I don’t often run with my Smartphone, but when I do I prefer to hold it in my hand or tuck it into a pocket in a hydration vest. I can’t stand carrying an iPhone on my upper arm, particularly if I need to have easy access to it for some reason (e.g., to change a song, call home for rescue while running on a hot day, let my wife know that I will be indeed back in time for her to get to her yoga class, etc.).
I’ve previously reviewed the HB Tune handheld iPhone case – it’s a great little tool that I still use frequently today. The drawback of the HB Tune is that I have to remember to bring it with me if I’m not running from home. I’m not the best at remembering things like this, and on more than a few occasions I’ve simply just held my iPhone in hand without a strap (I’m also not a fan of clutching my iPhone while running).
A few months ago I got an email from Allan Todd, inventor of a device called the GoStrap. I get emails all the time from people wanting me to try stuff (often several per day!) and much of it gets turned down (simply not enough time to try everything…). The GoStrap, however, looked like something simple that could be useful, so I decided to give it a go.
![IMG_2535[1]](https://cdn.runblogger.com/images/2013/08/gostrap-handheld-smartphone-strap-review-3.jpg "IMG_2535[1]")
Allan sent along two straps, and I affixed one to an old iPhone case I had lying around (tip – go to TJ Maxx or Marshall’s for super-cheap iPhone cases) – they affix with an adhesive so no taking it on and off. My initial challenge was to figure out how best to position the strap on the case so that I could comfortably handhold the phone while running. I worked out that placement dead-center on the back wasn’t going to work since you can only fit one or two fingers through it and they needed to wrap around the side. I opted to affix it to the lower outer edge, though I suppose centered on the edge would have worked just as well, if not better.
On my first run with the GoStrap I found that it worked well, my phone was secured without having to use a tight grip (or even any grip at all really), but I also found that it was a bit tight when trying to fit two fingers through it, especially as they fattened up during the run. Maybe I just have fat fingers, I suspect a woman or man with small hands might have less trouble. I also found that the strap worked just as well when I put just one finger through it, so no big deal.
![IMG_2537[1]](https://cdn.runblogger.com/images/2013/08/gostrap-handheld-smartphone-strap-review-5.jpg "IMG_2537[1]")
![IMG_2540[1]](https://cdn.runblogger.com/images/2013/08/gostrap-handheld-smartphone-strap-review-7.jpg "IMG_2540[1]")
Demonstrating the two-finger vs. one-finger hold. My cat apparently prefers the latter.
The thing I like best about the GoStrap is that unlike the HB Tune it’s very low-profile so I can just keep that case on my phone and not have to worry about remembering to bring a separate case with me when I’m not running from my house. On the occasions when I do decide to carry my phone with me, this is a handy little tool, and at $9.99 it’s less than half-the price of the HB Tune.
I would be curious to try a longer version of the GoStrap that would secure over the entire palm of my hand, maybe something like that is in the works, but for now the GoStrap has found a home on my iPhone case.
To learn more about the GoStrap, go to http://www.mygostrap.com/.
About Peter Larson
I rarely carry my phone anymore, because like you, I have a Garmin 610. But when I do, I much prefer the Grantwood Technology TuneBand. If you position it right, you hardly know it’s there. The only downside is, if you don’t have a Garmin, you can’t see your current pace. Or I suppose you could buy one of those Pebble watches to display the pace. Hmm…
I have a seidio active combo case for my phone – it has a holster with a belt clip. I just tie the drawstrings on my shorts tight and clip it on — secure, no worries.
This looks cool. I used to use
I used to use my phone for nike gps for tracking miles but have recently switched to a garmin 310xt. I used to use an arm band for my phone but this thing looks pretty cool!
s’why i got a small clip-on mp3 player with a card slot for more memory if i needed
don’t feel like carrying something lol
clips to my waist…off i go
I use a Nano most of the time clipped to my waist. Only bring the phone on rare occasions.
Sent from my iPad
when i forget to charge my mp3 player i just suck it up lol
no but i don’t use it that often…well, i’ve used it more recently but yea..
There seems to be a bunch of these kind of things on Amazon already. One’s called the ThingSling and another’s called Lazy-Hands.
ThingSling is a bit unfortunately named…
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The worst enemy of a smartphone is the humidity and corrosion, and if you run it is more than likely that your hands will sweat. this humidity hour by hour will probably affect your handset
Like other reviewers, I have used arm bands, Nanos, Shuffles, belt clips, etc. However, I need to keep my phone available for work, for family, and for tracking my run. Free (or nearly free) phone apps hold similar (sometimes more) information as the expensive Garmin, etc versions which require additional accessories.
Using my phone provides my music, connectivity, and run data in one place.
As for heat/humidity, it does not seem to be a problem. After the run, I use a wipe on the back of my phone and on my heart rate strap. It does not seem to bother the phone or the Go Strap.
At this price- why not try it and see for yourself?