a fantastic weekend everyone :)

I would say try it out on your training runs and see if it's something that would bother you or not.  I rarely see anyone wear them for races but that doesn't mean squat.  If it's comfortable and it allows you to drink, who cares, right?  I use mine for my training runs and I love it.  It's snug and I don't notice any bounce.  I do hear the water sloshing but it doesn't bother me much.  Just remember to pay attention to how you put the bladder in...I put mine in upside down one time but wouldn't stop to fix it. :)  We are supposed to get some of our hottest recorded temperatures ever here in the next few days and I will have mine!

I agree, you should train for a while with a peice of equipment before you try to use it during a race.

Personally I wouldn't bring anything with me that I couldn't throw away after a while. I find a disposable 500ml bottle perfect. I start with one and leave a 2nd one at the half-way mark or leave it with someone to hand it off after an hour. But thats just me. I'm not a fan of anything weighing me down on a run. Best of luck with the runs!

I always run with a hydration belt...I recently bought a camelpak, haven't tried it yet though. I find it convient to run with water as I get thirsty when I run.

If you cant run 3 miles without water, you should take something with you.  I personnal use a handheld bottle.  It gives me enough water to skip one or more water stops (which saves a little time), but I like taking a sip every quarter-mile or so.  I don't use a hydration belt as I have tried several and the strap around my stomach makes me nauseous.  I use camelbak's for long training runs where there is no support, but it does add weight and might make you slightly slower for races.  So, in the end, it depends on your needs and your preferences.