How To Carry Your Phone When You Run

So many new runners are hitting the streets and trails in search of fresh air and exercise these days. I think this is fantastic! I've been running for most 10 years now and can't imagine my life without it.

But I remember when I first started running, amongst all the issues of form and shoes and warmups and grooming plans, 1 of my biggest unexpected questions was: How do I deport my phone while running?

Whether for communication, maps, music, emergencies, or to runway our workouts, a smartphone is an essential piece of running gear for many of usa. But as smartphone screens grow e'er-larger, our options for conveying them keep shrinking.

In this post I'll lay out all the options for what to do with your phone while running, and explain the pros and cons of each then you tin can choose what'south all-time for you and get on with enjoying your run. If you're convinced your phone is too big to run with, think again! It'due south just a matter of finding the right selection.

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In Your Manus

Let's get-go with this, considering not everything requires fancy gear. Sometimes the best way to behave a telephone while running is… to only carry it. I have carried my smartphone in my mitt on short or medium runs enough of times. It'southward not my favorite, just information technology'south actually not that bad either. And the best part: information technology'southward completely free.

To make this fifty-fifty easier and reduce the run a risk of dropping your precious phone, add one of these ring grips to the back. There'southward fifty-fifty this hand strap telephone holder thingy, which I oasis't tried, merely seems promising if you're worried about losing your grip.

Pros of running with phone in hand:

Cheap or free
Elementary
Easy admission to your phone

Cons of running with telephone in paw:

Potential for dropping
No water protection (might I advise a ziplock baggie)
No extra room for keys or credit card (hopefully you have a small pocket in your shorts)
Can encourage asymmetric gait
Requires one of your hands, obviously

Running Shorts Pocket

Running with a phone in your pocket used to be a lot easier for men than women. Pretty much all my husband's running shorts have a deep side pocket that can fit a smartphone, even if it'due south not designed for that purpose.

Many of my own women's running shorts, on the other hand, have tiny pockets that appear to be designed for a single sports gel. Fortunately more than running habiliment companies are getting with the program these days and making pants with telephone-sized pockets for everyone.

Brooks 2-in-1 curt has a clever subconscious pocket in the liner

Pros of running with a phone in your pocket:

Leaves hands free
Less take a chance of dropping

Cons of phone in pocket:

Limits your selection of running shorts to those with big pockets (and we all know the correct pair of running shorts is already hard enough to detect)
May or may not exist piece of cake to access depending on pocket design
Phone can get sweaty (consider a ziplock pocketbook cover for sweat and pelting)
Can bounce awkwardly if shorts are not a good fit, causing chafing

Water Bottles, Belts, and Packs

If you've already solved the problem of how to carry h2o while running, you lot may also have a solution for where to put your phone wile running. Most hydration vests, packs, and belts will easily fit a phone.

For long runs the Ultimate Management Ultra Vesta is my current go-to hydration vest, though there are many different vest options to cull from. For shorter runs, the Nathan Speedshot Plus handheld bottle holds my phone and keeps me hydrated.

Pros of carrying your phone in your water pack/chugalug/canteen contraption:

Both easily free if using a pack or belt
Offers some protection from the elements
Depression hazard of dropping

Cons of belts/packs/bottles:

More than expensive
Accept to take phone out to use it, which can be tough with certain packs
Tin be cumbersome and only makes sense if your run is long enough to crave carrying water

Hip Belt

If your route isn't hot or long enough to require water but you still want to carry a phone on your run, consider a running waist belt with a phone pocket. This leaves your hands free and opens upwards your running short options to those without pockets.

It'south important to discover a practiced fit, or you'll have issues with billowy and chafing. Wide and apartment bands similar the Flip Belt, StashBandz, and Nathan Hipster are popular considering they tend to minimize these issues.

Pros of using a running chugalug to carry your phone:

Keeps your hands free
Protects your telephone from accidental drops

Cons of running belts:

Needs to fit well or it will bounciness and chafe
Phone can get sweaty (protect it with a ziplock baggie)

Armband

Runners have been using arm bands to bear a phone while running for quite a while, and there are plenty of options bachelor. This was one of the first solutions I tried, nearly 10 years agone. Personally I didn't like it, but I think that's because I have small arms (need to hit those bicep curls…). I also think the available products accept improved since then.

Depending on the model at that place might exist a clear touchscreen window or just a cloth pocket. Some have clever features like a rotating mountain so yous can run across your phone while it'south on your arm. Here are two contrasting options that are both pop, with many 4+ star ratings on Amazon:

Revere Sport Armband (clear window)
E Tronic Armband Sleeve (material pocket)

Pros of running with a telephone in an armband:

Cheap
Keeps your hands free
Protects your telephone (some claim to be water resistant)
Convenient placement if using wired earbuds
Sometimes possible to see your phone without taking information technology out

Cons of arm bands:

Can bounce, chafe, or slide if not a good fit
Sometimes awkward for people with modest arms
Hard to use telephone while in sleeve, and tin can be difficult to arrive and out depending on the model
Weird tan lines, if I'chiliad being honest

If you desire to endeavor an arm ring, await for one that's easily adaptable, won't abrasion your arm, and is like shooting fish in a barrel to get the phone in and out of, if that'southward something you tend to do while on the run.

Sports Bra

Ladies, we often lose out in the running shorts pocket game, just we do have one option the guys don't for carrying our phones while running: sports bra pockets! Plainly bra fit is a personal thing and this may non work for everyone, but this affordable pocket sports bra includes a back pocket for a smartphone and gets surprisingly good reviews. Might exist worth a try!

Pros of sports bra pockets for conveying a phone:

User-friendly location for using wired earbuds
Hands free
Protects phone from being dropped

Cons of bra pockets:

Phone can get sweaty (use a plastic ziplock)
Can be difficult and/or awkward to get the phone in and out of the pocket
Can exist uncomfortable for some women
Finding a good sports bra fit is hard enough already, let's non complicate it further

Whichever method yous end upwardly choosing, I hope this helps yous find the best style to behave your phone on your next run. I know it seems like a small matter, but the easier nosotros can brand this for ourselves, the more probable nosotros are to become out there and enjoy the miles.

More Running Tips

I'k thrilled that you're getting out and running! It'south such a corking way to explore and be active. If you're new to running you might also appreciate these tips I wish I'd known when I first started running.

Nigh the Writer

Howdy there, I'm Alissa. I've had the pleasure of hiking the Arizona Trail, Colorado Trail, John Muir Trail, Tahoe Rim Trail, and countless shorter amazing trails throughout the U.s.a. and away. I love confinement, big views, and a good lightweight gear setup. Learn more or say hi.

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