Naked Running Band Review

The Naked Running Band (or Naked Belt) is a stretchy, form-fitting waist pack that holds 2-ish liters of gear for 2-ish ounces. It’s my favorite and most-used way to carry gear for any run as long as 1) the weather won’t be too crazy, and 2) you only need 500ml or a liter of water or there is water on route.

How do I use it?

My main use cases are:

• Short to medium distance runs (<2 hours) on trails or road that I know well, where I’ll carry my phone, bear spray (if needed), a 500ml soft flask, a gel or two, AirPods, and TP.
• Long runs (2+ hours) with water on route. Here I’ll carry the same gear as above, plus a small first aid kit with an emergency blanket where the soft flask was, and a soft shell jacket rolled up and put through the pole-holder loops on the back. For water, I’ll then use one or two handheld bottles with filter caps depending on how much water is available on the trail.

What can you carry and how do you pack it?

A lot. The band is divided into three equal sections, which can each hold the equivalent of a 500ml soft flask and a couple of gels at least.

I wear one section centered on my back (the section with the silicon grip loops for poles/a jacket), which leaves me with a front left and a front right pouch, but you can wear it in whatever way is most comfortable and useful (it’s easy to rotate while wearing).

In the back pouch, I almost always carry a bear spray. I put it in so the finger guard is pointed up and easier to grab/pull out. If you carry bear spray, be a bit cautious putting it into the belt, as the safety clip can come off and the pressure from the belt can depress the trigger. If you carry something bulky or hard (like bear spray) in the back pouch, poles will not fit in the silicon loops, but you can still loop a small jacket (like the Patagonia Houdini) through the silicon loops.

In the front left pouch, I carry my phone closest to the centre, and then put gels or other snacks which are more flexible around the side towards my hip. There’s usually some extra room still for headphones or TP or some salt tabs as well.

In the front right pouch, I’ll either put a soft flask and another gel, or if I’m using handheld bottles this is where I’ll put any of the emergency gear and more food.

How does it compare to a vest or shorts with phone and gel pockets?

For me, it’s completely replaced my use of the pockets on shorts like the Rabbit FKTs and the Patagonia Strider Pros. I find the side pockets are only okay for holding a gel, and bounce with anything like car keys in them. The back zippered pocket bounces like crazy with a phone in it (particularly with the Rabbit shorts, but none are as good as the Naked Belt).

I still use a vest for 1) long runs without water sources, and 2) anything where the weather can be a big factor (in the alpine and in the winter in particular). I find that a vest impacts my running form more and can be warmer / sweatier / less comfortable than a belt, but there are times when it’s the right option.

Does it last?

In the important areas, yes. I’ve used mine for more than a thousand miles, and all the branding and lettering has peeled off, but it functions basically the same as it did when brand new.

After a few years of heavy use, the back pocket (where I carry bear spray) has stretched out a teeny tiny bit, and I’d already sized up when I purchased the belt initially, and these two factors combined have made the belt sit slightly lower than I’d like when it’s almost completely empty (think just a phone and a gel). I believe this is a combination of heavy use plus my initial sizing decisions, but it is worth noting for completeness. I’ll most likely end up buying a second belt in a size down to use on the days where I’m not carrying much at all.

How can it be improved?

Thankfully, the only improvements / modifications that the Naked belt needs can be taken care of in three minutes with some scissors.

• There is a thick pack of care/product tags without an easy-tear removal option (I cut them out)
• The race number attachments are annoying, and they don’t fit all sizes of bibs (I cut them off as well)

Your needs may vary, and on the other hand, I love the key clip. I’ve never had anything (keys or otherwise) pop out of the band inadvertently, but the peace of mind is worth a lot.

Sizing using Naked’s online tool is not too complicated, but (like many things) it’s much easier if you can try on multiple sizes in a local store rather than guessing online. I like my Naked belt to sit above the hip bones when fully loaded, but your preference again may vary.

Recommendation

Highly recommended. For less than half the price of a vest, you get a running belt that somehow doesn’t bounce and fits my needs over 90% of the time. For anything less than a couple of hours, the Naked Running Band can carry everything you need without the hassle of a vest or the bounce of shorts pockets.