7 Ways to Carry Your Phone On A Run


Let’s face it, we’re all quite attached to our phones, quite literally. You don’t want to miss a friend’s text message, a family member’s social media post, or that important work email when you’re out running, but you’re just not sure of an efficient way to carry your phone. What are your options?

You can carry your phone in the following ways when running:

  • Your pocket
  • In your sports bra
  • Around your waist
  • In a race vest
  • Around your arm
  • In your hand

You have plenty of versatile, convenient options for carrying your phone that are made just for runners. With these great solutions, you’ll never have to worry about your phone slipping from your sweaty grip and cracking on the concrete again! 

7 Ways to Carry Your Phone on a Run

In Your Pocket

If you’re running in a pair of loose athletic shorts and putting your phone in your shorts’ oversized pockets, you’re only tempting fate. Sooner or later, you’ll reach your hand into your shorts pocket to dig for your phone only to discover it’s gone. Sure, you could backtrack to find where it fell out, but it won’t be a pretty sight when you do. The phone screen will almost assuredly be smashed.

You can indeed safely stash your phone in your pockets, but you need bottoms designed for doing so. For the men, these two-in-one running shorts on Amazon are a smart solution. Available in a range of colors, these spandex (5 percent) and polyester (95 percent) shorts feature an interior compression liner that supports your legs and wicks away moisture.

More importantly, at least for these purposes, is the inner pocket built into the compression liner. The shorts also feature a zipped rear pocket, but it might be too small for your phone.

For the women, we like this athletic skort. An Amazon’s best-seller, the skort is made of spandex (10 percent) and polyester (90 percent) with a spandex (5 percent) and polyester (95 percent) liner. The skort features a moisture transport system within and a subtle side pocket beneath the skirt that even includes a headphone cable hole. 

In Your Sports Bra

Here’s another one for the ladies. Your sports bra can do more than simply offer support for your athletic endeavors. You can also use the bra to keep your phone close by so you can run hands-free. 

The Ultrafun sports bra on Amazon is a highly-rated pick made of spandex (12 percent) and nylon (88 percent). The best part by far is the back pocket, which can stash most iPhone models safely. You can even choose from a slew of fun colors so you have a sports bra with a pocket for every day of the week!

The North Face Stow N Go bra is another popular pick. This bra secures via hook and eye closures at the back. An open liner inside the front of the sports bra lets you stash your phone sideways so you can hold it close to the chest quite literally. Some runners also like using the Stow N Go for stashing snacks, which you can certainly do as well! 

Around Your Waist

Don’t be jealous fellas because you can’t carry your phone in as many ways as the ladies can. Wearing a waist belt on your runs is just as convenient and leaves your phone very accessible.

The Amphipod Profile-Lite High Five-K Water Bottle Waistpack from REI might be made primarily for water bottles, but the neon side pocket, 6 inches by 4 inches, is sized for your smartphone, keys, small snacks, sunglasses, and even a credit or debit card, although probably not all at the same time. The water bottle pouch can hold 16 fluid ounces so you can ensure you stay hydrated on your runs. You even get a Jett-Squeeze bottle with your purchase that has its own self-sealing valve, an ergonomically-designed spout, and a high-flow style. 

The waist strap has webbing throughout and the buckle releases quickly so you can take the pouch off at a moment’s notice. An AirFlow mesh panel around back keeps the waistpack from making you even sweatier when you run. 

The FlipBelt has also won a lot of acclaim. This product, available on Amazon, is a fanny pack alternative that might suit you better than that outdated option. FlipBelt features 3M reflective material and several pockets. Seamless and without buckles, you can toss your FlipBelt in the washer with your running gear after you’re done working up a sweat. The FlipBelt is available in a rainbow of colors too so it can match all your running gear. 

In a Race Vest

Do you already use a race vest in your day-to-day training? If not, then you might want to start. A weighted vest especially can help running posture so you wake up with fewer backaches. You may even be able to boost your speed with a race vest.

The Salomon ADV HYDRA VEST 4 on Amazon closes via elastics so you can quickly and easily get into the vest and then hit the road for a run. The fabric won’t rub and chafe against your body. The oversized front pocket, although intended for energy gels, is also the perfect place to keep your phone.

Like the Amphipod waistpack, this Salomon race vest is also for hydration. It can hold two soft flasks, each 17 ounces or 509 milliliters. Although it’s far from the cheapest product recommendation on this list, the Salomon ADV HYDRA VEST 4 is still worth considering for a variety of reasons, phone storage paramount on that list.

You can also try the UltrAspire Momentum Race Vest if you’re looking for an alternative. This unisex vest has holey mesh for moisture-wicking and a nylon base with PU and silicone coating to increase its durability. Designed for a lightweight feel, the UltrAspire features front pockets for a water bottle or flask, snacks, or a phone. A mesh storage pocket and hydration pockets will also surely be useful to you. 

Around Your Arm

Here’s a more classic way to carry your smartphone, around your arm. Granted, if you have a newer model of the iPhone or one of its competitors, you might want to look into our other options instead. Your phone will be too heavy to keep around your arm and could weigh you down, straining your muscles and exhausting you on your runs.

If you do want an armband, we like the Newppon 180-Degree Rotatable Running Phone Armband on Amazon. As the name suggests, you can rotate this phone holder up, down, or sideways to accommodate how you most like to check your phone when taking a breather. 

Usable on arms between 8 and 16 inches, the band itself is made of silicone and faux leather. The silicone gripping on the interior of the band keeps it secure where you set it even if you’re running intensely. If your phone is up to 7.9 inches, it will fit on this Newppon armband. That includes phone models like the Nexus 5P, 6P, or OnePlus as well as the Samsung Galaxy S6, S7, S8, S9, and S9+. The iPhone 5, 5s, 6, 6s, 7, 8+, and X are also compatible. 

A stylish armband choice is the Nike Lean Running Band from Dick’s Sporting Goods. This band is made of thermoplastic polyurethane (11 percent), aluminum alloy (13 percent), nylon (13 percent), polyester (25 percent), and neoprene (38 percent). It features a reflective Nike Swoosh for safety as well as strap adjustability and a sizable phone pocket that Nike says should work for most phone models. The armband also comes in a variety of fun colors and patterns. 

In Your Hand

Last but certainly not least, we recommend holding your phone in your hand as you run, but not how you’re thinking! A handheld device will prevent the sweaty slippage you’re so concerned about.

The Gear Beast Sports Handheld Running Case Pouch on Amazon is one such handheld option to look into. The strap built into the pouch slips around your hand and stays secure. With its neoprene base, the case is comfortable yet durable. Oh, and the neoprene is water-resistant and sweatproof too, so don’t worry about wrecking your case if you want to push yourself to the limit on your next run.  

An included screen protector, which is 0.3 millimeters, also prevents sweat from possibly shorting your phone. You can easily use touchscreen controls even with the screen protector in place due to how thin it is. The Gear Beast can fit many phone models, among them the Galaxy (S6, S6 Edge, and S7), the iPhone (6, 6s, 7, 8, and X), or any phone that’s 5.75 inches by 3 inches without its case.

The Nathan Handheld Water Bottle and Phone Case on Amazon is another solution in this vein. This case is admittedly bigger, but that’s because it doubles as a hydration option as well as for phone storage.

With 3M reflective material throughout and double-walled insulation, your drink may stay colder longer at a rate of 20 percent. The touchscreen pouch features a see-through protective portion so you can reply to emails and texts even if you’re at the park or stopped on the running trail.

You’d hold this phone case/water bottle holder like you do the Gear Beast, strapping it onto your hand and hitting the pavement. Smartphones up to iPhone 8 size can fit in the Nathan case. 

Final Thoughts

Going on a run without your phone is no fun, as what if you miss something important? Carrying your phone is easier than ever with workout gear that features integrated pockets, phone armbands or carrying cases, sports bras and race vests with plenty of openings, or waist belts. Now you can have the best of both worlds, running and keeping your phone intact and close!  

Geoff Southworth

I am a California native and I enjoy all the outdoors has to offer. My latest adventures have been taking the family camping, hiking and surfing.

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