As the holiday season approaches, finding gifts for the women runners in your life can seem overwhelming. Luckily, most companies have moved away from the “pink it and shrink it” motif and have created gear specifically designed for women’s bodies and needs, and we are here to help you parse through the seemingly countless options to find the best gifts for women who run. Whether your partner, daughter, sister, or friend needs a new running shirt, running vest, recovery tool, or GPS watch, we’ve got you covered.
Our experienced team of testers has run hundreds of miles on every surface and in every imaginable condition, wearing gear specifically designed for women. The products they loved the most — from the Patagonia Capilene Cool Lightweight Shirt to the Salomon Adv Skin 5 running vest — are the ones that made it into this guide.
When it comes to a pair of shoes that can handle any type of terrain thrown at them, The North Face OffTrail Hike Gore-Tex Shoes are durable, reliable, and comfortable. The Gore-Tex upper is waterproof, making it ideal for traveling through wet grasses or shrubs, snow, or water crossings that are less than ankle-deep. While the material keeps water out, it remains breathable enough to allow sweat from your feet to evaporate. The durable material is also windproof, keeping your feet warm on cold winter mornings. The rubber toecap protects the toes from rocks, and additional reinforcements throughout the upper improve the overall support and stability of the shoe. Extra padding around the heel increases the comfort of the shoe over long distances without being overdone.
The outsole is made of a sticky rubber compound, and 5-millimeter lugs dig into loose surfaces to provide traction on many different types of terrain. Whether you’re jumping between rocks or heading down a steep and loose trail, the outsole will grip the terrain and keep you upright and moving forward with confidence. This is a shoe that is light enough to move fast while still providing more support than a traditional running shoe.
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The North Face has sponsored the placement of this product.
One of our testing team’s longtime favorites, the Patagonia Capilene Cool Lightweight Shirt is incredibly light and breathable. It dries quickly and is a great shirt for running on the hottest summer days. Made of double-knit polyester fabric, it’s soft on the skin and a joy to wear. The little details make this shirt stand out from the rest. It’s a comfortable cut that’s neither too tight nor too loose, and long enough to sit just below the hip bone. The sleeves are long enough to cover plenty of the upper arm without hindering a full range of motion. While the flatlock seams around the shoulders could potentially cause issues when wearing a pack, the shirt is soft enough not to cause any problems, even with a heavily loaded pack. The neck opening is wider than some, enhancing the shirt’s breathability but reducing its sun protection.
The synthetic material is quick-drying and stretchy, and is treated with the brand’s HeiQ Mint odor-control technology, which minimizes bacterial growth in the fabric. In fact, this shirt can be worn multiple times between washes without acquiring a stench. The incredibly fine and lightweight fabric isn’t the greatest at providing sun protection, but the shirt weighs less than two ounces, making it a great option if there’s a chance you’ll take it off mid-run and carry it in your pack or running belt.
Patagonia apparel is an excellent option for someone in your life who strives to make environmentally conscious decisions. This shirt is made largely from recycled materials, and Patagonia offers a generous gear repair policy in case you damage it.
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Oiselle only makes women-specific running apparel, and their commitment to details is evident in the Oiselle Flyout Long Sleeve, which is an excellent option as a base layer and a stand-alone long-sleeve shirt. While women’s products from other brands occasionally seem like an afterthought, Oiselle focuses on making functional and stylish women’s clothing. The proprietary Flyout HoverFit fabric makes this shirt an incredibly breathable and comfortable layer. To optimize heat transfer, the fabric is designed to sit lightly, nearly hovering over the skin, rather than fitting tightly. It dries quickly as well. The raglan sleeve design minimizes the chance of chafing along the seams, and the thumb holes at the end of the sleeves are a nice touch. They keep the sleeves from riding up underneath other layers and allow you to pull the sleeves down over your hands for a little extra warmth and protection. The watch window is also a unique feature that will be loved by anyone who wants to keep track of the time or their splits without having to roll up their sleeves.
Oiselle uses environmentally conscious manufacturing practices, striving to source materials responsibly and reduce waste with their Fabric Forward program. They also offer a vast array of sizes for women of all shapes and sizes.
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The watch window of the Oiselle Flyout Long Sleeve made it easy to track time without breaking stride. Photo: iRunFar/Eszter Horanyi
Named the top shorts in our Best Running Shorts for Women guide, the Oiselle Roga 4″ Shorts are a standout pair of shorts from the women-specific brand. They’re light, durable, and quick-drying, and they fit and move incredibly well.
Our testers wore these shorts for everything from warm summer runs to slides down scree fields, and they held up well throughout all of these adventures. Their wide waistband fits comfortably and features a well-sized mesh pocket to store gels and other small items, though it doesn’t have quite enough structure to carry a smartphone without it bouncing. The four-way stretch material is thoughtful and comfortable, allowing the shorts to move with your body, regardless of the terrain or your pace. You can cinch the waist down with an infinity drawstring.
These shorts feature a built-in mesh liner that is barely noticeable, and they are available in three different inseam lengths — 1.75 inches, 4 inches, and 6 inches — and come in multiple colorways. The tapered cut reduces the chance of chafing while still allowing for a full range of motion.
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Named the best sports bra for running in hot weather in our Best Sports Bras for Running guide, the Oiselle Hi Twenty Bra shines because of its simplicity. It provides a medium level of support, is easy to put on and take off, and fits securely without using excessive material.
It’s a compression-style pullover with thin racerback straps and includes removable cup pads for added support if needed. This bra, with a mesh back, is also very breathable, allowing for dry, comfortable running. Our testers wore it in various weather conditions, and they found it performed well regardless of the temperature. We didn’t experience any chafing or pressure points when we wore it with a running vest.
Sizing-wise, we found that the chest band runs a bit small, so sizing up to avoid rib compression might be a good call, especially if you’re between sizes. We found that the bra provided plenty of support for smaller cup sizes and was enough for B to C cups.
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The mesh back of the Oiselle Hi Twenty Bra makes it supportive yet breathable. Photo: iRunFar/Eszter Horanyi
The newly redesigned Salomon Adv Skin 5 running vest retains all of the features that made it one of our favorite low-volume running hydration vests in the past and adds a few new details to make it even better. The two front pockets carry 500-milliliter soft flasks, and the pockets sit high enough that it’s easy to access your hydration without having to remove the bottles. Elastic loops secure the flasks so that they don’t flop around or sink down into the pockets as they empty. The overlaying stretchy pockets hold small items and can fit a cell phone, while a zippered pocket secures important objects.
Between the front and back of the vest, there’s plenty of storage for jackets, gloves, nutrition, chapstick, and a hat. The rear compartment fits a 1.5-liter bladder, and a dividing panel separates the bladder from the rest of your gear. The pass-through stretch sleeve on the lower back of the pack fits a jacket for easy on-the-go access. While we miss the top pocket that the old version of this vest had, it can still carry a lot of stuff!
Our primary tester won the Pine to Palm 100 Mile in Oregon wearing this vest and reported, “I could fit a couple gels in each of the front pockets, or some other smallish item, without concern that it’s going to jump ship.” The elastic sternum straps are easily adjustable, allowing a customized fit with a single toggle. Several options are available on the pack for carrying trekking poles, and it’s also easy to attach the Salomon Custom Quiver.
It’s worth noting that this is a unisex pack that we think works well for women, but it’s essential to check the sizing chart to ensure you get the right size. Our tester noted that a size small for this vest, which is what she normally wears in women’s clothing and gear, was a bit big on her. Still, she says, “I continue to love the overall feel of the mesh on Salomon packs. They truly live up to their ‘skin’ name.”
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Nearly any runner could benefit from recovery tools, and the TriggerPoint Grid 1.0 Foam Roller is an excellent option that can work multiple parts of the body. It’s supremely soft on the surface yet firm enough to put a lot of pressure on muscles when needed. At only 13 inches long and 1.4 pounds, it’s also very portable, making it ideal for those runners in your life who travel frequently. It’s easy to carry around between home, the gym, the track, and even an airplane. While the relatively short length can limit its utility for reaching certain muscle groups and for taller athletes, it’s a great all-around option for those new to foam rolling and those who already have an established practice.
While we found the brand’s claim that the roller’s textured grid pattern provides a similar feeling to a massage therapist to be a bit hyperbolic, we loved the feel of the squishy EVA foam and its symbiosis with the hard plastic lining on the inside of the roller. It’s soft enough to feel good but firm enough to work your muscles, and we were able to modulate the amount of pressure that we applied. The different patterns on the roller also allow for different pressures and sensations on the muscles, and the five-inch diameter is ideal for working a variety of muscle groups.
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The old adage claims that runners should recover as hard as they train, and the Brazyn Performance Talon Massager is an excellent addition to any recovery tool collection. The small and lightweight massage gun is useful in its own right and great to use on legs and arms, but when it attaches to the included talon, it really shines. The 20-inch extension makes using the massage gun on your back and other hard-to-reach places on your body easy. It’s excellent for knots behind the shoulders, getting different angles on the glute muscles, and achieving better leverage on other spots that normal massage guns can’t reach well.
When you want to use the massage gun without the extension, it has a soft, ergonomic handle and four massage heads: a flat head, a fork, a ball, and a bullet. The rechargeable battery provides plenty of power with its 12.5-millimeter amplitude, which is on par with other quality massage guns, and the device has four speeds. This package also has a gua sha scraper that can be attached to the extension arm instead of the massage gun for manual massage. With this product, you’re getting three separate massage devices and attachments at a very competitive price point.
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The Brazyn Performance Talon Massager is a great recovery tool and a gift that’s sure to be appreciated. Photo: iRunFar/Eszter Horanyi
The Coros Apex 2 Pro is a GPS watch with all the features a runner needs at a competitive price. The vivid display makes it easy to see, and the touchscreen is convenient for navigation. The watch also comes with pre-loaded maps. While getting a GPX route onto the watch still involves emailing the file to yourself and then sending it to the watch, the process is relatively painless.
The digital dial on the side is less prone to accidental starting and stopping than the buttons on many other watches. And true to the Coros brand reputation, this watch has a long battery life. If you’re only heading out to run for a couple of hours every day, this watch can last for about 30 days without needing a charge. The big battery is impressive, especially given the watch’s size, which isn’t overbearing on the wrist.
Coros also uses more advanced GPS technology than many other watches. The all-satellite GNSS chipset uses a five-satellite antenna compared to the more common three-satellite antenna (GPS, GLONASS, Galileo). This increases accuracy, especially when the watch doesn’t get a clear view of the sky. The fast processor minimizes the time you have to wait between finishing an activity and seeing your stats.
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Chest-strap heart rate monitors for women have always been tricky, and the Myzone MZ-Switch makes it much easier and more comfortable to get an accurate heart rate measurement. Traditional chest straps can be uncomfortable under a sports bra, and wrist-worn optical watch monitors tend to be inaccurate. However, armband monitors like this offer a great alternative to both. This heart rate monitor can be worn in various configurations, including with an ECG-measuring chest strap, which is the most accurate method for obtaining a heart rate measurement. The green light optical sensor also provides an accurate measurement for people who want to wear it on their wrist, forearm, or upper arm.
According to Myzone, the ECG sensor, when used on a chest strap, boasts 99.4% accuracy, while the optical monitor is 95% accurate. Color-coded lights on the monitor correspond to your different heart rate zones, providing an easy way to see your effort level during training without staring too hard at small numbers on a watch. The ANT+ and Bluetooth connectivity make it easy to connect the monitor to a smartphone for data recording. The device also features onboard memory, allowing you to run without a watch or phone.
Myzone reports the battery life to be three to six months per charge, depending on usage, and we found it to last a very long time between charges.
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A pair of high-quality headphones can turn any everyday run into a dance party or a chance to learn something new with a podcast or audiobook, and the Beats Powerbeats Pro is a premium earbud. Buying a nice pair of headphones for yourself can feel extravagant, but receiving them as a gift is great. These headphones have exceptional sound quality for podcasts, audiobooks, and music. They connect easily to phones and allow for hands-free voice commands with Siri for iPhone users. You can also answer text messages with them without pulling your phone out of your pocket. The nine-hour battery life is enough for all but the longest outings.
The over-ear hooks keep these headphones in place and always feel secure in our ears. While not all runners appreciate music or other audio during runs, those who do will love the quality of these.
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The Beats Powerbeats Pro are an excellent option for listening to audio during a run. Photo: iRunFar/Eszter Horanyi
Call for Comments
- What gifts would you give to the trail running women in your life?
- For the women, are there any types of gear that you prefer to buy unisex rather than gender-specific?
