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After a new round of testing, we’ve added two new picks: the Bellroy Lite Duffel and a simple dry bag. We’ve also updated our review of the new Aer Duffel Pack 3. Pink Zipper Gold Nylon Teeth
Here’s the secret: There is no perfect gym bag.
Many bags sold as “gym bags” are indistinguishable from any duffle bag or tote. And almost any kind of bag will work as a gym bag in a pinch.
In the end, a good gym bag brings fresh clothes to a workout and takes wet gear home again without everything becoming a fragrant swamp.
After researching hundreds of gym bags—traditional gym bags and others—and testing more than 40, we’ve found five bags for a range of gym goers and situations.
We found a pick that’s well organized and will last a lifetime; a backpack for commuters; a casual, water-resistant duffle; a cheap pick for team gear; and a roll-top dry bag for storing sweaty gear.
If these choices aren’t what you’re looking for, check out our picks for duffle bags, laptop backpacks, and totes.
For this guide we spoke with several professional personal trainers, the owner and clientele of a well-respected bodybuilding gym, and a couple of high school coaches about their experiences with kit bags. In particular, we leaned on the experience and expertise of:
I’ve written about many aspects of travel luggage and bag design for Wirecutter for nearly 10 years now. And I’ve spent the last 18 years practicing boxing, savate, muay thai, martial arts, surf training, and weightlifting in all manner of gyms around the world, including church basements in Scotland, garages in California, fitness clubs in New York, and home gyms on the North Shore of Hawaii. In that time I’ve used everything from plastic shopping bags to backpacks to overly designed gym bags to carry my gear around.
Made to withstand a lifetime of abuse, this bag was the toughest we tested. Its many compartments let you keep clean clothing separate from sweaty towels and sneakers. It’s expensive, but it comes with a 25-year warranty.
Who this is for: A dedicated gym goer or heavy lifter may like this tough bag, which promises to stand up to years of being shoved in and out of lockers without breaking.
It’s tough. During testing, the competitive lifters we interviewed all gravitated to the King Kong Plus Duffel, drawn by its durability and strength. Just holding this bag, we felt a noticeable difference in quality compared with every other bag we tested. The 1,000-denier nylon is thicker and more robust than the nylon used in other sport bags: It’s like the difference between a school knapsack and a thick canvas duffle bag. (The term denier refers to the thickness of the fibers in a fabric; the higher the denier number, the stronger the fabric.) The sturdiness of the bag is evident in the details, as well, from its double-stitched seams to its all-metal fasteners.
It’s well organized. Most gym bags are made to be somewhat disposable. Inevitably, odors, stains, and the weird abuse they sustain wears them out. Before we tested the King Kong Plus Duffel, we wouldn’t have considered spending three figures on a gym bag, but it won us over with not only its durable materials and strong construction but also its clever organization options. In addition to its main compartment, the Plus Duffel, which has an overall capacity of just over 30 liters, comes with four accessory pockets (one button-sealed for clumsy hands), a stretch catchall, and a shoe compartment.
It’s tough. Did we mention that? In our destructive testing, squat world-record holder Roy Glenn took one look at this bag, threw up his hands, and said, “No fucking way.” Every corner of this bag is built to last, from the zipper points to the seams, and it should stand up to years of abuse. The Plus Duffel comes with a 25-year warranty as long as the original purchaser is still in possession of the bag, which should be plenty of coverage for even the most dedicated gym buff. It comes in seven colors, including two camo options. King Kong makes the same bag in slightly larger 45-liter and 63-liter models.
The price may raise a few eyebrows, but considering the Plus Duffel’s durability and quality, it’s worth the investment. And the truth is, after years of testing and comparing bags of all types and prices, we have found many, many cheaper gym bags that are just that: cheap and not worth even their low price. But you’ll want to pair the Plus Duffel with a plastic shopping bag or a dry bag to protect the duffle’s nylon from your dirty gear or wet post-workout towel.
This backpack offers plenty of ways to separate your computer, your clean clothing, and your sweaty workout clothes or gym shoes. However, as you’re buying a daily-carry backpack and not a basic gym bag, it’s pricey.
Who this is for: Anyone who commutes to work and the gym and wants a laptop pocket—or who just prefers to carry a backpack instead of a shoulder bag—may like this Aer backpack.
It’s adaptable. Sometimes carrying a separate gym bag and laptop bag to the office isn’t ideal. In that case, the Aer Duffel Pack 3 is the best option. Its sleek, minimal look blends into nearly any setting. The bag itself is made of a tough, 1,680-denier Cordura ballistic nylon, similar in strength to the material used in the King Kong Plus Duffel but with a finer texture. With a capacity of 21 liters, it holds less than the Plus Duffel, but we still found that it had room for what we needed to transition from work to working out. The Aer Duffel comfortably carries a 16-inch laptop in its back pocket, as well as a full change of clothes within the main compartment and a pair of shoes (up to men’s size 13) in a ventilated compartment at the bottom of the bag.
It carries as much as you need and then some. As a gym bag, it swallows a full change of gym clothes or assorted gear, while the expandable water-bottle pocket on the side can fit even a large Nalgene bottle. As a laptop backpack, the Aer Duffel is able to carry, along with that 16-inch laptop, a few books or slim items. You can buy the same design made from X-Pac sailcloth, which is extremely durable and waterproof, but most people don’t need to spend the extra money for that level of technical fiber. The regular model’s nylon and sealing zippers are plenty tough and water resistant for a trip to the gym.
It’s well organized as a backpack. The waterproof, cavernous main section of the bag is accessible via a convenient duffle-style zipper on the outside. Because the shoe compartment at the base of the bag unfurls internally, anything you tuck into it will take up space in the bag’s main section. The laptop compartment has several small accessory pockets, including a zippered mesh one for small items. A quick-access pocket at the top of the bag can hold sunglasses, a smartphone, and gym and transit passes. And just above the water-bottle holder is a small, zippered pocket for keys and a wallet or other small items.
It comes in a smaller version, too. If you have a smaller torso, you might prefer the Aer Fit Pack 3, which is essentially a smaller version of the Duffel Pack 3. It uses the same overall design, with a rear compartment for your laptop and other gear, a clothes area in the front, and a dedicated shoe compartment on the bottom. But the Fit Pack 3 is several inches shorter and holds about 25% less (18.8 liters versus the Duffel Pack’s 24.6 liters), so it looks and feels quite a bit smaller on your back. Aer’s bags all have a lifetime warranty.
It’s expensive for a gym bag. But it’s not overly expensive for a good backpack. If you need a good backpack that’s excellent as a gym bag, this is a great pick. If you’re looking for a secondary bag to bring to the gym, consider our other options.
As with most external water-bottle pockets, holding a bottle in a side pocket like this is somewhat unreliable. Admittedly, the Aer design is deep enough that a large bottle is, more or less, secure, but I don’t know how much I’d trust it if I were riding a bike or swinging the bag around very much.
This durable, lightweight bag made of recycled plastic bottles has self-sealing, water-resistant zippers, plus a wide opening. It’s sold by a certified B Corp company. However, there’s no way to separate wet and dry gear or shoes.
Who this is for: Someone who needs a lightweight and simple bag for carrying light gym gear or spare clothes—and who prefers supporting a certified B Corp company or buying gear made from recycled and reclaimed materials—will likely appreciate the Bellroy bag.
It’s lightweight but tough. The Bellroy Lite Duffel is made from a ripstop nylon made of recycled PET plastic bottles and industrial offcuts. Its plain layout and minimalist charm might almost mask Bellroy’s consistent attention to technical details and overall construction. That’s a nice way to say that this is a very well-built bag for doing simple, day-to-day things. The effect is a lightweight bag (at least lighter than most bags of this size and strength) that’s tear resistant and reassuringly durable.
It’s made with recycled materials. Plenty of companies claim to use recycled materials or sustainable designs. It’s beyond our scope to verify every supply chain, but we do trust the certification process that B Corp brands, such as Bellroy, have to go through to demonstrate their accountability and transparency for things such as charitable giving, labor practices, and supply-chain practices. Bellroy makes great pains to put its recycled material supply at the center of its gear design.
It’s simply laid out. The Lite Duffel has two compartments: a main compartment with a wide-mouth design made for easy access, plus a side pocket. Both access points are protected by self-sealing water-resistant zippers. Inside, the bag has four separators and two carabiner loops. And farther inside the side pocket are two more pockets and a key loop. Thoughtfully, Bellroy also includes a diminutive slip pocket for an Apple AirTag, if you like keeping close track of your stuff. The Bellroy includes a detachable shoulder strap and has a three-year warranty.
The Lite Duffel (unlike our other picks) doesn’t have a large internal pocket for separating wet gear from dry items. You may want to include our dry-sack pick if you often carry clothes that are wet or heavy with perspiration.
The wide-mouth opening tucks over the main compartment like a cap, which means the cover of the bag folds over the edges of the main compartment but never seals it in completely. For a gym bag or for running daily errands, it’s likely fine. But some people may find it a touch insecure.
The warranty is lacking compared with those of our other picks, especially for the price. Bellroy backs this bag with a three-year warranty, while our other picks offer at least 25 years of warranty protection.
Despite being made with lighter-weight materials than our other gym-bag picks, this affordable duffle can stand up to heavy use. It’s also bigger than our other picks, making it good for anyone who needs extra space for their sports gear.
Who this is for: Someone who carries a lot of gear or pads and needs an inexpensive option for keeping their equipment organized will appreciate this bag’s extra room.
It holds a lot but doesn’t cost a lot. Some sports require more gear than others. For the price, we couldn’t find anything better for carrying that gear than the Adidas Team Issue Duffel Bag. Made of 600-denier polyester, it is equipped with four outside zippered pockets and an internal small pocket.
It’s well organized and ventilated. Like the King Kong Plus Duffel, the Team Issue has a shoe or laundry pocket, and the Team Issue’s is even better ventilated. However, the bag does not have metal shoulder-strap fasteners; instead, it uses somewhat thin plastic clasps.
It’s well built, considering the lightweight materials. Surprisingly, despite the thinner material and plastic hardware, this bag stood up to more abuse than we expected. Roy Glenn, our destructive tester, took several turns trying to find a way to break this bag. While he ripped out the shoe pocket easily enough, the reinforced seams stopped him from breaking down the bag completely, although he was able to bust the zippers from their tracks. We don’t think anyone is likely to put their gym bag through those kinds of stresses.
It’s easy to carry. If you’re lugging a lot of gear, the extra-wide, padded shoulder strap should relieve some strain from carrying all that weight. The bag has a classic look that’s not dominated by its logo—a nice change from some of the designs we saw during our research. It comes in 18 colors, so you shouldn’t have any trouble finding a shade you want. Adidas backs the bag with a lifetime warranty.
Adidas used to make the same design in other sizes (one larger and one smaller). The company now has similar bags in the Defender series (small and large), but neither of these has the separate shoe compartment. Larger brands like Adidas tend to change up their designs frequently, so it’s unclear whether the Defender is potentially in line to replace the Team Issue. That said, all the Adidas bags are a very good quality within their price range.
For swimmers or anyone trying to separate their wet gear from their dry in their gym bag, the Outdoor Research bag’s unique paper bag shape helps it stay upright when you’re packing and unpacking it.
Who this is for: It’s a bag for your bag! If you tend to carry out excessively wet or sweaty gear from the gym, like swimsuits or clothes after hot yoga, a dry bag will keep your stuff separated.
It keeps the dry stuff dry and the wet stuff wet. The Outdoor Research CarryOut Dry Bag 10L has a shape similar to that of a paper grocery bag, so it stands upright when placed on the ground. This simple design means you can load your wet gear more easily. Like all dry bags, the CarryOut is waterproof and durable, with a roll-top closure. There’s not much more to it than that. It’s a bag to keep wet things from seeping out, and it does that very well.
There are no apparent flaws in this simple bag.
We all have specific ideas of what a gym bag should be, depending on our needs, and there are thousands of bags available that would work. To clarify our search, we conducted a public survey to see what most people wanted from a gym bag. Respondents said their dream bag would be simple and cheap while still able to carry a lot of stuff. If possible, the ideal bag would have a dedicated shoe or laundry pocket, with some small pockets for miscellaneous gear.
Most of our picks meet these requirements (every one except the Outdoor Research dry bag). What separates each from the other are the small details. Our best overall pick uses long-lasting metal fasteners for the shoulder strap, for instance, whereas most models we tested used plastic clasps.
After interviews with personal trainers, coaches, and gym buffs, we came up with a few other parameters. As with anything that will likely be shoved in and out of a locker, we looked for bags without elements that can easily snag, such as loose mesh pockets.
Other features that make small but significant differences when you’re using a gym bag three times a week:
Once we nailed down our criteria, we called in any bag that seemed like a good candidate and weeded out the ones that weren’t so great once we had them in hand. After that, we used them—hard—and noted which ones worked the best.
Unfortunately, every bag we tested needs to be hand-washed. They simply have too many handles, seams, and easy-to-tear mesh pockets to try to put one of them into a washing machine.
If you need a budget pick: You might take a look at the Nike Utility Power Training Duffel Bag, which is a good bag at a very good price (under $100). It’s organized in a similar fashion to our top pick, but it’s made from less robust materials. We’ve had problems with budget gym bags in the past not lasting long enough—they just couldn’t take being shoved incessantly in and out of gym lockers. One could say we’re being a touch too cautious in insisting on doing extra testing before we fully recommend this bag, but Nike’s warranty is a mere two years.
We’re eager to look at a few well reviewed and hyper-organized gym bags from such companies as Haven Athletic and Wolfpak.
We’re also investigating bags from Lululemon and GoRuck—specifically, Lululemon’s Cruiser Duffle Bag and City Adventure Duffle Bag, and the GoRuck Gym Bag.
In the past we’ve written off North Face bags because of poor construction. But The North Face Base Camp Duffel is an intriguing option, and we’d like to compare it against our top picks.
Bad Bags Duffel Bag No 2 Side Pocket: This was edged out by the King Kong Plus Duffel. However, if you don’t mind the leather accents and blunt construction, it should be worth the money.
Calpak Luka Duffel Bag: This travel bag could make a decent gym bag, but the material choice lets the overall design down. We prefer more robust fabrics for our picks.
Everest Gym Bag: A previous top pick, this bag was not strong enough to stand up to our long-term testing; it is a problem that several readers noticed, as well. Originally, we liked its low cost, metal hardware, and decent warranty, but none of that matters if the bag can’t handle normal wear and tear. Who wants to replace their gym bag every few months? Not us!
Nike Brasilia 9.5 Training Duffel Bag: We were attracted to the eye-catching low price and compartmentalized design of the Brasilia. It’s an okay bag for the price, but the slightly more expensive (but still under $100) Nike Utility Power is a better choice with a more intuitive layout.
Nike Gym Club Duffel Bag: This simple duffle bag, made partly from recycled materials, falls into that liminal category that plagues so many gym-bag designs—is it a gym bag or a basic duffle? Is there a difference? We’ve built this entire piece around the idea that there is, and even then the lines get complicated. But if you want a basic, cheap duffle, our budget duffle-bag pick is a better choice.
This article was edited by Ria Misra and Christine Ryan.
Kit Dillon is a senior staff writer at Wirecutter. He was previously an app developer, oil derrick inspector, public-radio archivist, and sandwich shop owner. He has written for Popular Science, The Awl, and the New York Observer, among others. When called on, he can still make a mean sandwich.
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