Salomon ADV Skin Belt Review

I am a massive fan of a good running belt and when I say I'm a fan, I pretty much wear a belt for every single run that's under 15 miles and I've done that for many years. Over that time I've run with many different belts from lots of different manufacturers - FlipBelt, Compressport, Ironman brand, Salomon, Ultimate Direction, etc.

Today we are taking a look at the latest running belt offering from trail running specialist Salomon and it is their new ADV Skin belt. I've been testing it out for a good month now so let's dive into the review and see how it performed.

RUNNING BELTS

Before we break down Salomon's new belt in a bit more detail, I thought I'd just run you through what I feel makes a good, functional running belt and what you should look out for when you're making that all important purchase.

Back in the day when I first started running with a belt, they used to have an adjustable strap, a big plastic buckle on the front and a big pocket on the back where you'd stow your water and all your goodies for the day. I'm glad to say things have moved on quite a lot since then, because I used to find them pretty uncomfortable the farther I ran. Because that strap was fully adjustable, it used to have bits of fabric flapping around all over the place that used to drive me crazy. It had a big, plastic, clunky buckle that used to cause me issues and because the pocket was just situated on the back, you couldn't spread out the weight evenly and the belt would bounce around quite a lot while I was running, especially when carrying a fair bit of kit.

Luckily, brands like FlipBelt came along and did it completely differently. It worked really well and they became very popular very quickly, they pretty much redesigned the running belt industry. Obviously, all the other brands that were producing belts saw this happening and they followed suit and started to produce very similar style belts, so what we mainly see nowadays is they tend to be constructed out of one piece of material and they are specifically sized, so there's no adjustment - you literally step into it and pull it up around your waist.

They're usually made out of a stretchy lightweight, breathable fabric, which allows you to stow away all those training or race day essentials. Because it's basically just one massive pocket, it allows you to distribute weight a lot more evenly around the belt giving you a much more practical and comfortable running experience. Taking all that into consideration, if you're in the market for your first running belt or if you want to upgrade from an old style belt that you're currently using, then I would say, this is definitely the design to go for.

FACTS & FIGURES

Salomon ADV Skin belt retails in the UK for a pretty reasonable £30 and it is available in five different size options from XS all the way up to XL. Just so you know I'm a 32-33in waist, I've got it in a size medium and it fits really well. It's important that you get the right size, so the belt fits well and you don't get any movement or bouncing when you're running. I'd always recommend that you check out the size guide before you buy.

The running belt comes in four colour options - black, blue, green and red. It weighs 84g, so it's pretty light and it is constructed out of a blend of polyamide and elastane, which makes it nice and light, super stretchy and very durable. The ADV Skin belt was actually inspired by my race vest of choice - the ADV Skin 12 Set, so Salomon made it nice and wide for comfort, and they've also added several expandable storage options.

STORAGE

The whole thing basically is one big pocket but there is a bit of segregation going on as well. The front compartment is big enough to fit in a good sized mobile phone or one of Salomon's 250ml soft flasks. You also get a really handy key loop as well, so you can clip your house or car keys onto it keeping them nice and safe, so you don't have to worry about them while you're out on your run.

The two side openings actually run all the way around the back forming a massive pocket, that's actually big enough to carry a full 500ml Salomon soft flask, if you wanted to double up on your water. You could also fit a lightweight jacket, gloves, beanie and a head torch. It's a great carrying system if you're out on the trails in the colder months or if you're out on the roads training for a marathon.

The pockets don't stop there - similarly to the ADV Skin 12 hydration vest, it has a double pocket system on the back, so it's actually got a very secure zip pocket that sits on top of that main compartment (perfect for gels, bars, Shot Bloks, etc.) and because it's made out of a very stretchy fabric, you can actually fit a lot of tasty treats in that pocket.

Last but not least, it has a very handy addition of a pole carrying system with two loops on the back. They've both got internal rubber grippers, so it keeps the poles safe and secure, even if you're bombing down a steep, technical descent.

PERFORMANCE

The belt has performed well over the miles. Nice and lightweight in construction and because of the fabric Salomon have used, it feels highly breathable. Having all the storage options around the belt, makes it super versatile and it's capable of carrying a lot of gear. I've found it to be very stable while running with very little movement, even when it's fully loaded.

CONCLUSION

Over the years I've run with lots of running belts - some good, some not so good, and I would say the new Salomon belt is up there with the best of them. If you're in the market for your first ever running belt or you want to upgrade your existing belt then the ADV Skin belt is definitely worth a look. I've found it very comfortable, it looks to be really well put together, you've got all that accessible, expandable storage, you've got that safe zip pocket and that handy key loop with the added bonus of a pole carrying system and you get all of that for just £30, which I personally think is really good value!

COMING UP NEXT

I'm actually just waiting for one of the Naked running belts to turn up. All I hear is glowing reports about their running belt system and I've never run with one, so I'm going to get hold of one and we're going to test it on the channel. Once I've done that, we're going to do the Run4Adventure running belt showdown video, so hopefully we'll have that on the channel very soon!

Disclosure: We would always recommend supporting your local running shop but we realise that not everyone has one near them, so if you make a purchase through the affiliate links on our site, we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. We thoroughly test every item we review and we'll always provide honest reviews.

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