I love gadgets. I love organising. I love things that look cute. I love to RUN!
Sometimes I run straight from home, sometimes I run straight after work and need to take keys, sometimes I ride my bike to Parkrun and need to carry the bike lock keys.
I have a Garmin Forerunner 15 which I use to track my runs, and don’t really want to take my phone (iPhone 5) but for safety’s sake I do. I’d been using an armband and found it extremely frustrating for a few of reason; 1) it makes my arm hot, 2) it doesn’t stay done up, 3) I have skinny spider arms and can’t really get the armband tight enough.
Enter…. Drumroll please… The Flipbelt. I’d looked at other options (e.g. Spibelt, which I know a lot of people love) but I just couldn’t hack the utilitarian design. The Flipbelt’s resemblance to a smooth waistband on running shorts had me sold at the outset. Not to mention the fabulous colour selection!
As an obsessive researcher, I surfed through a bunch of reviews before purchasing mine, but found it hard to find exact measurements of user’s waist/hips where they would wear the belt, and what size they ended up purchasing. So, all vanity aside, here it is! My stats: waist is 75.5cm and my hips are 91cm. I was planning on wearing the belt on my hips, so I chose the Medium which sized to fit between 74-80cm, with a maximum stretched length of 96cm. I was a little worried it would be too big given the maximum stretch length, but figured I’d never been small in anything (I’m 5’11”) so medium seemed more likely to be right.
It arrived really quickly, in two days, and I wanted to run STRAIGHT AWAY. I’d picked it up from the post office on the way to work and considered jogging round the office in my work clothes to try it out. Fortunately for my colleagues, I decided to wait until the following morning to take it for its first spin.
The next day I was up bright and early ready to test it out. It was simple to put on and fill with bits and pieces. You simply step into it, or pull it over your head like a t-shirt, with the slits facing outward. You stash your gear into one of the 4 slits. Then, as the name suggests, you flip it inwards so your gear won’t fall out. I carried keys (for which there is a dedicated hook attachment) and phone (which I kept inside a small ziplock as the belt is not waterproof). It could easily have fitted more, a small wallet with money/cards, lip balm, a gel or two etc. I’ve worn it with the phone both at the front and the back and either position was perfectly fine. No movement, no irritation. I could also easily slip the phone in with the slits already facing inwards which is a bonus.
For me, the medium is a perfect fit. It’s nice and snug on my hips, but not too tight to bother me. In fact, when I got home I forgot it was on and pulled it off with my shorts when I went to shower. I wouldn’t wear it on my waist as the medium is a too loose and would move around (and I hate things on my waist anyway).
The quality of the belt is also excellent. As the daughter of a professional tailor, and someone who can sew, I scrutinise this sort of thing thoroughly. It seems extremely sturdy and ready to take on years of constant use.
I ran again two days later, another 5k at Parkrun, and got a PB in it. The Flipbelt didn’t budge an inch, and not once during my run did I notice I was wearing it.
A woman in front of me at Parkrun was wearing some other type of running belt, and she was continually adjusting it as it bobbed around in front of her and slid up towards her waist. This increased my purchase satisfaction even more!
I did 6k Tuesday and will do 7k next Tuesday, all wearing the belt. I’m unsure whether I would use the Flipbelt for runs over 10k, then I might want to carry water or food, but I’ll wait and see next year when I start increasing my distances working up to the Gold Coast Half Marathon (eek!) I think a handheld bottle and Flipbelt might work, I don’t like the idea of things jiggling around my body while I run.
The only scenario I haven’t tried is running with music (because I don’t do it). I’ve read reviews that say the belt doesn’t suit as you can’t easily access your phone. I feel like it’d be possible to wear earphones and have the cord coming out one slit, even with the slits flipped in. And, if you have a running playlist, changing music won’t be a problem.
In the images I have used my husband’s Nexus 4 with a screen size of 4.7 inches – exactly the same as an iPhone 6 – and it fit easily.
So ladies, though it’s a little pricier than Spibelt and similar belts, I much prefer the design. I believe you’d probably be able to fit more in, as the pocket goes all the way round the belt, and I can tell you from experience it’s fantastically comfortable and does not budge (assuming you purchase the correct size).
You can purchase the flip belt here.
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