This was a BIG nut for me to crack early on, and I’m in the process of fine-tuning. The question of “how should I carry my stuff?” was one I frequently asked other runners. The most common answers were some form of, “do what works best for you”. Never satisfied with those answers, I again scoured the internet for articles, tips, tricks and product reviews to try and find the best solution to my predicament.

When considering my options, the biggest challenge that I encounter is what to use in the warmer weather months. When it’s cold outside, you often have an outer layer, long tights or pants with pockets. It’s easy to stash your phone, keys and gels into your pockets when you have a few to choose from. The trick is when you are trying to wear as little as legally possible, and have no room to spare.

I have found a handful of general options that runners can consider: arm bands, handhelds, running belts, “training bra”, waist bands or running packs (either on the back or around the waist). A few friends of mine choose none of these options and instead go along their intended route beforehand and stash water bottles or fuel in various bushes. That felt like a lot of extra work, so instead I decided to spend a lot of time and a decent amount of money trying various forms of carrying contraptions. Here’s my take on the options out there and what I currently utilize.

Arm Bands

Arm bands have been around for quite a while. My first memory of them was when the iPod first came out, and they were portable hands-free holders. I’m dating myself here, but the precursor to that were the (cutting edge skip-free) discman players with the hand strap. I was gifted arm bands a few times and tried them out but never enjoyed the experience. Despite my incredibly muscular arms, the bands would slip down after a short period of time and become quite uncomfortable. Or I would have to tighten them to the point it would cut off blood flow. The other issue I had with them is that the thin rubber guard for the face of the phone always fogged up and wouldn’t recognize my attempts to touch the screen. My overall opinion on the arm bands is not favorable. But if others like them, then party on!

Handhelds

When I officially started my first marathon training cycle, this felt like obvious choice. I bought the first option I saw by the brand Nathan, which had a hard plastic bottle (8oz) with a little mini backpack on it. The mini pack served a double purpose as a place to put some gels and the strap that helped making holding the bottle easier. Overall it worked ok, but the bottle was heavy enough to be noticeable and as I started drinking my way through the water, it sloshed around constantly as I was running.

After learning that I didn’t love the sloshing, I “invested” in a collapsible 12oz bottle and holder from Camelbak. It could hold a little more water and didn’t slosh but the weight in one hand got to be a bit annoying, even with switching hands back and forth. The other part was that because it collapsed, it quickly lost any semblance of form and felt like I was running around with a large wet noodle that was flopping around. I tried one more time and got a 8.5oz collapsible bottle from Osprey (Duro handheld) before deciding it was time to try something else.

Running Belts

The next progression in my journey was to get a running belt that had places to carry water bottles. I found a reasonably priced one on amazon with spots to hold two 8oz hard plastic bottles and a pouch big enough for a phone. The belt was much more substantial than my first two products, and I felt like Batman strapping on a utility belt. The neoprene material plus 16 ounces of water plus my cell phone was enough weight for the belt to be much more noticeable than I wanted. As a result of the weight, I also had to really crank it tight so it would not fall down or move all over. My last and final beef with the belt is that the water bottles were a pain in the arse to get back into the holders, and I had to stop every time I needed to return them into the holsters.

In addition to the superhero belt, I’ve tried two or three different types of the low profile gel/phone/key running belts that are very lightweight and made from a very stretchy material. The nice thing about them is that they are hardly noticeable, but the challenge is that it can really only fit on thing. They also aren’t very durable, due to the stress on the zipper. I will still bust one that I got free from Lululemon on days that I only need to carry my phone, but otherwise they are in my bin of random running gear.

Fanny Packs

When I’m talking about fanny packs, it’s more about the style factor and how they are worn. I’ve liked the look and idea of wearing them cross-body and over the shoulder. The reason they have been around for so long, is because they are functional and can carry a decent amount of things. I picked up a really good quality one from the Pioneers, but again found it to bounce around too much on either my waist, my chest or my back. I love the quality of it and have used it a number of times, just not for running anything over a mile or two.

I gave it a go one more time after seeing a Janji Sling Bag which I knew I could repurpose for a variety of things. I’ve used it while traveling and at times, when I’m out and about at work during the camp season. What I like about the Janji bag is that there a few different ways you can wear it comfortably and it can carry A TON of stuff. There is a short video on the hyperlink that shows all the things that can fit in it.

“Training Bra”

If you’ve done any independent looking into this topic before, you may have seen the FreeTrain running vest. The ads for it look awesome, and it provides a completely hands free option to carry your phone, without it slapping into your waist on every step. It was a little more than I wanted to spend (~$30) but it seemed like the next best thing. When it arrived, I realized it was one size fits all, and had no way of adjusting the shoulders or waist/ribs. I’m not a huge guy, and it was pretty tight (around my ribs in particular). I decided to give it a try for one of our group long runs and was pretty immediately (and justifiably) asked why I was wearing a training bra. I’m no slouch when it comes to giving or receiving barbs, and had to admit that it looked pretty ridiculous. The other big problem was the responsiveness of the phone inside the holder (similar to the foggy arm band). I wore it maybe a dozen times before realizing that I needed to make another deposit into the bin of no return.

Running Waist Packs

Confident that I’d figured out the best option for training and racing, I went for gold and snagged an Osprey Duro Solo waist pack. This pack had all the major functions that I was looking for: water bottle holder (that was easy to take out and put back), phone holder and pocket for gels. Naturally it was on the bulkier side, but was very well made and didn’t bounce much. After my brutal first major marathon in Chicago, I decided to use this for NYC. It allowed me to avoid the majority of the water stops (aka mosh pits) and comfortably carry my gels and phone. I ended up using this again for the Boston Marathon but was still looking for something a little more comfortable and a little less bulky.

Waist Bands

With my borderline obsession to find the perfect pack, and my growing interest in learning as much as I could about distance running, I stumbled across a bunch of really great videos by this runner/film-maker called Billy Yang. He has a ton of amazing videos (movies really) on YouTube and I noticed that he was wearing a waist band for his runs, even for some of his ultra races. Side note: an ultra is any distance over a marathon (26.2 miles). I was watching one of Billy’s videos about his favorite running gear and he had his running band on the list!

There are more than a few companies that make something similar, but I decided to go with Billy’s recommendation and get one by Naked. I was impressed by the storage capacity that he referenced in the video, in particular that he often uses it alone when running ultras. At this point I was willing to give anything a try and so I picked one up (the sizing is a little funky, so make sure to really look at it before picking your size). I have had it for almost a year now, and absolutely love it. It’s very comfortable, very high quality and can comfortably carry a ton of things. It’s my go-to accessory for about 95% of my runs, including races.

Running Back Packs

I can’t remember exactly when I got my first running pack, but I vaguely remember getting a really good deal on a Camelbak bag at Marshalls or Sierra Trading Post. It was purchased some time during my training cycle for (or what was supposed to be) for the 2020 Boston Marathon. I had worn it a few times on longer training days, but felt like a bit of a hardo. What finally made me put it aside was during a 20 mile run where my chest and ribs were quite sore as a result of the continual banging of the water bottles. I had been feeling the soreness, but it wasn’t until I refilled the bottles at the halfway point that I realized that they were the source of the pain.

I have since upgraded my running vests and picked up two different sized ones from Osprey – the Duro 6 and Duro 15. They are both excellent, and have tons of storage and reservoirs to carry a sufficient amount of water (1.5L and 2.5L). When I have needed a pack (typically longer cold-weather trail runs), the Duro 6 has been my go-to. I picked up the larger Duro 15 for much longer trail runs and as a lighter day pack for quicker paced hiking.

My Current Favorite

Drum roll please….. if you’ve made it this far, you probably aren’t surprised to learn that the running band and Osprey back packs are my go-tos. The running band is coming with me virtually every time, but there is no substitute for a pack when you have a need to either add or remove any layers. Essentially, what is most important is what works for everyone individually, but the inspiration to write this came from the constant questions I hear on this topic. Hopefully you use my trials and errors to help inform your decision-making process, but either way there is no universally wrong option. Thanks for tuning in again and carry on! See what I did there? 🙂