Article by Jeremy Marie, Jeff Valliere, and Sam Winebaum
Jeremy: We had the great honor to meet and have a nice long chat with Sean Van Court, Instinct Trail founder and main designer of Instinct Trail at UTMB. Instinct is a French traildedicated brand that promotes function over everything else. They have an extensive line of run packs and their trademark Reflex belt which we review here with reviews of their run vests and Alpi 40 packs to come.
Sean presented the line to us at UTMB in this video HERE
Sean spends hours and hours designing, testing and refining his products in his own workshop. As a top runner himself, he has great expectations for what he delivers, and the versatility of Instinct lineup is proof of forward-thinking and curated design, all for the runner’s good.
After all, the best gear is the one you don’t think about when you’re running, so let’s go deep into the Reflex belt Sean has kindly provided as the brand will soon launch in the US.
Jeremy: The Reflex belt is one of the big hits of Instinct’s lineup. It’s not a new product, as it’s available in Europe for two years, but it’s still unrivaled for carrying capacity and stability.
It’s designed to ensure maximum stability while holding one or two flasks (even the 600mL Instinct ones), or one flask and running poles, and still provides space for a jacket, nutrition, and valuables (keys, phone).
Specs
The belt is 145mm high, and weighs 114g in my size 3, one of 6 sizes offered.
As a comparison, a close competitor and usually seen on runners is the Compressport FreeBelt Pro, which is 155mm high and weighs 85g in my size, but gets easily soaked by rain or sweat, an issue that does not exist with the Instinct belt.
The belt has 6 distinct pockets, one of which is a tubular rear pole holder with large silicone grips to ensure its content does not move with the opening easier to find on the run. It can also be used to store a jacket should you want to.
Here’s a very clear schema of the pockets disposition taken from instinct website: (the “B” is the front green pocket)
Picture with courtesy of Instinct
As you can see, it does not follow the trendy “one big tubular pocket” which is always hit or miss when you need to access specific items.
The storage segmentation of the Reflex belt allows you to carefully put items in dedicated pockets and then easily retrieve them.
Each pocket is equipped with a large reflective pull loop which is easily found even with (light) gloves on. No need to look at the belt to find the desired pocket, it simply oozes real-world testing and adjustments. The inner and outer mesh making up dual layer pockets are “color coded”to easily distinguish between them
The outer front pocket is labeled as “secured” because of its tighter side access as a slip-in pocket from the right yellow corner as shown above: you can bet that absolutely nothing will pop off this one while running, even bombing downhill. The inner front pocket is a wide opening across the whole front of the belt while at the rear the pocket behind the poles slide through compartment is single layer and also fully open.
Sam: Finally there are 2 hip drop in pockets with yes those reflective pulls which one can reach for and find without even looking down. They fit Sam’s iPhone 15 Pro in an Otter Box case securely in case you want to use the front pocket for a flask, above shown with Instinct’s 600ml which by the way is remarkably “tasteless”. Finally there are 2 cord locked elastic cords to attach race bibs across the front.
Jeff V: Jeremy gives an excellent description of the Reflex Belt. I have been using a NAKED belt as my daily driver for many years and over the last year or so alternating with the Camelbak Ultra belt. The Reflex belt to me is very reminiscent of the NAKED belt, but with deeper pockets and thus more capacity. Where the NAKED belt has pole loops in the back, Instinct took it a step further by connecting the loops with a nice mesh pocket, where you can either slide poles through or stuff a wind shell there. As an added bonus, they covered the entrance to either side with super grippy rubber to reduce the chances of your poles or jacket sliding out inadvertently.
The outer front secured pocket is just that, nice and secure with just downward diagonal hand size opening to the pocket with the remainder of the pocket being totally enclosed.
The large inner pocket behind the secured pocket is roomy and like the opposite side, where there is a same size large inner pocket behind the pass through pocket. It is easy to carry any combination of your phone, poles, jacket, water flask, hat, beanie, food, wallet, keys, etc…
As long as you are able to achieve the proper fit, the Reflex belt really handles a load of the above items well. The side pockets are great for smaller items, but stretch enough that I can easily fit my iPhone 13 mini vertically. I would love to see a key clip in one of the side drop pockets as is the case with the NAKED belt and the Camelbak Ultra belt. As a workaround, I just use a very small key biner here (dropping a key in one of the side drop pockets would likely be just fine, but given I run some pretty remote trails, I cannot risk losing a car key).
Fit and Impressions
Jeremy: Finding the right size is key for this kind of stretchy belt, as it needs to be both tight on the hips (the upper side of the Reflex belt is intended to sit just on top of the belly button), so that the content does not move or bounce, but without creating too much pressure. It’s a fine line to walk and Instinct has, IMO, perfectly managed this tricky part. I was advised a size 3 by Sean himself, and the man knows his stuff: it fits perfectly, and looking at the size guide confirmed this: size 3 is for 79-86cm waist, and I’m between 82-84cm.. depending on the amount of potatoes eaten the day before.
Sam: I have a 32-33” 81cm waist and while I also tried the “3” I went with the “4” and am totally satisfied with the fit even loaded. This said if I needed to carry 2 flasks I would likely move to a vest but with one 600ml, my phone, poles and a light jacket I am just right in terms of fit. At some point the fit is also a matter of preference, a tight fit or a more relaxed one and I lean a touch more relaxed.
Jeff V: My waist is ~33” and I find the size 4 belt to fit me perfectly, whether I am carrying a phone and a car key (common), or adding a combination of flask, jacket, poles, hat, beanie, headlamp, food and coming this winter, the Reflex belt will accommodate Microspikes or EXOspikes. The added width of the belt (depth for capacity) also helps to keep the belt in place. I will say that belt fit can vary for me greatly though depending on the time of day and how much of what I just ate. Some mornings after a big breakfast, coffee, hydrating, a belt can feel really confining, yet can feel loose after hours of running, but the Reflex does not feel overly tight or overly loose as I go through those stages.
Jeremy: The fit can feel a tad restrictive at first but given the huge amount of stretch in the lateral plane it actually allows for a nice and secure hold, no matter the amount of stuff you put in the belt.
So take a measurement of your waist at the belly button level, or just a hair above, and stick to the size guide.
The mesh used by Instinct is indeed a 4 dimensional stretch mesh but it stretches just a little bit less in the longitudinal direction than vertically . This is by design - the same mesh is used in their run pack - and the main benefit is that it greatly minimizes the amount of bounce and makes for a consistent fit.
The mesh looks and feels very durable, as do the large reflective finger loops that are located on each pocket.
I’ve used the belt with poles in the back, a full 650mL Instinct flask in the front pocket, my phone, three bars, 2 purees, a light vest, gloves, and everything was tightly and securely hold, without any sense of bounce.
The finger loops feel so natural that going back to using pockets without them feels weird.
Conclusions:
Jeremy: I’ve usually been disappointed with almost every running belt I’ve used (from the first Salomon SLab Advanced Skin 3L, to the last ones, the Compressport Free Belt Pro), but the Instinct Reflex Belt clearly changed my mind about using belts for running.
I can even see using this for a 3-5 hours race without any issue, given there are aid stations to fill water up.
And the best thing about it may be its price, as at 45€ it’s amongst the least expensive options for comparable carry. It’s a hit.
Sam: I have extensively tested the Instinct and been delighted. Its highlights are lots of carry potential if need be, easy to use and access storage and organization, a smooth bounce free fit, and a very reasonable price.
Jeff V: I have to say I am very impressed with the Reflex belt so far. I find it to be a great option for those runs where I may max out the capacity of my NAKED belt or Camelbak Ultra belt and have a little more room for items like a headlamp and Microspikes come winter when I do not want to wear a vest. I like the quality, fit/stretch properties, the well laid out and well thought out pockets and overall ease of use. That said, if I get to the point where I am truly maxing out this belt, I am likely going to prefer having that amount of stuff in a vest, but that is just a matter of preference.
4 Comparisons
Sam: While more “maximal” and heavier than my Salomon S/Lab Belt (RTR Review) and sturdier/more durable in construction it goes beyond that belt’s essentially flask, a phone and not much else capacity. The S/Lab height is considerably less and its materials far lighter and more fragile: Its pockets include: one zip front, 2 side for gels (but not phone) and a rear flask or jacket pocket. The S/Lab’s pocketing is not nearly as easy to access given its small tabs. The Salomon is focused on light and racing and is a better option for a short trail or road race and for up to a couple hours of training. For versatility the Instinct wins here.
Sitting above it in ruggedness and yet better “bounce free” is the far more expensive Raide LF 2L belt (RTR Review). It has a foam back panel and plastic stays with similar but not quite as accessible storage due to its wide internal webbing belt. It for sure can carry 2 600ml flasks at the rear with zero bounce, and even less bounce than the Instinct with the front for other storage.
Jeff V: The NAKED (RTR Review) running belt is the closest comparison, similar in overall design, but the Reflex is deeper, has more capacity and two tiers of pockets front and back, plus the more secure enclosed pocket and better pole carry ability with the pass through pocket. For just a phone, car key and another small item or two, I likely pick the NAKED.
Camelbak Ultra Belt (RTR Review) - I like that the Ultra belt has a semi waterproof zippered pocket, perfect size for a smart phone and I don’t need to remember to put the phone in the ziplock bag. It easily holds a water flask and a few other small items (gels, car key), so is lighter in capacity compared to the Reflex. Sizing is a bit easier with the Ultra belt, as they are adjustable with two cinch cords.
Jeremy MARIE, French, 44y/o. Running since 2013 and quickly transitioned to trails, focused on ultras since 2015 : TDS, Maxi-Race, “100 miles du Sud”, 90 kms du Mt Blanc, GRP 120 kms, Some shorter more mellow races (Saintelyon 45 kms, Ecotrail Paris 45 kms…) with always in the mix road and flat running, but not many road races. Also active cyclist and 70.3 Ironman. Recovery/easy runs ~4’45/km - 4’30/km. He has an un-official marathon PR of 2h54 (solo) and 10K PR of 36’25. He does few timed road races.
Jeff Valliere loves to run and explore the mountains of Colorado, the steeper and more technical the better. He has summited all of the 14ers in the state, many 13ers and other peaks in Colorado and beyond, plus, he has summited his local Green Mountain over 2,100 times in the past 20 years. He can be found on mountain trails daily, no matter the weather, season, conditions or whether there is daylight or not. On the side he loves to ski (all forms) bike and hike, often with his family, as he introduces his twin daughters to the outdoors. Jeff was born and raised in New Hampshire, but has called Colorado home for over 25 years. He is 5’9” and 145 lbs.
Europe only: use RTR code RTR5ALL for 5% off all products, even sale products
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