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.
This month we’ve got a whole heap of the latest kit to talk about, from running clothing and sunglasses to some of our favourite running pants.
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JUMP STRAIGHT IN:
00:00 – Intro
Nick’s Picks
00:34 – Soar Hydration half Tights
03:21 – Darn Tough Stride Micro Crew
04:23 – Saysky Flow Vest
Tom’s Pick
05:56 – Alter Ego Run Sunnies
08:30 – MYSNBKN Silicon Watch Strap
Kieran’s Picks
10:40 – CXP Run XP
12:20 – Adidas Terrex Aeroready Running Backpack
14:20 – Tifosi Vogel SL
Gill’s Picks
15:56 – SOAR Women’s Crop Race Vest
18:17 – CEP Plantar Fasciitis Sleeve
19:42 – SiS Rego
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Nike Invincible Run 2 Vs Nike Infinity Run 3:
Saucony Triumph 20 Vs Brooks Glycerin 20:
Hey Tommy from the Run testers and Welcome to the May monthly Roundup uh The video where we talk about a lot of The stuff that we've been testing over The past month that we just haven't had A chance to tell you about in other Videos so let's jump in and see what We've all picked this month [Music] So my first pick this month is the saw Hydration half types which I've got here They are soars half types with bottle Carriers on the side that you can carry 350 mil hard flask bottles in against The side of your legs to try and reduce The risk of bouncing or carrying 700 Milliliters of fluid on the run it's Obviously very excited to review these Because I like saws half tights and I'm Someone who carries their drinks with Them during long runs especially during Marathons when I at the moment for now I've been using a set of decathlon's 20 Pounds at half tights that have a Waistband that has can hold three soft Flasks quite comfortably in it I think Overall I say I'm still gonna be using Those half types so the facts about the Saw shorts coming a hell of a lot more Expensive they're 170 pounds 220 dollars They don't quite fit what I'd want from Them but they are still quite an Interesting option to have available Even if they are a very expensive one
Obviously along with the bottle holders You've got two gel loops on the front of The shorts and then a zipped pocket at The back so they can carry a lot of Stuff with them and for the most part They carry it pretty well like what I do Like about the bottle holders on these Shorts is that it's very easy to access The bottles on the run it's a lot Quicker and easier to get to those Bottles compared to digging them out of A waistband storage pocket which is what I use for the most part and they're Easier to slip in and out than soft Flasks but I do find with a waistband System storing stuff in place you get Less bounce with the soft flask carried On the decathlon shorts they really do Hug against the body and they bounce a Little bit less for me with these Bottles that they're okay on runs normal Runs Flat runs running at easy Paces They're fine they kind of don't annoy me Too much but when I was running hard Down Hills one bus did bounce loose so That's something to consider if you do Using them for trail runs in particular And running hard in general they get a Little bit more bounce than you get from I think a system that holds the bottles Horizontally against your body as Opposed to drop in style Pockets can't Really use anything else in those Holsters either and that's a bit of a
Shame here because obviously if you have Just a waistband storage system that's More versatile you can put things like a Phone in it for General runs you can Pack a lot of gels in you can put in Soft flasks or hard flasks these side is Really are built for that one bottle That 350 more bottle anything else it's Going to kind of eventually slip loose Or bounce out so that again limits the Options you get from these and you get a Little bit of sloshing as well I don't Tend to get annoyed by things like that But I know some people do so you're Gonna get especially when the bottles Half empty a bit of sloshing from them Whereas holding the stuff against your Body will reduce that a little bit They are really really comfortable Shorts though and they're just great for That General look so my Sunday long run They're kind of perfect like I can pop It on I'm going out for 90 minutes two Hours and carry a bit of fluid in there Don't have to worry about fussing with a Waistband or overfilling a rucksack that Kind of thing so they are very useful For that I do think I'm going to use These shorts quite a lot but at the same Time notion they're going to prove like The perfect race day option for me and We're looking at this kind of money they You know you do want them to be Something that you find absolutely
Essential so overall I think these are Good shorts and there's some tweaks saw Can make to the storage system I still Don't think they're really better the Traditional waistband storage design That I've seen on other shorts including My much cheaper ones from decathlon Second pick this month is a set of Darn Tough socks these are destroyed micro Crew socks what I really like about These is they're made from very very Lightweight Merino wool so you know They're Merino they don't feel thick or Heavy at all they dry very quickly they Don't suck up a lot of moisture and Carry it for a while afterwards but they Are still very very comfortable they Regulate temperature quite nicely they Dry quickly and they don't stink as much As other socks after a couple of runs so Yeah all around they're very good socks And they're low weight they're not too Expensive they're like 18 to 25 pounds In the UK or twenty dollars in the US And that comes with dantoff's Unconditional guarantee which is always Excellent in that it's a socks get a Hole in them at any point you can send Them back and get them replaced with a Set of another darn type socks and I've Never had to do they they wear very well As well but even after lots and lots of Washes these socks still feel pretty Soft and similar they did as news I
Think it's just a really good set of Running socks to consider they sit Nicely on the foot they don't move Around at all there's no bunching I've Had no rubbing with them they look okay The designs aren't that exciting but They're fine so yeah all along those Socks I've been using a lot this month And I can highly recommend them they're Very good socks so my last pick this Month is the sayski flow singlet I've Tried a couple of these vests one is the Classic logo singular which has a Racerback design and then this is the Statement one that says sub whatever on It which is from the uh minty Universe Range from toski which doesn't have a Racerback but it's made from the same Very lightweight material it's Reasonably recycled like 79 recycled and It's very lightweight so in the men's Medium the flow singlet comes in for Just 46 grams which is pretty similar to What we've seen from the top of the line Racing vest from other brands like saw So you end up with the vest that's got That Barely There feel it's really nice For training in the hot days or doing Fast runs or racing just because it Really doesn't feel like it's weighing You down at all you just got that really Nice Airy breathable feel and it's not Too expensive it's not cheap but it's Not as aggressively priced as some of
Those racing vests I've been talking About there's 62 in the US and it's 49 Pounds in the UK and it is a really nice Vest for that money at the moment There's a small range of designs most of Them are quite simple one color designs All this sub whatever one um but there Will be loads more coming obviously Every time so he does new product drops They bring out some nice new colorway And update a lot of the lines so it'll Be the best that has a nice range to Pick from and it's not overpriced what Is a very lightweight breathable and Enjoyable uh racing vest or speed day Best to have available or just hot Bay This now it's summer here in UK although It's gray outside and probably won't be Going out of this today it's a nice new Option from space I think I prefer the Racerback design myself so the classic Logo signature because you get even more Open feel there and a lighter vest but Yeah they haven't you've got a broader Back option as well if you prefer that Foreign [Music] Pick for May are the alter ego run Sunnies now Alter Ego are a brand from Over in the US you if you follow running Brands on Instagram it's highly like That you might have seen them they make A lot of cool designs for caps and hats And things like that I've got a few of
Them I really like wearing them but they Also make sunglasses as well so they've Got quite a few pairs of sunglasses at The moment when I um first got these I Think they had less pairs but I think They've actually got quite a lot more Now they're branching out to having a Big range of sunglasses but these are The alter ego run sunnies and these are Probably your simple running Shades Basically they're they're sort of Wayfarer designed the sort of sunglasses That people will buy not just as running Sunglasses but also as just sunglasses That you can wear all the time which is What I tend to like in a pair of Sunglasses I I generally like my running Sunglasses to double as just normal Sunglasses Um now the colors come in lots of Different varieties they are sort of Cool bright colorway sunglasses with Slightly mirrored lenses as well but They are quite functionally Um pretty impressive as well so they've Got polarized lenses they're uh UV 400 And they've also got these sort of Um sticky bits at the back of the arms To sort of hold them into on onto your Head what I found about them is that They work really well on the run so I do Have some pairs of sunglasses that Aren't really designed for running and When you wear them for running you do
Know that they're not quite right they Don't seem to fit ahead correctly they They might move around a little bit I Don't have any issues at all with these I think they're very comfortable they're Not the lightless lightest pair of Sunglasses around but they're not not Light they they do the job very nicely Um and they just look really nice as Well Um I don't think you can get them in the UK at the moment hopefully you'll be Able to get them in the UK relatively Soon you have to order them from the US At present and but they're only 35 Dollars Um from the US so they're pretty cost Effect active pair of running sunglasses In comparison to some of the more Expensive ones that we sometimes cover On the channel so that's the alter ego Run sunnies uh my current favorite pair Of day-to-day running sunglasses and Pub Sunglasses my second pick this month is A bit of a different one normally we Tend to tell you about really cool new Bits of kit that we've tried and tested On the Run Um but this is something that I picked Up the other day I was trying to find a New strap for my Garmin 40955 so I went on Amazon to try and Look for it for a strap and sometimes it Can be a bit hit or miss you can pick up
Straps for um for Garmin watches and you Get them and you realize that they're Not very well designed Um and they just don't sort of work Right this is called this green strap Here it's called the m y s n b k n 22 Millimeter sport silicone watch strap And it works for a number of different Watches so 400 955 945 935 Phoenix five And Aquatics five I imagine that it Probably fits a load of other ones as Well but the reason I picked this up was Because I wanted Um a different color watch strap Basically Um I went for this nice green option and It was only 10.99 delivered Um so I was a little bit skeptical when I ordered it that it was actually going To be good I did have some problems with Um watch straps that weren't officially Gone in what shots for my Phoenix 6 Um and it always sort of came off at a Bit they had that they've got a quick Release strap on the Phoenix range Um and it it would release all the time Very quickly more quickly than I wanted I'd be running sometimes and I'd snag it It would fall off Um this isn't a quick release strap so The 955 is just has a normal watch strap But you it comes with the strap Obviously um but also the little tools To actually connect to really easy to do
Um I didn't have any issues at all very Secure not any problems I've been using This for about two weeks now and it Works really well there's loads of Different colorways um that you can get So I'm 10 to get some of the ones as Well but for 10.99 I'm really pleased With this strap don't find it Uncomfortable don't find that it makes My wrists sweat or anything Um and definitely if it came on the Watch originally I wouldn't have noticed That it wasn't a Garmin watch wrap so Yeah if you're looking for a watch strap For your Foreigner watch Um this is a good option and I'm Pleasantly surprised of it Now if you're a regular viewer of the Run tester's monthly essential picks You'll know that I often seek out items That help fight off the Chafe as Everything from running undies to base Layer shorts to kind of body Glide Alternatives and I found another one for You now I was a fan of cxp's ultralight Base layer shorts but those come up Quite long they come sort of right down The thigh but cxp have also introduced Now a new pair of these briefs these are Called the cxp XPS they're basically Essentially the same material the same Waistband kind of technology and just Put into a smaller brief there's a few Things I really like about these shorts
The first really is the waistband it's Really nice and wide but it's actually Really nice and thin the elastic is Barely thicker than the main material of The shorts it's also made from panels Which kind of spreads the pressure kind Of around the waist so they don't dig in They don't cut they're not thick so There's no kind of rolling up they just Sit nice and flat and even a cross cut Of your waist and that's great over Longer distance if you can be wearing Them for lots of hours they've also got Small bits of or silicone grips here Which means that nothing rides up or Rolls up that's really good as well the Other thing material is sort of super Silky super soft stretchy but there is Some structure to it so it does holds Everything kind of nice and compact but Doesn't feel restrictive feels nice Against the skin again that sort of Helps with this sort of anti-chafe the Other thing that really helps with that And my other favorite thing is got Bonded kind of seams as well which means That in all the key areas that you need It there's not going to be anything kind Of raised to rub and cause you any Problems so yeah these are the cxp XP They're about 33 pounds which I know is Expensive for a pair of pants but They're really durable these shorts I Wore the ultralight long shorts across
The whole of the Danube and they are Still going so I think it's a good Investment and what price to have no Chafing I will pay a fair amount so Durable really good to run in and also These are great then for wearing under Smaller shorts so if you've got short Shorts and you want a good brief this is A really good option so my next pick Then is this 15 liter kind of hybrid Race Fest come backpack from Adidas it's Called the Adidas Terex area ready Prime Blue 15 liter now this is really built For kind of fast packing speed hiking But it's also a great running backpack If you're going on trail Adventures so I Use this recently at the Maverick xmoor Trail series to run a marathon distance On the trails took me about five hours And it did really well there are quite a Lot of features built into this backpack I'm gonna do a full review of it on the Channel soon I'm going to whip you Through just a couple of the things I Really like so I'm a big fan of the kind Of race style harness you've got two big Kind of stretch Pockets these will both Hold either soft flasks or big hard Floss you'll get a 650 mil flask in There oh you've got room for kind of Stashing extras in there as well you've Also got a couple of sip compartments Here underneath those two so you can put Some more Essentials in the side here
It's a good slot for a phone that so the Other thing I like here is the front Locking System you've almost got it's Got a classic elastics that hook onto The hooks there but you can pull the Cord and then you can lock it down so You can press this button pull the cord To get it tight in place and then Release it and it hold holds that firmly In place that works for this kind of Side elastic lacing and the other thing They've done here is put nice thick Elastic on here that doesn't feel like You'll break it feels nice and robust at The back you've got a nice roll top Compartment that lets you extend the Capacity but also reducing keep Everything compact really like that You've also got another Big Stretch mesh Back pocket here that's great for Stashing jackets for easy access lots of Places where you can attach extra kit as Well and also then the other really Clever feature of this backpack is the Back pad here which has this kind of Ridged effect it's almost like got a Spine to it where these little bits I Don't know if you can see them better That way there we go they're kind of Raised so this you've got some bits that Sit on the back but there's lots of Airflow down there that helps keep the Bat cool also doesn't create too much Pressure on the back that's a really
Nice kind of airflow system at 550 grams It's pretty lightweight too you've got 15 liters capacity it will take some Laptops and it can definitely handle Being a commuter backpack as well but The ideal use case scenario for this I Think you can race in it but I think It's basically just for stuff and loader Kit in here and going out on a day long Or a multi-day adventure where you're Going to want to change your clothes in Here and some other bits and pieces yeah Good adventuring backpack and this will Cost you 130 pounds last pick from me Then now the sun's come out I've started To think a bit more about sunglasses I've got a pair from tofosi that I Really like this is another follow-up Pair from to folks they're slightly Different than the style I would usually Go for these are big kind of face Wrapping single kind of lens uh glasses They are the tifosi Vogel SL what you've Got here is Big blackout shades with a Big anti-glare polycarbonate lens covers Most of your face here you've also got Some nice touches hydrophilic rubber on The ear and nose pieces which help kind Of keep them in place even when you get Really really sweaty they don't move Around they become more grippy basically The wetter they get it's also soft There's no kind of annoying pressure and They've got these kind of quite big
Flexible lightweight arms that I find Really easy to get comfortable under or Over a hat as well and again they offer What you need in a set of sunglasses You've got bounce cutter free fit they Stay nicely in place but also that Anti-glare works really well with Overall visibility when you're on the Move and you're moving fast particularly Good from the trails the other the thing That really sells them to me is actually The nose bridge is really nice and wide So even if you're blessed with one of These kind of broad broken busted up Nose they actually sit nice and Comfortable not a lot of sunglasses do And they kind of sit evenly and they Stay put which is a real bonus for me When you've got one of these they also Offer 100 UVA and UVB protection and They come in four colors that I'm going To call red pink blue and black out They're also brilliantly cheap these are Just 41 pounds in the UK so it's a kind Of set of sunglasses that you don't mind Too much If you lose them or they get busted [Music] My first pick for this month is they saw Women's running crop race Fest I was Supposed to be wearing it at the night Of 10 000 meter PBS last month but Unfortunately injury kept me out of that But I've still been testing it as well
As I can on all the sweaty equipment in The gym that I can get my hands on that Isn't running related and I can confirm That when I do get back to racing I will Definitely be wearing it it's super Light The Weave of it is just designed To keep you as cool as possible Particularly for those like really fast Races where you're gonna get really hot Really quickly Um they say it's only 20 grams so no Weight is wasted 20 grams I Googled what Weighs 20 grams and it's things like um I think it's four packets of sugar or Four grapes so very very light it's got Their normal kind of technical stuff Going on like the um really Slimline Hems the sort of laser cut hems that you Don't get any chafing and you just I Mean it Wicks or it doesn't really Collect sweat at all and I can guarantee That because I've done the sweaty bike Session on it ever and it was absolutely Fine it's definitely my item of choice To wear for that it's it's meant to have Kind of the airiest feel and it's it's Great because a lot of running crops Racing crops have kind of a bra built Into them but it's not a proper running Bra so you don't really get this actual Support that you would need but you can Probably get away with it for race day But you kind of really shouldn't whereas This because it's so light and it's so
Minimal you can wear whatever running Bra you like underneath and it doesn't Get too hot and sweaty with the Combination of the two whereas other Crops I've got they've either got double Layers to give you the support in which Case it's too warm or they're coming too High around your neck or you can't wear A bra with it whereas this is like the Perfect Um mix so that you can wear the bra that You're used to and then wear this super Minimal crop top and it looks really Awesome as well it's got this amazing Flame Red version that you can get which Is just like makes me want to run fast Even though like I probably can't ever Run fast enough to justify it but it's The kind of crop where you just think Put it on take the crop top power run Fast it will make you feel like you Should be there and you absolutely Should be so I'm a big fan of this crop My second pick for this month is I'm Afraid injury themed but it is also kind Of pre-injury prevention themed so it's The cep plant fasciitis sleeve it's Designed to help prevent and Um ease plantar fasciitis and hopefully Mean that you don't get to the stage I've got to where it ended up tearing But we'll go into that another day so It's got arch support it's got this kind Of compression knit so it if it's got
Painful you can wear it at night as well The thing I really like about is I've Tried other compression stuff and it's Either been so tight that it's actually Quite uncomfortable and you can't wear It for a long enough period that I feel Like it does nothing or it's not tight Enough because Marathon runners are particularly Normally skinny Limbs and so you can't Actually get the compression of that Type this I found fits perfectly it's Tight enough to feel the support and I Really can feel like I've been walking Around in it to kind of give me that Extra support while I've waited for Treatment and it really has helped and I've worn it in bed and it's been Comfortable enough for that Um but it hasn't felt too restrictive And it has definitely felt like it's Done something and so you can use it Every single day it's kind of Um protects you like kind of holds up Your arch just it feels a bit like Having your foot taped I think Um but you can wear like socks on top of It and it's still really comfortable so I would thoroughly recommend it if you Feel like you've got unless you with Plantar fasciitis or you've maybe got Some kind of foot stability thing going On where you've just got a bit of a Niggle and you need to look after it I
Would definitely recommend the cep Plantar fasciitis sleeve the CIS or Science and support Rego uh quick Recovery powder is something that I've Actually been using for quite a long Time I just keep forgetting it to put it In monthly Roundup I got the first batch For free and then I've just kept buying It it's quite unique I think from the Protein powder kind of end of things and That I love a protein shake I know you Don't need it you can do it through your Diet but sometimes it's just easier and It like I want to buy one of those fancy Protein shakes from the gym after I've Been there but it's going to cost me a Fortune so this is kind of cool Um but I was looking up like lots of the Other ones and most of those have a lot Of protein and but maybe not not much Carbohydrate now obviously a long Distance Runner and lots of us doing Kind of high mileage in carbohydrate is King you need the carbs and this is Great because it's got 22 grams of Carbohydrate and 20 grams of protein and And the other thing is that I like about It is that it's water-based so whilst It's lovely having like a nice creamy Shake with milk or yogurt or whatever in It this because it's just made with Water and the Uh the the ratios of carbs to protein And how it's going to be absorbed into
Your body is worked out on the basis of It being made of water it means that you Can take the powder in a bottle with you To wherever you're doing your track Session or your gym workout and then Just grab some water Chuck it in Shake It Up and drink it and it tastes like It's meant to taste it's smooth it mixes Well whereas some of the other ones you Can mix with water but they find they Don't taste as nice so this one I've Actually really appreciated and again That level of carbs because I know that I'm getting the carbohydrate in Particularly like if it's a double down You're using it in between so that's the Science and Sport Rego quick recovery Powder that's it from us on the monthly Roundup for me thanks a lot for watching Don't forget to like subscribe click the Bell all of those sorts of things and Check the channel out for all the other Videos we've got also if you go into the Caption below you can find a link to our Most recent podcast and if you'd like it Please leave us a rating and um we'd be Very happy thanks for watching catch you Next time [Music] Thank you
