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Aug 21, 2023

The 10 Best Gym Bags for However You Get Fit

Whether you're hitting the climbing gym, headed to the track, doing chin-ups on a tree branch or going to Gold's, these bags will get your gear there Author Leah Balagopal What makes a good gym bag?

Whether you're hitting the climbing gym, headed to the track, doing chin-ups on a tree branch or going to Gold's, these bags will get your gear there

Author

Leah Balagopal

What makes a good gym bag? Sure, any durable tote will do. For us, it's durability, compartmental organization, weight, and style. Depending on the type of gym you're going to (and if you're commuting by subway, bike, or car) some of these features might matter more to you than others. But the best gym bags hit somewhere near the sweet spot on all these features, making the organization of your workout clothes, sports equipment, and valuables easy and accessible.

Gym bags have come a long way since the small duffel bags by Nike or Adidas that everyone seemed to carry (though those bags are still around). Now, gym bags can be duffel bags, they can be carry-on bags, they can be tote bags, drawstring bags, large travel bags or small holdalls. Choosing the right one depends on what features you require—do you need to carry a yoga mat? Do you want a water bottle pocket or a separate shoe compartment? Once you answer that question, you can consider how durable and waterproof you need your gym bag to be. And of course, what it looks like.

The following 10 gym bags have been carefully selected by the Field Mag team to ensure that you stay organized and efficient no matter how much gym gear you need to carry and which type of gym your training takes you to.

You'll be shocked by how much you can fit into the Go-Bag Mini. True to Baboon to the Moon's style—the brand makes high-quality travel duffels for adventure—this bag is sleek and stylish and comes in an array of fun colors and limited prints. It has a waterproof exterior and adjustable shoulder straps to easily transition from a duffle to a backpack. It consists primarily of one large main compartment, but the small gym bag also has an internal elastic stash pocket as well as two zip compartments for easy organization.

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Minimalist, sleek, and effective, the G.O.A.T. Tote is a Field Mag favrorite and made with 100% waterproof 150D Dyneema making it ultra-lightweight and ultra-durable, making it an ideal gym tote that's also useful in any number of situations. The bag has an internal pocket that's perfect for your phone, keys, and wallet, and there are webbing loops at the base of the handles for additional gear. The G.O.A.T. Tote comes in three different sizes—20 liters when you just need to carry a change of clothes or extra legging, 30 liters when you have a little more and want to use it as a weekender bag, and a whopping 70 liters when you're hauling a full rack of climbing gear.

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Although not traditionally an outdoor brand, Dangee Dover Nova pulled inspiration from technical gear to create the Nova Sling Bag. The bag features two external mesh side pockets with drawstring closures as well as daisy chain loops on the side that are both functional and stylish. There are several internal pockets including a laptop sleeve and mesh pockets, and the body is made from recycled plastic bottles, making it the perfect eco-friendly crossbody workout bag.

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Organic Climbing's Session Duffle is the perfect compact gym duffle that's still large enough to fit all of your gear. There's a central top zipper leading into a main compartment spacious enough for a full climbing kit, as well as a zippered pocket on the side to ensure that your valuables or small items remain secure. The little sport duffel is packable too, and can serve as a small overnight bag. Best of all, you can fully customize the bag's color-blocked design, choosing a background, two accent colors, and the zipper color to make the duffle one of a kind.

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Known for its best-selling carry-on suitcases, Away knows how to make bags that travel. Whether that be to the gym, to the beach, or to the park for a picnic, the F.A.R. Tote can fit it all with its 45-liter capacity. It's also water-resistant, abrasion-resistant, and made from recycled materials, not to mention it packs flat for easy storage. The bag's main compartment features a zippered mesh pocket and a sleeve that's ideal for a water bottle, and it uses a top buckle closure so you can adjust it depending on how much stuff you cram inside. On the outside, there's a zip pocket so your keys and wallet don't end up underneath a pile of gym clothes.

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As more of a traditional sports duffle, the Please Recycle Gym Bag offers gym-goers classic organization for their gear. Mainly via a separate shoe compartment that you can also stash dirty clothes in, as well as several zippered and mesh pockets for all the other essentials you might need. The small gym duffel has adjustable straps so you can carry it multiple ways, and a double zipper pull for easy access. It's also made from recycled materials—52 water bottles to be exact.

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One of the best things about this backpack from The North Face is that it packs into its own pocket and can function as a day bag for hiking or travel as well as an ideal sports bag. The Flyweight 18L is lightweight and water-resistant to ensure that your gear stays dry when you have to commute in light showers. There is an exterior water bottle holder but other than that it is more like a simple stuff sack with mesh straps—similar to but far better than those basic drawstring bags many people bring to the gym. Made with recycled ripstop, this is a great durable, no-frills option for when you're on the go.

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Black Diamond's Gym 30 Gear Bag is the ideal gym bag for when your gym is a climbing gym. Like a cross between a duffle bag and a tote bag, there's room enough to stuff in a harness, chalk bag, chalk bucket, and even a rope. There's a cinch and buckle closure on the top so it can still seal when at capacity and there are two internal pouches to hold extra chalk and maybe some skin recovery for post-climbing sesh.

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The everyday tote pack is optimized for tech and camera gear, but those organization features also function perfectly for an extra pair of shoes, clothes, or other essentials you might need at the gym. It's sleek and looks more like a normal backpack—it has a dedicated laptop sleeve—than a gym bag, making it perfect if you need to go straight from the gym to work or vice versa. One of the best features is the dual-side zippers that give you easy access to all parts of the bag, just in case you need to pull something out from the bottom. You can also move around the backpack's dividers, making it customizable for what you need to carry.

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The SEG30 is all about organization, featuring an array of compartments for clean and dirty clothes separation as well as a laptop sleeve and pockets for essentials and other gadgets. There are four external segmented zipper pockets on the front as well as a water bottle holder and a separate zipper to access the laptop compartment. Innovative and lightweight, this bag maintains a minimalist design while creating maximum organization that also works for toiletries in case you want to use it as an overnight bag or weekender bag.

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If you're looking for bags with a bit more space, check out our favorite duffles for travel and adventure.

Published 09-29-2022