It's prime running season here in Austin, TX and I've finally finished up a new batch of running belt reviews. I've been using several of these belts for a while now with my iPhone 6s Plus, though the FlipBelt Zipper is a very recent (if greatly anticipated) addition. The iPhone 6s Plus is of course the same basic size as it's predecessor, so running with a large iPhone isn't a very different experience than it was last year. But, I do think the popularity of the large phones is fueling a larger market for iPhone running belts, which warrants expanding my reviews to include more products as they come on the market.

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Note: You can find a link to all of my previous (and future) running belt reviews here at the Running Belt Mega Review.

Daswise Waterproof Exercise Runners Belt (Amazon) - Facebook

I picked up the Daswise runners belt after seeing the great reviews on Amazon and being curious to try a waterproof belt. Even though I'm usually not taking my phone out to run in the rain, protection from sweat was a key reason for me switching to running belts over armbands in the first place, so moisture protection is a welcome feature.

The pocket on the Daswise feels like the right size for an iPhone 6s Plus. It needs to stretch a little when headphones are plugged in, but that's very typical with most running belts. The snugness means that the phone will lay flat while running and not tilt down to either side.

I did notice that the Daswise straps were fairly smooth. The friction point between the straps and the buckles is low, making it fairly easy to adjust by pushing on the buckles. For this reason, I feel like this belt was probably designed to be worn with the pocket on your back. In this orientation, one would simply grab both buckles and pull backwards to tighten, or flick forward to loosen. That seems like a natural interaction to me, but for someone who wears their belt facing forwards, I had a little trouble getting the right fit. Once I found the right fit it did stay put without accidentally loosening.

While I haven't tested the Daswise out in a storm, I have noticed that my phone feels less damp after a long run when using this belt. I definitely think that it protects against moisture better than my other belts, but I would hesitate to call it waterproof. Fortunately though, the iPhone 6s Plus has been tested as far more resistant to moisture than previous iPhones, and the iPhone 7 is rumored to be totally waterproof, so this feature may not be required for long.

The build quality of this belt felt better than the TAPP-C, but not quite up to the level of the higher priced and very popular SPIbelt or FlipBelt. But for the price ($9.99 at time of writing) and with the additional moisture protection, this belt feels like a great bargain.

FlipBelt Zipper - Website

A favorite from my original Running Belt review last year, FlipBelt recently released a Zipper addition that addresses one of my early qualms with the original. Adding a zipper pocket makes a lot of sense for people running with loose items like a credit card or a single key that they don't want to worry about losing.

As I noted in my expansion review last year, the FlipBelt has actually become one of my favorite and most used running belts. A lot of this just comes down to comfort. The FlipBelt is soft and fits evenly around you, which makes it feel great for longer runs.

One downside is the sizing. FlipBelt isn't adjustable, so if you're really on the bubble between sizes I suggest ordering the smaller of the two. I actually ran into this issue this year because of losing weight. I'm now closer to the Large fit than the XL. My FlipBelt still fits and does work, but it's not quite as comfortable as it was previously.

The FlipBelt Zipper retains the great ease of use of the original. Getting your large iPhone 6s Plus in and out is still the easiest of any belt I've tried. Distributing snacks and other objects around the belt to spread out weight or bulk is also still a thing you can do.

As for the zipper pocket, it feels well made with a quality zipper, and is actually pretty large. It's big enough to hold an iPhone 6s Plus, but I wouldn't recommend putting it there. You have to really stretch the pocket to make the phone fit, but I think that's fine because that's not the intended use for that pocket. Keep the phone in the primary pockets, and use the zippered pocket for keys/cards/cash. If you've been holding out on FlipBelt until they added a zipper, then this is definitely the one for you.

Run Baby Running Belt (Amazon) - Facebook

Run Baby's belt borrows an aspect of its design from FlipBelt, going with a slot opening pocket rather than a zipper. While this design for a pocket works well, especially given its size, the other aspects of this belt are very different from FlipBelt.

The Run Baby belt uses a large band with a wide buckle. It's actually the largest buckle of any of the belts I've tested. In practice, this buckle felt too large for me. The size of the band and buckle are necessary to support the size of the rest of the belt and its pocket. Of course, having a buckle also makes this belt more adjustable than the FlipBelt, but the tradeoff didn't make this belt any more comfortable.

The downside of the Run Baby belt's pocket design and how it impacts comfort is the woven seems around the edges of the main pocket. The seems were irritating whenever they came in contact with skin, scratching in a similar way to velcro. If you tend to wear your belts over clothing this wouldn't be an issue, but I usually run with mine underneath my shirt.

The final area where this belt differs from the FlipBelt is around the pocket slot openings. The FlipBelt slots are fairly easy to locate because of an inseam that separates them from the rest of the main seam. The slots on the Run Baby blend in a little more, and are also a tad smaller. My iPhone 6s Plus still fits, but experienced a fair bit of friction when used with a case.

While I appreciate the ability to adjust a belt with a slotted pocket, the comfort issues were enough for me not to want to use this belt day to day.

Gear Beast Running Belt (Amazon) - Website

Gear Beast's belt is of a minimal style similar to SPIbelt or Daswise. The pocket is only barely big enough to hold an iPhone 6s Plus, and does hold it tightly. The straps are thin, but not too thin. The material is wicking, but isn't advertised to be waterproof.

After testing a large number of running belts, I appreciated the tight-elastic nature of the band on the Gear Beast. You can definitely tell that your phone isn't going to end up bouncing around, because the band does hold very fight after you snap the buckle.

The band attaches to the pocket in an interesting fashion, whereby the pocket itself sort of wraps around the back of the band. While I can see this being a win for durability, it has the side effect of torquing the pocket around the band. This means that unless your phone is perfectly leveled within the pocket, the compartment could be torqued up into your waist, or down towards your groin while running. This likely wouldn't be an issue for people that run with their belt behind them on their back, however I found it to be a little fiddly until I got the positioning right.

Similar to the Daswise belt, the straps on the Gear Beast were fairly low friction. I found them to be just a little bit tighter than the Daswise, making it easier to get the right fit while wearing the belt facing forwards.

With the same price and a very similar build quality to the Daswise, it might be difficult to choose between these two belts. I think the difference will come down to fit preference. The Gear Beast will be easier to get and keep the right fit, because of it's higher friction point and tighter elastic. The Daswise pocket is more evenly leveled though, so your phone will sit straighter in the pocket while at rest. Either way, both belts are quite cheap and are a good value.

SPI H20 Companion (Amazon) - Website

While not itself a running belt, the SPI H20 Companion water bottle does fit nicely as an accessory to really any running belt because of it's clip on design. The companion is marketed as an add on to the SPIBelt (Amazon), but really applies to anyone interested in trying to add hydration to their running routine.

What I found while testing the companion is that carrying hydration during my workouts was an adjustment I hadn't really considered before. It's something extra you need to plan for and optimize, and I honestly just hadn't thought about that challenge before. I've been very used to running in urban areas with lots of water fountains, but that's not always something that people have available to them while training.

I found the companion bottle to be an easy fit on the belts I tested it with. The clip on the back is easy to use while running. Drinking out of any bottle while actually running is a skill all of its own, but I appreciated the nozzle design of the companion that felt easy to direct the flow of water.

The one area that I wish were improved was the angle of the nozzle backwards towards the clip. When worn beneath clothing, I could feel the nozzle rub against my skin. I found myself just tucking the edge of my shirt around it, which had the benefit of preventing the rubbing as well as making it easier to pull out of the belt.

While the companion isn't something I carry with me on every run, it is something I can add to one of my belts for longer runs or when I'm out running in a place with less hydration available.

Note: SPIBelt supplied me with a SPI H20 Companion bottle for the purpose of this review.

Conclusion

So which belt do I choose which running belt I use for a given run? I usually go with lighter weight ones for longer runs, unless I need to carry bars or gels, when I'll choose one like the FlipBelt that offers more options for packing extra goods. Moisture protection isn't a big factor for me, and neither is fit. All of these belts fit me well. Comfort is very important though, and I usually find the smaller/lighter belts to be more comfortable for me, with the exception of the FlipBelt which remains my most comfortable belt.

Whichever belt you go with, I'll give one more shout out to running with the Apple Watch. In watchOS 2, Apple further expanded the workout tracking capabilities of the watch, making it a wonderful companion to any runner. I still carry my phone with me when I go running though, which is why I still feel it's important to have a good running belt.

I hope this helps you choose the running belt that is right for you. I think it's safe to say that larger iPhones are here to stay, which will make these running belts great running companions for us for a long time to come.