You are reading your free article for this month. Members-only Between sweat, salt stains, sunburn and sweltering temperatures, summer running supplies a unique set of challenges, but no matter how hot the sun and how high the mercury climbs, nothing will keep devout runners from pounding the pavement. After all, summer is a key building block, an opportunity to get your base miles in before marathon season kicks off in the fall.

And with your winter running gear tucked safely away — at least we’d hope — it’s time to bring out the coolest, lightest, airy-est, feels-like-nothing’s-there-est garments in your running wardrobe. Crafting the proper outfit for a summer running excursion, especially a long run, is a case of addition by subtraction: you want to wear as little as you can, but not at the expense of functionality. After all, staying hydrated and cool are core tenets of an enjoyable summer run.

To help you strike that perfect balance, we’ve rounded up some of the best summer running gear (not shoes) on the market, from feather-light tops to technical vests and crushable water bottles. If you aim to beat the heat and look as cool as you feel, both literally and figuratively, read on. Goldwin Goldwin Why You Need It: To put it in the most blunt terms possible, taking a summer long run without proper hydration is nasty work but lugging around a weighty water jug is work of an equally repulsive nature.

Thankfully, there are hydration vests that solve this very pr.