Flipbelt Running Belt

The Flipbelt Running Belt
www.theflipbelt.co.uk
rrp £25

I must start by saying that this really is a fantastic product, something that I have been looking for, for a long time.

The main problem I have encountered as a runner is where to store my personal items, such as keys, money, fuels, phone etc. When I first started my phone was stored on my arm in the usual armband, but as phones became larger, these became impractical as it was to large and uncomfortable to be strapped on the arm, The arm bands were also a bit of a pain to access and wear, when using jackets. The next solution was a bumbag, this was worn once really uncomfortable and bounced around too much; too much distraction. So until now my solution has been to use the small zipped pockets that you find on running shorts, and an old small Walkman phone, small pockets =small storage.

For me the Flipbelt solves alot of problems, and it does them with ease. There is a clip sewn into the belt which gives extra security to your keys, to be honest the belt would work without this, but gives extra peace of mind. The belt works by way of being an stretchy tube with access holes placed around. You simply slide the items you want to carry inside the hole, and quite simply as it says flip the belt over, this safely locks the item against your body and does it in a way that it doesn't bounce around. The belt can even stretch to fit a water bottle in but can become uncomfortable, I have a small handheld bottle that fits in quite well.

I came across the belt whilst training for the Great North Run, regularly running 13 mile sessions, needing to take on energy gels and water, and needing to carry music for motivation and money in case of emergency as well as my house/car keys. Now imagine carrying all of those items in a bumbag, not the greatest having that bouncing around. With the Flipbelt everything could be placed around the belt and carried comfortably with minimal distraction, it is very easy to remove the items when needed, such as removing gels when needed to take on fuel. The access holes make it easy to connect you earphones to your phone/mp3 player. Best of all - I can now take my iphone 6/6+ on the runs with me again, unfortunately the belt isnt waterproof so I still need to wrap the phone in ziploc bag to keep it dry.

The belt is very stylish, no-one wants to be wearing bumbags anymore, you can wear the belt as a stylish waistband or even underneath your running top/jacket and keep it very inconspicuous.

The only issues I had with the belt are it not being waterproof (this would probably affect the fit of the belt) and the lack of reflective markings when the belt is flipped, both small issues.

Some people may find the belt a little expensive at £25, but I think it is worth every penny, solves a lot of issues faced by active people daily.

Pros
Can be use anywhere - running, cycling, at the gym or even just when around town shopping
Available in a variety of colours to match your running outfits.
Comfortable to wear - minimal distraction
Easy to use and versatile.
Machine Washable

Cons
Not waterproof
No reflective logo when belt is flipped.

Asics Sweat Seoul Running Top

Asics Sweat Seoul Long Sleeve Running Top.
www.Asics.com
rrp £33

I decided to start looking for something in which to run during the cooler evenings, more specificly where its just too cold for short sleeves and too warm for the jacket. I purchased the Asics Sweat Seoul long sleeve running top and was impressed with the quality.

A company that obviously knows running with its high quality training shoes have produced a great functional top. 

The first thing that hit me was the design of the top. It is quite a slim fit, I am usually medium in running tops, however this top required me to buy a large and it is a perfect fit with what I think is quite an athletic/aggressive look when being worn. A quarter length zip allows for the top to be put on and removed easily. Slimline sleeves also provide a top that reduces distraction flow flappy cuffs and improve streamlining. 

The slim line fit of the tope doesn't allow for a lot of clothing underneath, but did comfortably fit my regular medium t-shirt, and also had no trouble fitting over my long sleeved Skins and Under Armour thermal compression wear. To the rear of the top is the Asics logo in reflective material along with a pattern of stripes to the lower back again in reflective material adding a bit of safety in the darker nights.

For purpose of testing I used Adidas techfit cool top beneath the top, temperature was warm and dry, 18 degrees celsius. I was amazed at how cool I remained throughout the run considering I had a long sleeve top on, the zip collar allowing me to open up and get some fresh air when I did get a bit warmer. A great design on the sleeves was the perforated material of the outer arm, which allowed alot of air in keeping me cool.

VERDICT
A great quality running top, with excellent safety and comfort features, I was really impressed with this top and can highly recommend it. Just remeber it is slim fit so size up on purchase!

IAMRUNBOX

IAMRUNBOX: Garment and Document Carrier
www.iamrunbox.com
twitter @iamrunbox
rrp £25

I received this new product the iamrunbox document carrier, with a view to testing this as a commuter who uses the cycle to get to work.  The concept behind the box is to keep your work documents and work clothes crease free on the daily commute to work. The box does exactly what it says it keeps your items safe.

The water resistant reinforced case has an internal pocket behind which you could store your docs, or valuable items such as ipad or small notebooks and phones etc, it also comes with a folding guide which you use as a tool to correctly fold your clothes to the right size.

Unfortunately the box could do with being slightly larger, for its intended use of work clothes I struggled to get more that a shirt and trousers in, as well as underwear and socks, and there is no room to fit shoes or a jacket in either. It does do its job though and keeps the shirt and trousers neat and crease free.

Before receiving the box, I was expecting an alternative to a backpack, but it is what it says, a box. There are no straps to the box, but it does have a handle so maybe more a sporty carrycase, the box is plaed within a suitably sized backpack. I found myself using the box more as a document carrier than a garment carrier if I am truly honest. I did use the box to carry my shirt and trousers on a trip abroad, and the garments did arrive nice and neat following the air trip.

VERDICT:

I found runbox to be a useful item, however it could be so much more, which I believe is in production.

The box is stylish, and looks modern and sporty, and is very useful maybe more as a document carrier and use as a tech carrier.

 The box could do with being slightly larger, could be made waterproof (rather than resistant) and would benefit from having shoulder straps to be used by itself as a lightweight alternative.