Each month the Run Testers try out piles of running products, but there’s a lot of kit outside of shoes and tech that we don’t get a chance to talk about until we do a full round-up.
In this month’s video, we’re focussing on running kit ideas to buy as Christmas gifts.
Check out The Run Testers podcast:
JUMP STRAIGHT IN:
00:00 – Intro
Nick’s Picks
00:44 – Reebok Howe Sports Trunks
01:40 – Silva Smini Fly
03:06 – Stripa Watch Strap
04:51 – Soar Long Sleeve Printed Tech T
Kieran’s Picks
06:03 – Nedao HyperLite Storm Jacket AeroShield Waterproof Jacket 2.0
06:44 – Bodylite Night Vision Light
08:20 – OMM Ultra 12
09:12 – CXP Endurance XP
Gill’s Picks
10:50 – Notch Bracelet
12:42 – The Ultimate Guide to Parkrun
14:35 – Coros HRM
15:36 – Bodylite Night Vision Light
Tom’s Picks
16:24 – Monkey Sox
17:42 – Soar Wooltech Top
19:18 – Kalenji Run Wild Sleeveless Jacket
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Cheers Tom here from the Run testers With another monthly Roundup this one is A little bit different it's coming up to Christmas now so I asked the Run testers To pick their favorite bits of Kit from Over the past year that they think would Make good Christmas gifts some of them We have featured before but we're Putting them in again if we really Really like them and we still like them So let's dive in and see what we picked For the December Roundup [Music] So my first pick in this extra special Monthly Roundup at of Christmas is an Item that I think will make a great gift For a runner for sure it's the rebook How Sports trunks so these are Lightweight and breathable trunks you Get a pack of three from the cathlon for About £35 I think won't be surprised if That price comes down somewhere at some Point they have you know a really long Fit which goes right down the leg which Is what I like reason I like wear half Tights is I like to have a lot of my Inner thigh covered just to the Potential for a chafing risk down there And these are very soft and comfortable Been wearing them for lots of long runs At the back end of marathon training Supportive comfor I generally wear Sports underwear myself under my half Tights or shorts just I like the feeling
Of having another layer there a little Bit of extra support you know you don't Have to there are certainly some half Tights I don't have to bother with that But I still like wearing them and so I Use a range of underwear brands for this The Under Armour box of jocks have been Very good for me for a long time and Yeah a really big fan of these House Sports Trunks from rebook as well like I Said you get a pack of three solid thing To under the tree if you're a runner and We be providing a little bit of extra Comfort and support on long runs my next Pick this month is the Silver S mini fly Headlamp uh this is40 it is an Incredibly lightweight and easy to use Headlight which it probably wouldn't be The one you'd pick as your main light if You're going to go do a mountain Ultra Or something like that but as an extra Light for to help you see things or be More visible when you're running on the Streets and as a light that you could Use as your only light for running in Something like the forest near me eing Forest is where I've used it and the Paths are pretty good there you know It's enough it goes under 250 Lumen so You get enough light there in a really Lightweight easy to adjust package That's very comfortable on the run as Well it weighs in under 40 G you've got Three light settings the top one of
Which goes up to 250 lumens there's also A red light setting you can switch Between those modes easily it's very Easy to adjust the size with this strap On the back so you can wear it tilt the Headlight down to see what you need to See on the Run battery life you know if You use the lowest light mode is like 20 Hours but I think you'll probably be Using the higher light mode and if you Have it in the max light mode it's only About an hour and a half obviously That's something you sacrifice for the Small size here but yeah it's just a Really convenient little light I do not Like running after the darks so I've Done a couple of runs to test this I've Also lent it to my friend who's in the Forest quite a lot after dark and yeah Says it works really well for him as Well so yeah I do think it's a really Nice little headband if you're not Necessarily going for something that's Going to be an allout very long lasting Very bright mountaineering style Headlamp good for dog walking as well And Hiking so just a really nice pretty Good value light in a lightweight Package that's like I say easy to use And it's rechargeable as well with a USBC cable so you're not swapping out Batteries or anything like that and then My third pick this month is the striper Or streer watch strap that's St r i p a
These guys reached out to us over Instagram they want to try and you know Send the strap to test it's quite a Unique design so it's like a two layer Strap you have a soft and stretchy Elastic layer then a Firma layer and the Straps are made to measure not only your Wrist but also your watch so you measure The distance between the lugs on the Watch and the top and bottom lugs also Your wrist size and then the strap is Sent made to measure it only comes in Black right now like the Ford Model T But it's a pretty nice and simple design That will work for most kind of styles I Would say and it's really comfortable And you know you obviously it's made to Measure you can tighten it very slightly By slipping your finger One Way along The band and loosen it by going the Other way is tight enough for exercise Dries off fairly quickly after a workout As well as doesn't feel like it's cold And clammy against your wrist and it's Resistant to stuff like sea water as Well so you know all in know just a Really nice watch band and if you do Have one watch you're very settled on un Likee us constantly swapping stuff You're testing you know you can get a Really nice MTO measure band that's Really good for sport as well it's tight Enough running watch won't move around And helps keep that heart rate monitor
In place if you are using the optical Heart rate monitor cost €39 they do ship Everywhere and like I said you can Customize it closely to your wrist size Your preferences and also the watch You're going to use there's also Apple Watch variants as well so I just got one That's designed for 22 mm lug watches That will fit most of the ones I test as Long as the lugs are roughly similar in Distance apart which they tend to be Obviously the ideal way to use it is to Hone in on exactly the one watch you use I think it's probably in terms of style It works better with the slightly bigger Chunky watches Something Like a Phoenix Or even a 4 and a 965 no slapping on a Lightweight watch like the cor you might Want to stick with an even more Lightweight nylon band but this is still Fairly light and like I say it's really Comfortable nice and secure and just an Interesting idea and something new with Straps with this kind of two band design With the elastic strap on top of that Firma strap to give you both kind of Comfort and security and then my last Pick for this month I'm wearing right Now it's the saw rainbow long sleeve tea Now as of all s products it's pretty Expensive but I do love this tea both in Terms of looks and how it feels on the Run it is £ 105 people are always very Angry about s prices but s gear is
Really really nice and if you're looking For you a splash out gift I really like This t-shirt I love the design and I Like the feel of it on the run I first Pulled it on it a little bit tight Around the chest I was wondering about The fit a little bit but actually that Hasn't been the case I've used it a Couple of runs now you've got really Nice freedom of movement in the arms you Got the classic sleeve design where You've got complete Freedom there for Fast running I say a fairly close fit Around the chest but a comfortable one And one that you know it's great for Runs of any distance as we hit long Sleeve season I've used this as a top by Itself and under a jacket so you can use Obviously as a layering option or as Your only top when it's slightly milder As you'd expect breathes really well is Very comfortable fits good and has this Fantastic design so really your main Reason you're buying this one is for the Rainbow design which I think is one of The nicest ones saw has done and as like I said a really big lavish gift to give To someone at Christmas if you are Really looking to treat the runner in Your life so that is a saw long sleeve Printed te te definitely go for the Rainbow version there's another color Which is fun but yeah the rainbow one is The one to go for for
Sure now a relative newcomer to my kit Is this jacket 114 G it's lightweight It's got taped waterproof seams it uses An ultra thin triple layer fabric system And it kind of beads off all but the Very worst downpours it's a really nice Welcome barrier Against the Wind now It's not going to keep you warm in the Coldest conditions but it is an Excellent kind of backup layer for when You're moving with purpose on your runs It packs down small enough to stash into A running belt it comes with a strap for Easy carry and it's waterproof to the 20,000 hydrostatic rating which meets Mandatory race equipment requirements Which a big thing it's sadly missing Pockets so it lacks a bit of stash space And you need to watch the age and sizing On this which comes up small I've been Running in an extra large when I'd Usually be a medium I think I probably Could get away with the large this one Comes up even a bit baggy in the extra Large next up I've got the body light Night vision light now my runs will Often take me from the city streets Where it's lit onto dark off-road River Paths I also lead the fortnightly hid Par runners run club for the Mandarin Oriental in Hyde Park which right now We're running around pitch dark hide Park in London for those pitch black Sessions I tend to be a head torch
Wearer but you can look like a little Bit of a Wally running around London Streets with your head torch on and I Think this is a really good alternative I think it will also suit a wider group Of Runners much better too perap don't Want to wear a head torch they want Something that's a bit more comfortable Now the body light night vision light Can be attached to clothes to bags it's It's velcro it can be linked to a Running belt it's a bit like kind of Sticking your head torch around your Waist one of the biggest things it's Incredibly bright with a strong fixed Beam beam out ahead the beam will burn For 2 hours on high or 9 hours on low or 14 hours with the Blinky red light it's USBC rechargeable it weighs around 78 G So it's not too heavy the added bonus Here as well is that it doesn't get Sweaty like a head torch can so it's a Bit nicer if you want to give it to Other people to use you can kind of swap It between Runners everyone I've seen Use one of these has really loved it we Have lots of people comeing to the Run Club and we've never used one before and They're all kind of impressed by it now I've always done a lot of run commuting In these days if I'm going to a meeting Up to 10 km away if I can get away with It I'm going to run to it I've tested Dozens of running packs over the years
For runners World men's fitness stuff Magazine all those titles and the Run Testers of course and hands down one of My all-time favorites is this omm Ultra 12 liter pack such a well balanced bag With just enough space to take a laptop And a change of clothes but doesn't feel Baggy and floaty if you haven't got that Much kit in there the harness is really Comfortable it's got nice padded straps Doesn't bounce locks in Nice in place That's made easy with the adjustable Sternum straps there's not a huge amount Of got of pocket space overall you get One at the top here and you get one side Zip pocket with some stretch mesh stash Pockets to the side as well uh ideally I'd really like two zipper Pockets at Waist level I'd like them a bit further Around the front there's also no upfront Bottle storage so I wouldn't use this I Don't think for an ultra for racing at Least but for the everyday commute or Long day Adventures on the trails where You're going to stop and take your bag Off this bag is my go-to and I think It's pretty reasonably priced too I've Been using mine for close to 3 years Longer now and it's still going strong Now I've mentioned cxp run XP running Underwear or Bas layer shorts before and All the cxp gear I think is excellent But I swear by the cxp endurance XP for My very longest runs like the 100 mile
Berlin Wall Ultra need to follow the Same cxp blueprint you get this Incredibly light soft smooth pliable Fabric that has a supportive second skin Feel without feeling restrictive the Waistband is kind of pretty wide but It's really flat and soft and it stays Put while being flexible and enough to Kind of avoid cutting in you've got Chafe beating Flats seams on the inside Plenty of support for all your important Bits the other benefit of the thin Fabric is that you can wear them under Almost any shorts they dry fast these Ones come in five and 7in legs the 7in Have um silicone grips on the legs to Help them secure them a bit as well and Then finally I've got a few stocking Fillers first one I've got is two Tom SP Shield excellent anti-chafe roll on Lube The best going in my opinion Runners Will love this keep them cha free I've Also got these Precision Fuel and Hydration chews I love these little Cubes good texture that's a bit chewy But not too much hard work easy to carry And you're packing 30 G of carbs in each Little belt friendly block which is Ace Then finally we've got the chorus HRM Heart rate strap which goes on the arm You can wear on the bicep it's a good Alternative to a chest strap pretty good Accuracy bit more convenient for some People to wear and Link in with their
Watch if they don't want to wear a chest Strap and that would make a really handy Gift for someone who wants to increase The accuracy of their run Stats I've stolen the first idea from a Couple of friends of mine who've got These they're called Notch bracelets you Can get them for all different sports But they have um a kind of a rope type Bracelet or ankler or however you want To wear it you can get them as key rings As well and you choose your color of Rope it looks a bit like climbing rope And then you get these little notches or Circles which go around the edge of the Rope and you add them in um as you get Achievements so you pay originally for The bracelet and then you pay extra for All the different little notches that You get and there's official ones for Like Park runs various marathons you can Also get them personalized and it's one Of those things where um the actual Price of it feels maybe like you know Not that cheap for what it is although You pay a lot more for bracelets um but It's something where it's like a little Bit different and it's something that You can keep adding to and giving so it Makes a nice thing that you can carry on Gifting them as well and it's one of Those things where it's just like it's Something that you can kind of want to Treat yourself so it's a really nice
Idea as a Christmas present something Maybe you wouldn't buy yourself but Someone might buy for you and you can Make it as masculine or as feminine or As whatever as you want and you can Personalize it as much as you want and I Really like it cuz it kind of to me is Like the runner version of those Pandora's bracelets that some ladies Like with like the little charms and Things where you have like different Life events and stuff and my teammates You have it it's great because every Time they do something which they think Is a big enough achievement they add it On and then they've got that and it Stays on they can run with it on it's Really durable you can shower with it Everything like that it's not um it's Not delicate at all it's very durable And it's very easy to put on and off so I think it's a great idea because it's Just something to celebrate what you've Done it's a little bit of a treat and It's a bit different as well something Else something new I always like to Recommend a book for the christm gift Guide cuz I just think like there's Always moments at Christmas when you Want to sit around and read a book um But also something that you can kind of Keep coming back to so this year is uh Lucy watero is The Ultimate Guide to Park run um Lucy is a qualified running
Coach um and I think this is great Because there's bound to be people that You know who are into parkrun and if You're a super ke Runner and you've been Doing park run for years and you're Getting like crazy Fast Times there Still stuff about like the history of Park run like how it started with just 13 runners in Bushy Park and it was all Marketed just on emails and things like That and how moof far won one of them Before he became famous um things like That and then there's all the kind of Stuff from part run around the world Different things that have changed over The years the benefits of volunteering And all the different volunteer roles How people have set up new part runs and How you go about that if you're Interested in that and then also at the Back because the lady he's written is a Qualified coach um she's got a bunch of Training plans as well so for sort of I Think it's like a sub 30 a sub uh 25 and A sub 20 as well um and I think it's Just it's just a really interesting read It's kind of one of these ones there's Lots and lots of different sections of It so it covers so many different things Like a day in the life of park run as Well so you can kind of get a behind the Scenes kind of vibe if you've just Always rocked up and run it maybe um it Covers so many different bits but it
Doesn't go into like massive detail on Anything so it's a lovely kind of one Just to like chip in and out of and it's Just really enjoyable it's got a lovely Kind of presentation nice color photos All that kind of thing so it's like a Beautiful book to give to someone but It's also really interesting on various Different levels so that is by Lucy Watero she's um a ghost writer she's Written like Neil McAndrews book and Various other things as well um and a Qualified running coach and it's about 12 to 15 pounds depending on where you Buy it from if I hadn't already shelled Out my own C Cold Hard Cash for one of These I'd be ask for this for Christmas It's a choros armband heart rate monitor Um it's great for people who love data But it's also good if it's someone new Who needs to run to heart rate to make Sure they don't go too hard too soon or Maybe someone you know who is prone to Overtraining and they need to learn to Modify their efforts it's great for that It switches itself on when you put it on Your arm um it's not restrictive like a Heart uh like a chest Bas one and so Therefore you're more likely to use it More which is therefore more useful it Doesn't have any of that kind of like Cold with a drop off like you get on a Wrist based one it's just much much more Reliable it recharges on this little
Magnetic setup and it's got a battery Hour of 38 hours in activity mode 80 Days in standby mode 2 hours to fully Charge that's fine it's got like four Detectors so it's pretty you know as I Say it's pretty reliable um and I just Think it works really well I've been Using it like every day and I would Hearly recommend It and finally my honorable mention cuz I've banged on about this so many times But it is the body light waist light Belt which I just love so much and I use All the time and I just think it's one Of the most useful things you can have You charge it by USB it's got various Different brightnesses and flashy lights And it's just so useful and unless You're running in the mountains and you Need like a super high Lumen um head Torch this is perfect and it doesn't Bounce around and give you a headache When you're running in the dark [Music] My first pick this month is socks socks Always make great Christmas gifts Especially if you're a runner because They can be a bit pricey and a lot of People don't want to spend loads of Money on socks but it's really great to Get them as a gift because they're the Gift that keeps on giving and they're Not that expensive if you're buying them As a Christmas gift these are monkey
Socks we have featured monkey socks in a Previous video I've only recently Started testing Mony socks and I Absolutely love them the designs are Fantastic there's loads and loads of Different designs on the website uh They're really comfortable they have a Little bit of compression in the top so It holds on to your ankles nice and Comfortably they're quite breathable They've got a nice level of padding Around all of the of the key areas of The foot um but they're also fairly lean In most areas as well so I'm going to be Using these to race Valencia on Sunday Um because quite often when you wear Raay shoes they're a little bit um more Uh restrictive on the feet so it's nicer To wear thinner sock with uh some raay Shoes and these are absolutely perfect For that but they're still very Comfortable and they have plenty of Padding on them as well also if you buy Monkey socks 50% of the profits go to Multiple curosis uh Charities uh which Is a nice little added bonus um from a Running sock brand they've got loads of Different versions on the website Different lengths um of material on them Uh and you can also get a subscription And you can get um packs of socks as Well so well worth looking at if you're Going to buy a runner something but you Don't want to break the bank with it but
You want to buy something really good That's going to last them a long long Time my next pick is a pricey one but It's a pricey one for a reason it's the Uh saw wtech top it's fairly new to um Uh being available on the saw website uh I've had similar versions of this in the Past and I absolutely love this top the Reason I like it so much is that uh it's Quite it's quite a thick material on Here but it's very very breathable it Keeps you really really warm when you're Out running it's very very very Comfortable to wear it's got a nice zip On the front so when you get hot you can Unzip it a bit but the idea behind this This top is that the fabric is really Really warm when you need it to be but It's also breathable as well it's one of My favorite running tops to use in the Winter and what I always say about so is When my friends my friends birthdays or Anything I always try and buy a sore Item for them because they keep it for Absolutely ages uh I've got friends who We've got sore um kit for for a birthday 3 years ago and they still use that kit As their as their kit so it may seem Expensive um but it's the sort of kit That a runner in your life will just Love to use all the time and it will be In their wardrobe for a very long time So uh even though it's pricey it does Last it's very well made um and very
Comfortable it has other features as Well it's got a a pocket on the back Which isn't massive but very useful if You want to put your cards in or your Keys or anything like that it also has Antibacterial properties which is very Useful if you do a lot of running and You're sweating a lot and you forget to Wash things um and also a big plus point For me not a major um design Innovation But it has um thumb hooks in it and I Much prefer tops with thumb hooks on When I go out running in the cold okay My last pick isn't that pricey but I Absolutely love this I bought this Earlier on of the year it's the keni uh Windproof uh sleeveless jacket now this Is £15 um I bought it back in February I Use it all the time it's like a really Thin gilet um and it's got this sort of Mesh covering under the arm as well it Just takes the edge off when you're Going out for a run quite often when I Go out for a run in the autumn in the Spring I open the door and I think oh I Need a jacket it's a bit it's a bit Chilly and then when when I actually get Out I realize that I really shouldn't Have worn a jacket at all and I'm just Sweating the whole way this because it's Sleeveless you can put a t-shirt on with It put this over the top arms may be a Little bit chilly when you just go out
The door um but by the time you get out There and you warm up it's really good Cuz it really keeps the wind off the Chest but it doesn't make you really hot Cuz it's quite a thin material Uh it's got hood on it as well so it Really takes the edge off when you get Out there um just until you need it then You can pop the pop the hood down open The open the zip up and it works really Really well it doesn't overheat you too Much um so really really like this Really rate this for £15 it's one of the Best pieces of Kit I've ever bought and Um yeah well worth well worth buying it For somebody if you're looking for a Sort of stocking filler uh or or just a Really good top that isn't that Expensive in comparison to a lot of the Other items that are out there at the Moment and my last pick and I did this Couple of months ago but it's an amazing Christmas present if you're looking for Getting something for a runner who wants To show off their Marathon medals or Half marathon medals it's they're Actually stuck on my wall so you'll see A cutaway of these but these are uh Wooden medallions which you can get from Various places you can get from Amazon You can get them from Etsy um and you Can build them into whatever shape you Want on the wall as long as you're using The hexagonal shapes um you can buy them
In packs of uh two packs of six uh I've Got quite a few cuz I'm trying to build Up all of my medals into this this big Um wall uh wooden thing but um it's Quite nice if you only got six you can Just do a nice row of six or design them However you want but they're a really Nice way to uh to put up medals and you Can interchange them as well so you can Take the medals out when you've got a New PB or you've done a new marathan and You only want to have a certain number On the wall so are worth picking those Up as a gift if you have somebody who Wants to show off their medals that's it From us thanks a lot for watching hope You found something useful whether That's a gift for somebody for Christmas Or you just want to buy something for Your yourself if you're go to the catch Below you can find a link to our podcast Which comes out a couple of times each Month and we'll catch you next time we Do a video [Music]
