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When you’re young and limber, you can walk into the gym with nothing more than your phone, headphones, and the clothes on your back, and you’re good to go. But as you age, wear and tear starts to take a toll on your joints. Before you know it, you’ve got to haul around a back brace, knee braces, wrist braces, lifting gloves, and who knows what else.
Then there’s all the lotions, muscle rubs, and grooming products needed for your post-workout shower. Add in a change of clothes and a shaker bottle with a supplement or two, and you’ve got an armful and a half.
And that’s why gym bags are so essential to your #gymlife. With a good bag, you’ve got space enough to carry around all of your equipment everywhere you go. You’ll be ready to hit that training session hard knowing you’ve got everything you need to head home/get back to work post-workout.
WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW
Check out our list of the best gym bags below, and you might just find the perfect size and style option for your gym lifestyle.
Worried about your clothes, gadgets, and other gear getting wet in the rain, snow, or sleet? Not with this bag, you’re not.
The RAINS gym bag is built with a mix of polyurethane and polyester that makes it fully waterproof, complete with 8,000mm water column pressure. It could be raining buckets and everything zipped up inside the bag—even in the waterproof front pocket—will stay dry and clean.
The boxy shape ensures you’ve got plenty of storage space, and the minimalist design makes it easy to access everything you need at a glance.
The main compartment is large enough to fit your gym shoes, a change of clothes, supplements, shaker bottles, a back brace, and even a towel for your post-workout shower.
Best of all, it’s versatile enough that you can take it on your next holiday or business trip, because it’s sized perfectly to fit not just in gym lockers, but as a weekender bag in airplane overhead bins and under seats.
With 25.7L of storage space, this is one of best mid-sized gym bags you could carry around with you.
It’s built with an exterior made of hyper-tough 1000 denier nylon, with a nylon pack cloth inner lining that adds additional water-resistance. The interior zipper pockets makes it easy to keep all your smaller items (AirPods/headphones, charging cable, armband, etc.) organized, but the main compartment offers space aplenty for all your gym gear.
The natural leather handle and lash tabs elevate it from more than just “another gym bag” to a beautiful piece of luggage you’ll be proud to carry on your next business trip or vacation. Between the durable hardware, heavy-duty seatbelt strap handles, and sturdy zipper, you can trust it’s a bag built to last.
Sling this bag over your shoulder for your commute to and from work, home, and the gym, and you’ll always travel in style.
The sturdy canvas is dyed a bright color and features a striking pattern that will make you stand out from the crowd, and the leather bottom adds reinforcement to the base so you never have to worry about it breaking or fraying anywhere you go.
With 54L of storage space, you’ve got more than enough room to pack in all your gym clothing and essentials, and a great deal more besides. Fair warning: the bag is so popular that it (sadly) often sells out. That should prove just how great a choice it is, though.
If you’re already wearing Lulus to the gym, it just makes sense to stay on-brand with your gym bag. Featuring 37L of storage space and an interior divider perfect for separating your gym shoes and sweat-soaked clothes from the rest of your gear, it’s a gym-goer’s dream bag.
The bag is made using a polyurethane-coated water-repellent fabric, with a polyester mesh and interior lining that maximizes ventilation to prevent smell build-up. It also features a dedicated laptop pocket sized to hold up to a 13” laptop, so you can head straight to the office once you’re finished with your run or lifting session.
Talk about options. This Filson bag is designed as a “duffel backpack hybrid”, meaning you can carry it like a duffel bag (complete with shoulder strap) but also wear it as a backpack. You’ve even got attached haul handles (built from ultra-sturdy nylon webbing) that let you carry it around without the need for the shoulder strap.
The bag is made using an insanely sturdy ballistic nylon that is resistant to cuts, abrasions, scratches, and punctures. It’s not fully waterproof, but it will shrug off a light sprinkling with ease.
It’s also got dedicated storage space for your laptop (up to 15”) on the interior and multiple additional pockets (including a zipper interior pocket and a “mud pocket” to store your laundry/shoes) that make keeping everything organized a breeze.
Adidas is known for making hardcore, high-quality training gear, which makes this bag not only a great choice, but one you’ll instantly recognize from…well, every sports movie ever.
With the “adidas” logo emblazoned on the side, it’s perfect proof to everyone who sees it that you are a dedicated athlete.
The bag is made with a water-repellent fabric, with special water-resistance incorporated into the fabric at the base so you can leave your bag on any dirty, wet, or damp gym or locker room floor and trust your gear will stay dry. Best of all, it’s backed by a lifetime warranty to guarantee that you get only the best quality bag for your training sessions.
Built by dedicated lifters for dedicated lifters, this is THE bag to buy if you spend 2+ hours a day at the gym. It has everything you need: space for a 13” laptop so you can work between workouts, a sealed shoe compartment, dual bottle pockets, plenty of storage space for clothes and supplements, and even an external weightlifting belt attachment so you can carry around that bulky leather lifting belt without taking up precious storage space.
It’s built as tough as you are, backed by a lifetime warranty against defects, and is available in both medium (35L) and large (51L) sizes. For the price, you won’t find many better, longer-lasting options.
Keep it simple—and affordable—with this Nike gym bag. It’s not just one of the most budget-friendly bags on our list, it’s also one of the most versatile, with a spacious main compartment and a ventilated pocket so you can store your sweaty/wet gear and shoes.
Sling it over your shoulder, and you’ll be ready for any sprint, HIIT, CrossFit, running, marathon, or weightlifting training session.
It’s also a great companion to take on weekend camping trips, business travel, or holidays. You can fit plenty of stuff inside without over-stuffing it, and it always looks sleek and stylish.
Wherever you travel, whatever you need to pack, this Osprey duffel and backpack hybrid will keep up with you no problem. It’s designed to be carried by the handles or worn on your back like a backpack, and features easy-access storage that makes it a breeze to get at your packed items in a matter of seconds. You’ve even got pockets sized for water bottles, shaker bottles, or your travel coffee mug.
The bag is built from GRS-certified recycled materials, with the main body fashioned from fabrics that are bluesign-approved (can you say “eco-conscious”?).
The fabric is tough enough to shrug off impacts and abrasions like they’re no big deal, and you’ll find it is beautifully resistant to ripping or fraying. Given its size (45L), you won’t find many better-priced, more wallet-friendly bags on this or any other list.
For those days you want to travel light and unencumbered, this is the perfect bag for you. Though it only has an 18L capacity, it’s just 18 inches wide, 11 inches tall, and 7.5 inches deep—ergo, the perfect fit for any gym locker, office workspace, or airline storage compartment.
The non-slip shoulder strap will keep it securely in place whether you’re running through the airport, zipping to and from the gym on your e-bike or motorized scooter, or riding a crowded bus. It even features a trolley sleeve so you can slide it over your luggage handles when traveling.
On the inside, you’ve got a separate shoe compartment that features an antimicrobial lining that is breathable to let any bad smells escape, but it’s still fully waterproof so your shoes stay dry even in heavy rains.
The interior mesh pockets and bottle holder make organization a breeze, but the main compartment has room enough to store your daily gym essentials. And just to make sure you know your investment is safe, every Troubadour bag is backed by a 5-year warranty.
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