Ultimate Direction Access 20 Plus Hydration Belt Review

When it’s hot out, staying hydrated us vital.  I have tried hydration backpacks and belts, handheld bottles, and even tried just figuring out where drinking fountains were on my runs.  I reviewed the Ultimate Direction SJ Ultra2.00 Hydration Vest a few months ago (click here for the review).  I also got to try out the Ultimate DirectionAccess 20 Hydration Belt. 

The Access20 Hydration Belt comes with a semi-flexible angled bottle holder that holds a 20 ounce bottle, a 4 ounce gel flask, and two zippered pockets.  It is light weight and has a buckle to easily put the belt on and take it off. 

The 20 ounce bottle comes with Ultimate Direction’s “Kicker Valve” system.  The valve can be easily closed to prevent leakage.  It also comes with a hard plastic loop that makes it easy to grab the bottle out of the holder on your belt. The bottle holder is angled and has an elastic loop that you can put over the bottle to prevent it from accidentally falling out mid run.

The gel flask is a great idea, especially if you have thought of buying your gel in bulk.  Hammer is one of the better known companies that sells bulk gel.  The flask goes in a holster that is easy to use.  I typically just use individual gel packs so I took the gel holster off, but this would be an option for those people who buy their gel in bulk.

The two zippered pockets are great.  The back pocket is large and angled.  I typically put my keys and gel packs in this pocket.  It is located right next to the bottle holder.  There are elastic cables on the outside of this pocket as well to put your jacket off if you get too warm.  The other pocket can be moved around.  I typically keep my Samsung Galaxy S5 (which is a fairly big phone) in this second pocket.  Both pockets have fabric separators to keep your stuff organized.

Pros:

Very light weight material

Tons of storage

Great fit, doesn’t move around

Cons:

I wish it had bib loops to put your race bibs on.

My biggest concern was that I have used hydration belts from other companies that didn’t stay in place very long.  A few miles into my runs, the belts would start to ride up.  I didn’t have that issue with the Access 20 Hydration Belt.  This is my go-to hydration option for all runs under 10 miles.  Great job Ultimate Direction!  You can pick up your own Access20 Hydration Belt for $61.95 at the Ultimate Direction website or at Amazon for slightly less.

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Note:  I received this product in exchange for a review.  The review is my personal opinion of the product and I was not required to give a particular opinion of it.  I am not a doctor, so please use all of the products that I review at your own risk.