Finding the Best Gym Bag

In your search for the best gym bag, it’s important to think about your must-haves, deal breakers and bonus features. For instance, one of your must-haves might be a wet-dry compartment, which should not only keep your dirty clothes separate from your other items, but ensure that sweat and smells don’t infiltrate the other parts of the bag. A deal breaker might be a bag that doesn’t have a separate shoe compartment or stretchy water bottle pockets. Bonus features (that are usually worth it) include a laptop sleeve and at least two zippered pockets for small items like earbuds.

Still, the features of your future bag aren’t the only thing to think about. In making our recommendations, we also checked out customer service reports, product reviews and warranties. We don’t think every decent bag must come with a warranty, especially if you’re choosing an affordable option under $50, but the warranty is important to check over if you’re investing in an expensive product. Ready to get started? Dive into our comprehensive list of the best gym bags.

What to Consider When Choosing the Best Gym Bag

Before purchasing a gym bag, we encourage you to think about the bag type, number of compartments, size, product reviews and price.

Type

Typically, gym bags come in one of three styles: backpack, duffel or duffel-backpack hybrid. Backpacks include both heavy-duty, padded backpacks with adjustable straps and simple drawstring bags. Duffels are cylindrical bags with a shoulder strap and two lugging handles. Hybrid bags can be shaped like a traditional backpack or a traditional duffel. All types of gym bags come in small, medium and large sizes, so you can typically find the size you need in any category.

Compartments

Are you a person who carries a lot of small items that easily get lost in your gym bag? If so, you would benefit from a product that has many storage compartments. Your ideal bag likely won’t have one giant compartment, but rather two or more separate spaces for different items, like clothes, shoes and a laptop. Keep in mind that separate compartments also reduce your ability to carry big, bulky items.

Size

How big do you need your gym bag to be? Most brands will list the size of their bags in liters, but they will also give you the bag’s dimensions. Generally, a 20-inch-long bag is large enough to carry the essentials, like a change of clothes, a towel, shoes and a water bottle. You may need something larger if you plan to bring your shower toiletries to the gym or you want your bag to double as a work bag.

Reviews

Nearly all gym bags listed online look great from the pictures, but you never know exactly what type of product you’re getting. It’s therefore important to check out customer reviews. In creating our list of the best gym bags, we made sure to look at reviews that discuss durability, comfort, customer service, materials and functionality.

Price

Unfortunately, the days of inexpensive gym bags are behind us. You will most likely need to spend at least $40 to get a high-quality bag, and the top products on the market cost between $200 and $300. Our top recommendation is $62, which is relatively affordable.

What Are the Different Types of Gym Bags?

Duffel

Duffel bags are the classic gym bag. Traditionally, they have one center zip enclosure, and possibly a few pockets on the interior and exterior. Modern duffel bags have extra bells and whistles, like a wet-dry pocket for dirty clothes, a shoe compartment and sometimes even a yoga mat strap underneath. Keep in mind that extra compartments often take up interior space when they’re full.

Backpack

Any backpack can become a gym bag, but backpacks designed for the gym have a few extra features that come in handy. For instance, they may have a separate laptop compartment, extra large water bottle pockets, a shoe compartment and even a meal prep compartment. Gym backpacks are ideal if you have to walk to and from the gym because they’re easier to carry over long distances.

Hybrid

Hybrid gym bags come in one of two forms: a duffel that has backpack straps, and a backpack that has one or more duffel straps. Either option will give you the best of both worlds — you can carry your bag any way that makes sense and still benefit from features like a shoe compartment and wet-dry pouch.

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