In a perfect world, I鈥檇 be out the door every day by 6 A.M. for a cool morning run. It never happens. Instead I spend that time feeding and entertaining my kids, walking my dogs, chasing deadlines, taking meetings, and fixing stuff around the house. By the time I鈥檓 finally free, it鈥檚 usually 4 P.M. That means if I want to exercise in the summer,听I have to face the burning sun听and temperatures that often hover around 90 to听95 degrees听here in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
I know I鈥檒l melt if I stay out too long, so I limit my runs to 30 or 45 minutes.听I also听take water filled with electrolytes to make sure I stay hydrated. As a gear tester, I鈥檝e tried my fair share of packs, handheld bottles, and water-carry听systems听but have landed on the ($40) as my absolute favorite.听
I like that the Flash听puts the weight of the included bottle on my lower back. I鈥檓 not a huge fan of handheld carriers, because they interfere with my running form. So while I have to reach for a drink on this belt, it鈥檚 never a problem as听the bottle is angled up and easy to find. A small elastic strap keeps it in place and is a breeze to slide off and on with one hand.
I run with an Apple Watch and AirPods, because the watch stores my running playlist. But if I ever want to bring my phone, there鈥檚 a pocket on听the side of the belt听that鈥檚 just big enough for a regular iPhone 11. There are also reflective strips听that will hopefully keep me from getting hit by cars when I head out in the dark this winter.
Insulated running bottles will never keep water as cold as听vacuum-insulated metal bottles. That said, if I fill this one to the brim with ice, pop in a drink mix (),听then top if off with water, everything melts but stays cold until the end of my run. If I鈥檓 regularly sipping, I have just enough water to take one last chug while I stretch in the shade at the end of my session.
Those of you who want to run for more than an hour will need to look elsewhere鈥攖his听belt doesn鈥檛 carry enough water to keep you hydrated any听longer than that. But for听runners听who don鈥檛 have time to log a ton of miles, I think you鈥檒l find the Flash Belt is nearly perfect.