The first gear review of many, or, do the French always drink like this?

When you are out on the trail, gear is important. It's vital to be comfortable, light and agile in your kit, as well as having the means to take into the back country the necessary items. Despite being a gear-head, I also love feeling light and free, and I always marvel at how freeing it is to go for a run in just a pair of light shorts and running shoes. I believe there is an important balance between minimal running and being prepared.

That's probably one of the reasons I love Salomon gear so much, particularly the S-lab range, because a lot of time and effort has gone into this exact challenge: keeping it lightweight, but also being able to carry enough for the demands of a long trail.

I've been hoping to review some gear for a while, and thought I'd start with the Advanced Skin S-lab Belt. 

Thankfully someone has designed a running belt that isn't big and chunky and uncomfortable! When I first saw the soft flasks and felt how light and practical they were, it made me wonder why I have been using hard plastic water bottles! It just makes Sense (excuse the cheesy Salomon pun).

The S-lab Belt is really lightweight, and fits snug and tight around the runners waist. The first time I put it on I was confused and didn't know which way the belt was supposed to be worn. I have since learnt that the idea is for the two soft flask holders to be in front, and the two zip pockets at the back. I find that it is also just as comfortable wearing it the other way around, but slightly harder to access the water. Also, people might think you are 'challenged' for wearing it backwards. I used to wear those 90's fanny packs on my side, convincing myself I would set a new trend. Today, no one uses fanny packs. Moral of the story: wear you S-lab belt the right way around.

The belt works nicely with either one or two of the 250ml (237ml actually) soft flasks. For a medium length run, 500ml total is really enough, without having to take too much weight. The soft flasks fit in very comfortably and have a small elastic to secure them in. The back zip pockets are great for keys, cell phones, or other small supplies. I find that if I just use one soft flask, an iPod fits perfectly in the other front pocket, and i can easily whip it out while running to change tunes along with my fussy music moods.

I do have one complaint about the belt. The two securing clips really do clip in nicely, however, the plastic slide to adjust the tension tends to allow the webbing to slip very easily. This can be frustrating when the belt tension keeps changing while running. On some runs I have resorted to simply putting a knot in the webbing to stop this slip. I have yet to try re-threading the webbing like a rock climbing harness. I suspect this will work, in which case my only negative aspect of this product will be irrelevant.

All in all, this is the best solution i have found to hydration and gear storage for short to medium runs. The belt is very comfortable, and with no hard edges due to the soft flasks, it really deserves it's 'Skin' name, as it fits so snugly. I am hopeful the designers will fix that one issue, which will give this belt 11 out of 13 ice cream cones on my own personal rating system, the '1 to 13 ice cream cone scale for hydration belts.'

It seems relevant here to talk about the Sense Hydro S-lab set. Or, you may know them as 'those weird glove things some people run about with.' 

I first saw these used by a Salomon athlete in the Western States a few years ago and was eager to try them out. When I saw some at an REI store, I grabbed them and told my wife I needed them.

As it turns out, they are another out-of-the-box thinking kind of product by the S-lab folk. Essentially, instead of wearing a bottle on your hand, like with normal bottle carry systems, you wear a glove-type hand cover, and a soft flask tucks into that. It is very comfortable, and while I tend to enjoy having my hands free, I hardly notice that I am carrying water when I wear these. You don't have to even try close your hand to keep hold of the flask, it just sits comfortably in your palm, waiting to be consumed. And maybe that is the main problem: having water so accessible makes me want to drink ALL the time. So, the main downside for this product is that it makes water too easy to drink. Next  I will be saying they make shoes too comfortable...

Wait, I do have one more downside. The fact that the soft flask sits in your palm tends to warm the water up pretty quickly in warm weather. In fact, I calculated that during my regular run, if I stick to my personal rule of 'no water before the halfway point, or 5km, whichever is first,' the the water was normally warm by the time I indulged. 

Despite this, H20 is still H20, and I was still hydrated by it, and thus I will have to give this product 5 out of 6 chocolate eggs on the '1 to 6 chocolate egg rating scale for carry bottle systems.' There is of course a rating scale for everything.

Well done Salomon. I obsess about your products for a reason. They capture what trail running is. Light, fast and free, while at the same time practical. 
And awesome, of course.