Best Running Accessories: 20 Tried-and-Tested Picks Worth Your Money

Introduction

The best running accessories are rarely the flashiest ones. They are the items you reach for week after week, race after race, until they quietly become part of your routine. This roundup collects twenty such products: belts, socks, lights, headphones, and a few surprises, all still available and all rated after years of real use across training runs, marathons, and ultra-distance efforts. If you are upgrading a single part of your running kit, there should be something here that fits.

Storage: Belts, Vests and Flasks

Carrying essentials without ruining the run is the core challenge of running storage. These five options handle it well in very different ways.

Naked Running Belt

The Naked Running Belt is a wide, soft, lightweight belt with four stretch mesh pockets that hold a surprising amount of kit without bouncing. It has survived thousands of miles, including an 1,800-mile, 67-day run along the Danube, and its thin mesh fabric dries quickly and resists sweat buildup. Capacity is generous enough for a full marathon load, and small shell jackets will squeeze in, though a 500-ml soft flask is not entirely bounce free. Race bib tabs and easy washing round out a genuinely proven design.

The North Face 5L Running Vest

For longer efforts, the North Face 5L running vest balances lightweight construction with just enough structure to avoid feeling floppy. A front bungee system and side adjusters keep it secure, with no bounce even on very steep trail descents. The breathable mesh back panel and toggled main compartment with a divider keep contents separated from your back, though very sweaty runs will still soak anything inside, so a dry bag is wise. Zippered bottle holsters make soft flask swaps at aid stations effortless.

Spy Belt

If you run with your phone, the Spy Belt is a quietly excellent solution. It takes large phones, holds them tightly against the waist, and does not bounce, whether worn front or back. It handles track sessions and long runs equally well, cleans up easily, and can also swallow four or five gels for race day. It is not expensive, and it simply does its job.

Fitletic Bolt Running Belt

The Fitletic Bolt is a neoprene running belt that feels a bit like wetsuit material: hard-wearing, comfortable, and able to hold a large phone such as a Pixel 9 XL Pro along with cards and keys. Despite being loaded up, it sits tight against the waist without bouncing, which makes it comfortable even when full. It has been used four or five times a week, including in 10K and half marathon races, and the first one lasted three or four years of that treatment before needing replacement.

Maurten Gel Flask

The Maurten gel flask solves a small but real problem: soft flasks without lids can leak over your phone and other kit. This one has a very good lid that opens easily with one hand, fits neatly into running belts, half tights, or shorts pockets, and adds little weight. If you carry fuel and electronics together, that lid is worth a lot.

Visibility: Lighting for Dark Runs

When the days shorten, a good light changes what runs are possible.

Body Glide Night Vision Light

The Body Glide Night Vision Light is a belt-worn light and one of the best alternatives to a head torch for dark urban runs. Worn around the waist, it gives a fixed beam out ahead that does not move with your head, and it avoids the sweatiness of a forehead-mounted torch. It is bright, runs for 2 hours on the highest setting, 9 hours on low, and up to 14 hours in blinky red mode, with USB-C recharging and a weight of about 78 g. Velcro fastening also lets you attach it to clothes, bags, and helmets, which makes sharing it within a group easy.

Anti-Chafe and Everyday Comfort

Small comfort products often deliver the biggest quality-of-life gains.

2Toms Sport Shield

In our view 2Toms Sport Shield is the best anti-chafe solution available. It has proven itself in the desert at the Marathon des Sables and across a multi-day 1,800-mile run through Europe. As a roll-on it is easy to apply anywhere, including hard-to-reach spots, and one well-applied coating tends to last all day. It washes off the body easily and does not leave grease spots on clothes the way Vaseline-style balms can. There is an Extra variety with more waterproofing, and the formula includes aloe, green tea extract, and shea butter for soothing skin.

Under Armour Boxerjock Brief

Sports underwear matters more than most runners admit. The Under Armour Boxerjock Brief has been worn roughly weekly for close to a decade, washed countless times, and remains soft, supportive, and effective at preventing chafing. A three-pack is reasonably priced, and the durability on offer is spectacular value for something this close to your skin on every run.

Eyewear

Good running sunglasses do not need to be expensive.

Tifosi Swick

The Tifosi Swick is light, comfortable, and far more affordable than most performance shades. The broad nose bridge suits wider noses, and they sit securely with no bounce and no pressure, thanks to arms that lock in place without digging or pinching. One pair was worn every day for 67 marathons in 67 days and is still in use; the lenses carry some scratches, but the arms have not stretched and the frames survive drops and bashes. At this price, losing or breaking them is not a disaster.

Goodr Sunglasses

Goodr sunglasses are the budget option that keeps earning its place. In the UK they cost under about 25 pounds, yet they do not bounce, stay comfortable, and look better than the price suggests. With dozens of designs, from subtle everyday styles to marathon-themed editions and newer performance shapes, there is something for everyone. They are cheap enough that a dropped or scraped pair is not a tragedy, which is exactly what many runners want from sunglasses.

Socks, Underwear and Winter Layers

Feet and extremities decide how a cold or long run actually feels.

Start Socks

Start Socks have been in use for more than a decade, with some original pairs still going strong without holes. They feel firmer and less plush than soft options, but the durability is outstanding, which justifies the fairly premium price over the long run. The running-focused versions wick sweat and dry quickly, keeping feet in good condition on long runs, and the design range includes plenty of sports team options such as NBA styles.

Darn Tough Micro Crew Socks

The Darn Tough Micro Crew socks have accumulated zero holes over years of use, which is more than can be said for many pricier running socks. They are comfortable, well padded, and best paired with slightly more cushioned daily trainers rather than lightweight race shoes. The only complaint on record is a pair going dull after a wrong-wash mistake.

Smartwool Run Cold Weather Targeted Crew Socks

The Smartwool Run Cold Weather Targeted Crew socks are subtly styled, dark-colored, and exceptionally durable. After roughly three years of regular wear, no Smartwool pairs have worn out or been thrown away, which is a stark contrast to the yearly replacement cycle of many running socks. They are thicker for winter but not excessively so, and they still work in summer. Soft, well made, and reliable.

The North Face E-Tip Gloves

The North Face E-Tip gloves are a winter running staple. They give just enough warmth for the cold early stages of a run, are slim enough to stuff into a jacket pocket or belt once you warm up, and their touchscreen-compatible grip areas make using a phone or watch straightforward. Small clips keep the pair together in a drawer, which quietly solves the lost-glove problem.

Buff DryFlx Headband

The Buff DryFlx headband is a race-day ritual as much as an accessory. It soaks up a lot of sweat, keeps it out of your eyes, washes out easily, and has held together in solid condition across years of key races. A bright color also helps spectators spot you at big events like the London Marathon. Buff makes plenty of similar headbands and thicker neck-wear options for colder days, and none are expensive, but this one is a personal favorite.

Training Tech

Reliable data is only useful when you trust it.

Garmin HRM 600

The Garmin HRM 600 is one of the most expensive chest straps on the market, but it earns its place with accuracy, convenient recharging, and extra running economy stats on compatible Garmin watches such as the Forerunner 970. Chest straps in general beat optical wrist heart rate for peace of mind, and they are a useful signal of fatigue or illness when easy-run heart rates drift. If you mainly want a dependable strap, cheaper options are strong too.

Coospo H9Z

If the HRM 600 is over budget, the Coospo H9Z is a really good budget heart rate monitor that delivers the core benefit: accurate, trustworthy heart rate data without the hiccups of wrist-based optical sensors. Chest straps are comfortable even on long runs, and this is one of the best-value ways to get that reliability.

Audio: Open-Ear Headphones

Staying aware of your surroundings does not have to mean sacrificing sound quality.

Creative Outlier Free Mini

The Creative Outlier Free Mini is the affordable bone conduction headphone that actually competes. Below roughly 50 pounds or 50 dollars, little else comes close. The mini neckband design sits a bit more snugly, the underside controls are easy to reach on the run, and they stay put without bouncing over long distances. Sound is not the cleanest in the category, but it holds up against wind and traffic noise, the open-ear balance is sensible, and battery life is solid.

Shokz OpenFit 2 Plus

The Shokz OpenFit 2 Plus takes a different approach: earbud-style speakers that sit in your ears rather than bone conduction, delivering noticeably more volume and clarity. That makes them far better for podcasts and spoken word, where standard bone conduction headphones struggle. You still get the peripheral awareness that open-ear designs are known for, plus comfort, good battery life, and better overall sound than the cheaper standard OpenFit models. Paying the extra is worthwhile if podcasts dominate your listening.

Filming Your Runs

One pick here is not about running gear at all, but about capturing it.

DJI Neo 2

The DJI Neo 2 is a small, lightweight drone that works straight out of your pocket, with no remote controller required. Set it to look at you and it follows along, films circles around you, or captures other preset shots, either from your phone or purely from the buttons on the drone itself. Built-in storage, a caged design that protects the rotor blades, and genuine resistance to bumps, trees, and walls make it far less intimidating than traditional drones. For solo runners and trail runners who want photos and video for social without a camera crew, it is genuinely good fun and very easy to use.

Buying Advice

Start with the problem you actually have. If kit rattles around or your phone will not fit, the Naked Running Belt, Spy Belt, or Fitletic Bolt each solve it from a different angle, and the Maurten gel flask keeps fuel from leaking over your electronics. For longer trail days, the North Face 5L vest is the upgrade. If dark winter runs are on the calendar, the Body Glide Night Vision Light is an easy win, and 2Toms Sport Shield plus good underwear removes a whole category of discomfort. On a budget, the Goodr sunglasses, Coospo H9Z, and Creative Outlier Free Mini deliver disproportionate value, while the Garmin HRM 600 and Shokz OpenFit 2 Plus justify their higher prices for data-focused and podcast-focused runners respectively. Socks are the quiet hero here: Darn Tough, Smartwool, and Start all last for years, which is exactly what you want from something worn every day.

Conclusion

Twenty products, one common thread: each has survived years of real running and still earns its place. Whether you need storage, visibility, comfort, data, sound, or a drone following you down a trail, these picks have already proven themselves. Choose the one that matches your biggest current annoyance, and your runs will get a little better immediately.