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| The Ultimate Direction Groove Mono belt |
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| The Ultimate Direction Scott Jurek Essential Belt |
In this review I look at the options for runners like me who are fed up with tops and shorts that don’t have pockets big enough for their smartphones! I thought I’d look at 2 different quality belt offerings from one of my favourite brands, Ultimate Direction and after a few months of testing I’ve come to a surprising conclusion.
There are times when I don’t need a race vest with pockets or a large Ultimate Direction Fastpack 25 on for my runs. I often do runs at lunchtime for about an hour along the North Downs Way near Farnham in the UK and found I was running holding my phone for an hour because the pockets on my shorts, leggings and tops werent big enough.
As I run trails I usually wear long running leggings all year round, for warmth in Winter and protection against stinging nettles in the summer. I find that running leggings have no pockets and any mesh pockets in shorts and t shirts are woefully inadequate for the 2 things most runners take with them on trails….keys and a smartphone.
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| Ultimate Direction Scott Jurek Essential Belt |
I chose to look at and review two belt offerings. The first was the stripped down Scott Jurek Essential Belt which at first glance looked like it was exactly what I was after. After a chat it was also suggested that I look at the Groove Mono belt which to me look slightly too fussy and not quite what I was looking for.
I DO NOT want loads of stuff or bulk bouncing around when running, and I certainly don’t want to look like I’m wearing the dreaded tourist ‘bumbag’ so when both belts arrived I was worried the Groove Mono looked over complex.
Both belts were the usual high quality build you’d expect from Ultimate Direction, both had a velcro holding belt, although the Mono Groove had a small sleeve in the front belt section for a small gel or maybe one single key. Both sat well on my body and you forgot you were wearing them when you went out running. both only weighed about 100g and both were made of breathable and washable fabrics
The Jurek Essential belt had exactly what I thought I wanted. One large pocket with a secure zip for my smart phone and one smaller zip pocket for my keys and maybe one snack bar.
That’s it.
Job done.
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| Ultimate Direction Scott Jurek Essential belt with worn through tear in bottom left corner of the phone pocket |
You’d think that would be the end of my review, but after a few weeks of heavy use the Jurek Essential belt pocket began to tear and wear away in the corner. It was caused by the friction from my large 5.5inch smartphone being just small enough to fit in the pocket. The corner of the smartphone was pushing and rubbing against the corner of the phone pocket and eventually the highly breathable but quite thin material simply gave way and opened a tear. You can see the tear in the bottom left hand corner of the picture above.
I was miffed and stopped using the belt. A simple tweak on the belt with a slightly larger pocket for the phones would solve this, or a slightly more hard wearing material like they use on the fastpacks. Having a decent sized smartphone is important for me, for safety, music and also the screen displays the maverick app which allows me to see where I am in real time on the OS Explorer map. It wouldn’t take much for UD to keep up with the largest sized phones on the market and at present most big names have a 5.5 inch phone as their flagship.
After a week I started reluctantly using the Ultimate Direction Mono Groove Belt. I was worried the rear stretchy mesh with one little hook and loop was an insecure way to store my phone and it might fall out, but it did have a zipppable key pouch in it too with plenty of room for multiple keys on a fob, snack bars, gels etc.
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| The Ultimate Direction Groove Mono belt can actually fit a 750ml softflask – pic by Lee-Stuart Evans |
After a week or two of use the Mono Groove had totally won me over. In fact it didn’t just meet a requirement, it opened up some new mid distances and running for me.
The stretchy mesh outer pocket is huge. I can easily fit my large phone in it. Their website says its good enough for a 500ml softflask bottle as well…..this isn’t true .. I can actually fit a larger 750ml softflask bottle in the mesh pocket as well. The bungees on the sides also mean I can carry a lightweight rain jacket for warmth or protection or mount trekking poles horizontally without them getting in the way.
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| The Ultimate Direction Groove Mono belt can also horizontally mount trekking poles – pic by Lee-Stuart Evans |
In my mind I have a couple of mental kit set ups for various distances. For a one hour runs I don’t need any water or food. I can actually run up to 2 hours without needing food or water but beyond that get too thirsty. Beyond a 2 hour run I take a full fastpack with a few essentials and water on me.
What this belt did was make the 1 hour to 2 hour runs less difficult. I could now carry 500ml of water and a small rain jacket WITHOUT having to take a big bag that made my back warm etc etc. I got the best of both worlds. It opened up my 2 hour trail run to work that I do weekly to being much more pleasureable and much less thirsty. The Mono Groove belt didn’t just meet my needs, it actually helped in other areas too.
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| Ultimate Direction Groove Mono belt |
Conclusion
I now love the Mono Groove belt and use it every week on shorter runs and when I’m out hashing with the Guildford Hash House Harriers. It’s shown no sign of wear and tear and my phone has never fallen out of the stretchy outer pouch. It also sits well on my body with the Fastpack 25 if I want a few extra pockets etc to stash stuff on long distance multi day runs.
Could the Mono be improved ? Well maybe. I find the velcro on the belt can accidentally bobble my running tops when fastening it if I’m not careful, and the gel/key pocket on the front is woefully small and could be made a bit bigger and less fiddly. We all have a door key and a car key …. just sayin’
There isn’t much price difference between the two belts so for me if you are looking for a running belt to take keys, phone and a few bits and bobs as well as maybe some water the Mono Groove is the no brainer choice. It comes in 2 size options as well.
Best Price from UK online can be found at my favourite online store here
For more Reviews and kit set ups I use for running explore here
how to using this tools?