I gave the Naked running band a test drive and was pleasantly surprised that it lived up to the hype.
It was a bit disconcerting that the pockets don’t have fasteners, but the elasticity and design meant that nothing was going to escape whilst out on the run. I used the collapsible accompanying water bottle, and again just as it promised on the marketing hype, found no sploshing or movement in the belt. Just be sure to thread the lid on correctly, which is a challenge on a squishy bottle and meant I had an unexpected shower when I first used it!
I’d definitely recommend using it for any long training runs, and with more races becoming eco-friendly and mandatory gear lists enforcing the use of reusable BYO drink vessels, this is a great option.
It easily held my iPhone 6 which again didn’t bump around and there was capacity to include a lot more than I needed it for. My view is that for much longer events where mandatory gear lists start to grow (say 50k and longer), a small running backpack is probably still your best option to avoid looking like you are literally carrying a spare tyre around your middle.
My one piece of crucial advice is to pack all your bits and pieces AFTER your last toilet trip. However, if you do need to go and don’t want anything to tip out, I discovered hiking it up around your midsection was easier than stepping out and back in again!
