⁃ It’s very easy to remove the ‘Nathan Running Essentials’ plastic tag that a lot of people have complained about being unable to remove. Simply grab the strap underneath the sign and slide it off the two ‘hooks’ that clamp the sign/tag to the strap. ⁃ I purchased this Peak waist pack for runs between 6-18 miles. Until recently, I used to carry the running Hydration belts/fanny packs with 2 bottles on each side. There were more disadvantages than advantages when I used the running belts. The bottles would sometimes fall off, the bottles themselves would chafe my skin, they would never really be tight enough for bounce-free runs, the elastic bands holding the bottles would either get loose or fray/cut off altogether and so on and so forth. ⁃ For any runs above 18 miles for me, essentially the required 20 miler 3 weeks before a marathon and during the full 26.2 miles full marathon, I use the big brother Nathan Vapor Air Hydration Pack Running Vest. For 3 milers or less, I use the Nathan 12oz handheld bottle. ⁃ This waist pack is awesome! For middle range runs (6-18 miles for me) it basically holds almost everything I carry in these runs. ⁃ For the 18 oz bottle, this is an upgrade from the 2 6oz bottles (12oz in total) found in many running belts. Now, I can access more liquid. ⁃ I cleaned and rinsed the bottle with vinegar and water before the first use. I never did get any ‘plastic’ taste at all when I sipped the fluids and my fluids (Gatorade) tasted as good as it tastes from the original Gatorade bottle, at least in the beginning before the Gatorade sloshes repeatedly hehe. ⁃ The bottle is easy to drink out of. So far, the push pull cap works well for me. I have seen people complaining of this cap leaking and they replace the cap with Nathan race caps. ⁃ It also goes in and out of the pouch easily. It is also easy to hold. ⁃ In the ‘expandable’ zipper pouch, I managed to put in 3 GU gels (1.1 oz each) and 2 Cliff bars (2.4 oz each) This is one pouch you cannot ‘overload’ as the contents may fall off when you try to remove the contents that are placed in the zipper pouch which is accessible from the back. This is because you will most likely be unzipping the pocket with your hand sight unseen and reaching out for the energy bars/GU gels. ⁃ It will bounce a bit on your first run but this is expected. Just adjust the length of the straps and this will/may reduce the bounce. I run with wireless Bluetooth earbuds with music on so the bouncing and sloshing might not be as loud as some other sensitive users will find. I found the bouncing very minimal and acceptable. ⁃ The zipper pouch may also fit a regular 4.7 inch display smartphone. My iPhone 6S plus with Otterbox Commuter case was too big to fit. I use a Gearbeast XLG armband to carry my phone so this wasn’t a big deal to me but it may be a big deal to some. ⁃ One advantage that this waist pack has is that the expandable waist straps have a Velcro clasp that holds the edges of the straps together once you have determined the comfortable length of the waist strap. This means that there will be less bounce as the strap will fit snugly when adjusted well. ⁃ I am a size 36 men’s waist and there was a bit of strap left to spare. ⁃ Have a short practice run before using this pouch so that you can determine whether you will need to reduce/adjust the length so that it can fit you. ⁃ After I used it on my first run, the waist pack changed positions from the back to where the bottle was on the side. It was a pleasant surprise as the bottle was now easily accessible from the side, just like the small bottles from the Hydration belts. This also meant that the zipper pouch (with my gels and energy bars) was easier to access. ⁃ After my first run, I reduced the length of the strap by using the Velcro clasps provided and it fit better on the second run and hardly bounced. The strap/waistband rests on my waist at the same location my running shorts waistband is. I am a man so women might have different optimal locations for the waistband. ⁃ I normally hand-wash the bottle but I tested it by putting it in the dishwasher together with the cap. It came out clean and just in the same form it was in before. Nathan advises you to place the bottle at the top rack of the dishwasher where the heat is less than the bottom rack. ⁃ The ‘Nathan’ letters are reflective, a bonus when doing the dusk/dawn/night runs. - It has a drawstring where you can store a poncho or light jacket. This feature should be useful for hikers. ⁃ In very hot days for very hot runs, the Gatorade does get lukewarm so I will most likely get the insulated bottle version (Nathan Speedraw insulated flask water bottle) that fits into this particular ‘Peak’ waistpack. There is a Nathan insulated waist pack sold but I think the difference between this waistpack and the insulated one is the insulated bottle.