Gear Review: Nathan QuickSqueeze Plus Handheld Water Bottle
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When I’m heading out for a walk, I can’t leave the house without some kind of hydration. I keep a number of different options handy (you can read about them in my “Hydration Basics” post). But my favorite option for everyday walks is my Nathan handheld flask. It’s a decent size for a few miles. It includes a pocket for keeping my keys, lip balm, and other necessities (since I’m a woman, that means pepper spray and a personal alarm). And it attaches to my hand, so I don’t have to put too much effort into carrying it. So when I accidentally left it behind at the lake this summer—and I saw another one for a good price at Sierra—I decided that it might be good to have one at home and one at the lake (because, since I’m a middle-aged woman, I tend to forget things).
The Nathan QuickSqueeze Plus is a lot like my SpeedShot Plus. It comes with a 12-ounce bottle instead of 18 ounces, but it still includes a pouch that straps to your hand that allows you to store essentials while walking. I like the concept of the pouch here because it comes with two pockets: one small zipper pouch (perfect for keeping my car key secure) and one pocket that has just a kind of fabric flip-top, which is perfect for things that you want to be able to reach quickly (like pepper spray and your personal alarm). But the way that it attaches to the bottle is strange, making it difficult to open the bottle for filling and also difficult to remove the bottle from the pouch for washing.
The bottle still straps to your hand, so you don’t have to put too much effort into carrying it—and the bottle has a nice curve and a gripping texture that make it easy to carry. But the placement of the bottle makes it slant away from you when you’re trying to take a drink, which makes it counter-intuitive. Meanwhile, while my SpeedShot is insulated enough to keep my water cool for at least part of my walk (though, admittedly, not all of it), the QuickSqueeze doesn’t seem to have the same insulation.
In the end, the QuickSqueeze Plus does have a lot of the features that I love in a handheld water bottle, but I still prefer my old SpeedShot. So I decided to leave this one at the lake, where I don’t walk quick as much, and keep the SpeedShot at home.
Pros:
– Two small pockets for carrying necessities
– Easy grip—curved to your hand, with gripping texture
– Adjustable to your hand
Cons:
– Not big enough for phone
– Doesn’t keep water cold—even with ice
– Not easy to remove bottle for washing
– Bottle seems slanted in a strange direction
You can find the Nathan QuickSqueeze Plus on Amazon.
