Gear We Love Summer 2022: The Black Diamond Sprint Short
For years I’ve been looking for a way to carry my phone and car key on my person during my shorter 45- to 75-minute warm weather weekday trail runs. It’s not a big ask, but my running shorts have never had a pocket big enough to fit a phone. And I never really liked the alternatives. For example, I did have one short sleeve running shirt with a pocket in the back that fit a phone, but the fit was funky and the phone bounced around on my back, forcing me to tuck the shirt and my phone into my running shorts. Similarly, while my race vest has always worked well enough, wearing a pack has always seemed excessive for runs of this distance.
Enter the Black Diamond Sprint Short, which I purchased last spring. With five utility pockets to carry trail essentials, including two large horizontal pockets on the rear waistband, one large enough to accommodate my phone, the Sprint has solved my phone-carrying problems. As well, the Sprint is so comfortable that it’s become my go-to running short for trail runs of all distances because the material is so comfortable and the liner doesn’t cause chafing.
The Sprint comes in two lengths—5” and 7”—and two colors, black and “storm blue”. (The women’s versions come in the same two colors, but both have even shorter inseams!) I bought the black with the 5” inseam. At first I felt that this was a little short, but I’ve gotten used to the length (or lack thereof) over the past several months.
In terms of durability, the Sprint Short has been awesome and feels as good as new despite the months of running I’ve put into them. My one design suggestion for the Sprint Short 2.0—make the “phone pocket” just a touch larger. This will make getting the phone in and out of the rear pocket even easier. As well, making the waistband in the back a little taller and a just bit more elastic will make carrying a phone in the large rear pocket even less noticeable.
Overall, I couldn’t be happier with the Black Diamond Sprint Short, which I’ve picked for my Gear We Love for Summer 2022. If you’re are looking for a solution for carrying your phone while trail running, this is it. Check them out.
By Doug Martland
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