Gear · 2017
Nathan VaporKrar Waistpak review: minimal bounce, small velcro
One of the two best waistbelts on the market at the time, by the review's own reckoning.
Specifications as reviewed
- Weight: 2.1oz (59g) without flask; 4.5oz (127g) with an empty 18oz soft flask
- Three sizes, covering 23in (58cm) to 40in (101cm) waists
- One 18oz (355ml) Hydrapak-made soft flask included
- MSRP $59.99
Designed with input from Rob Krar, which by 2017 was a reasonable shorthand for “somebody who has spent a great deal of time carrying things badly and thinking about why.”
What the review rated highly
Step-through design. The single most important decision in the whole product. The review is blunt about it: belts using a buckle or any non-step-through closure bounce, because the compression never fully wraps the waist. This one does not.
Use of the space. Pockets all the way around. A secure zipped front pocket large enough for a contemporary smartphone, two stash pockets on the sides for gels and small items, and a rear pocket for the flask.
Adjustability without bounce. Only three sizes, which would normally be a problem, but the side cinch straps tighten it down well enough that it is not.
Streamlining. The review’s stated bias is toward products that do not do more than they need to, and this one qualifies.
What it wanted changed
The flask shape. No leaking — an improvement on previous Nathan flasks — but the flask is neither as flat nor as wide as the best on the market, so it sits further off the body than it should. Any 18oz or smaller soft flask will fit instead.
The rear flask pocket height. A slightly taller pocket would make it much quicker to pull the flask, drink and replace it on the move. As built it is very tight, which is good for security and bad for everything else.
The velcro. Three of the four pockets close with a small tab of velcro. The review wanted a wider strip or a different closure entirely — magnetic, ideally — with the rear flask pocket the worst offender.
Compared with the Naked Running Band
The Naked Running Band weighs the same, breathes as well or better, carries considerably more, includes jacket, pole and race-bib attachment points, and costs $14 less.
Verdict
Probably buy it — with the caveat that it is one of two belts worth considering, and the other one is cheaper.