You have all sorts of choices.

Fuel Belt makes a belt that carries 2 to about 8 small water bottles. I think about 7 ounces each.

Camelbak makes a back pack that will hold up to 2 liters of water with a hose that comes over your shoulder that you can drink out of. Yes it has an on off valve so you dont leak all over your shirt.

I used hand held water bottles that have an elastic strap that fits over your hand. That way you can hold your hands any way you want, no cramps The water bottles are 24 ounces each, and you dont even realize that you are carrying them most of the time. They even have a small pocket that will hold a cell phone and my car keys.

I carry a 20-oz water bottle. It's really not that heavy. No straps, no belt, I switch hands every 10 minutes or so. Easy.

My daily run is now about 8 miles and I don't carry anything. Of course the cool/cold temps have a lot to do with that, but I didn't carry anything when it was much hotter out and I was running 5 miles. I drink when I get back to my car, but is it really that necessary? I just stay hydrated during the day.

I go with the fuel belt option. Generally I don't use it until I get to double-digit mileage, though a hot, humid day can lower the threshold. For longer runs, especially in the heat, I'll keep 4 extra bottles full to swap out when I loop by my house.

A few years ago, I started using one of these on my long runs (actually, I have an older model, but I'm sure it's close enough)

http://www.ultimatedirection.com/product.php?id=16&page=waistpacks[/URL" target="_blank">

For many years before that, I simply carried a bottle in my hand.

I do what Cashmason mentioned above: I got a bottle from a sports store which has a cushiony kind of strap and it is nicely shaped to make gripping it effortless (it kind of just sits on my hand reallly). It's lightweight and has a nozzle on top to make it easy to take a little sip, and has a velcro-sealed side pocket for my car key. Cost me about $15 but that's outside the US and I'd bet you could probably pay $10 or less if you are there.

I use it for all my runs (40 mins to an hour generally) and it's very comfortable.

Given that the body might need 8 oz every 15-20 minutes to replace what's lost in sweat (depending on temperature), I carry a water bottle when the runs get over 45 minutes or so. A 20 oz or 24 oz bottle... always in the summer with the heat. You might want to try the bottle carriers with a hand strap - frees up the fingers from having to hold the bottle all the time.

I had bad luck with the belts which hold, e.g., 20 oz bottles. Never could get them to not tend to bounce, and if you have the bottle in back that tends to promote running a bit swaybacked to prevent the bounce - not good.

The belt I like and use is the Amphipod adjustable belt. I have 5 8 oz bottles and two different sized pouches for it and they can be used mix and match. If I don't quite trust all the water stops in a marathon, I just put on one bottle clip (enough for a little cushion when the aid stations are too far apart.) For a long solo run on trails where there's no chance to stash water and no available water, one can carry, e.g., a 20 oz and a 24 oz bottle (one in each hand) and the Amphipod belt with 5 8oz bottles.

The Amphipod Adjustable belt fastens with "Velcro" and has some length adjustment via a buckle used for that. Once I got mine adjusted right I wrapped that buckle with duct tape so it wouldn't slip or come loose at all. Note - the bottle clips can be adjusted for either vertical or horizontal carry.