Even the most technical gym bag can double as a slick weekender on a last-minute summer getaway or a lightweight carry-on for your first airplane trip in months—provided, of course, you invest in a style with the right accoutrement. Durability is a must, as is an easy-access side pocket to store your water bottle. A few carefully placed external pockets to hold all your small items never hurt, either. So even if you’re an expert gym-goer getting reacquainted with the day-to-day grind, it’s worth reminding yourself what a game-changer a high quality gym duffle can be, and then tracking down the best one for your routine.
The Best Gym Bags That Every Gym Goer Needs
Looking for something specific?
Best Gym Bag Overall: North Face Base Camp Duffel
Is there anything The North Face’s Base Camp duffel can’t do? It’s one of our favorite duffel bags of all time, and it’s definitely apt at handling your sweaty commute to and from the gym. It has a plenty generous 71-liter capacity (if you opt for the medium-sized duffel) that’s able to pack enough for a 10-day vacation, so go ahead, bring every pair of sneakers you own. Speaking of shoes, there’s a separate zippered compartment for footwear to keep your dirty soles away from your fresh gym ‘fit. You can carry the bag as a duffel or fashion it into a backpack if your arms are a little sore from those bicep curls. And sure, this is all about gym bags, but c’mon, there’s nothing the Base Camp can’t handle.
Best Minimalist Gym Bag: Lululemon 3-in-1 Gym Duffle Bag
We get it: You work out. You’re already telling everyone about your gym obsession, but maybe you don’t need to carry a bag that screams “I’m about to lift double my body weight for fun.” Lululemon’s duffel bag is a great option for getting to the gym under the radar. It’s a three-in-one bag because it can be held as a duffel or worn as a shoulder bag, and the strap can be fashioned into a yoga mat holder. All of that aside, the spaciousness of the bag is great for storing all your workout gear, shoes, and even a sweaty towel or two. Plus, the separate bag for shoes is always great for the germaphobes among us.
Best Gym Bag With a Shoe Compartment: Tracksmith Weekend Duffel
Boston’s Tracksmith needs no introduction by this point—they’ve been crafting some of the best heritage-inspired performance running gear for a decade now, not to mention whipping up dope collaborations with brands like District Vision and Brendon Babenzien’s new-look J.Crew. The Tracksmith Weekend Duffel is a mainstay in our rotation, even if we’re not headed out of town for race weekend. The bag is extremely well made and is built to last, much like the vintage pieces it draws inspiration from. It’s outfitted with a roomy shoe compartment for your stinky kicks or gym clothes, plus comes with a super handy nylon blanket to spread out on race day or in the park on a weeknight.
Best Gym Bag on Amazon: Peak Design Travel Duffel
Sure, we already featured some other bags that you can buy on Amazon, but few are as high quality as the Peak Design Travel Duffel. Like all of the brand’s gear, it’s centered around photography and travel, but we absolutely love the 35-liter model for the gym. It has an extra long zipper that makes it easy to rummage around in, is made from heavy duty nylon that can stand up to a beating, and, maybe most importantly, is guaranteed for life against manufacturing defects and any failure that renders the bag unusable. It’s not hard to trust a product that is backed with that kind of confidence.
Best Budget Gym Back: Nike Brasilia
This one’s a no-brainer. The Brasilia is one of the most popular gym bags in Nike’s arsenal, and if you can’t trust the Swoosh to provide a spacious, heavily-zippered duffle to store all your swoosh-emblazoned gear, who can you turn to? It’s got easy-access exterior pockets for small valuables like your phone and earbuds as well as ventilated mesh side pockets to keep your sweaty clothes and dirty shoes from stinking up the main compartment. And with a durable coated bottom, you won’t have to worry about scuffs and tears.
Best Waterproof Gym Bag: Rains Trail Gym Bag
Rains is famous for outerwear that laughs in the face of inclement weather. Its Trail Gym Bag harnesses the brand’s trademark PU waterproof tech to protect your workout gear from the worst of the elements, whether it’s raining cats and dogs or you’re the bedraggled owner of a pet insistent on slobbering all over your gym shoes. Beyond weatherproofing, this bag has a front zippered pocket and side mesh pocket, plus a removable shoulder strap.
Best Gym Bag with Laptop Compartment: Evergoods Transit Duffel 35L
Alums from Patagonia and GORUCK make up the brains behind Evergoods, a small Montana-based bag brand specializing in gear for urban-outdoor crossover. Unlike other weekender-style duffel bags, the Transit Duffel has stand-up structure provided by foam panels and aluminum stays, elements more commonly found in hiking packs. It makes this bag much easier to pack and unpack and also provides protection should you be carrying more than shoes and sweats. Organizational features like big exterior pockets for a laptop and small essentials, plus more pockets and sleeves on the inside, make it a cinch to do just that.
Best Tote Bag for the Gym: Topo Designs Mountain Utility Tote
We all love a tote, but those flimsy thin canvas merch bags can’t hack it in the gym. Made for hauling climbing gear, the Mountain Utility Tote—which we love—can. It’s built with rugged ripstop fabric and has a base that can take a good dragging. Outside, a detachable shoulder strap offers two ways to carry and daisy chain webbing the chance to show off your carabiner collection. Inside, there’s a big compartment that’ll fit multiple pairs of shoes, water, shorts, and all the rest while a backpack-style cinch-top closure ensures your protein bar won’t pop out on the way.
Best Multi-Sport Gym Tote: Arc’teryx Carrier 45 Gear Tote, $180
At a glance, this open-top tote is a simple oversized gear bag with handles. That’s not wrong, but you already know what we’re going to tell you: there’s more. Inside, fold-away dividers built into the bag’s lining create compartments large enough for separating shoes from clothes, or containing your climbing kit on one side and your lifting duds on the other. If you don’t mind the lack of a zippered top, it’s the ideal setup if your gym’s amenities include more than weight racks and treadmills. The handles are long enough to throw it over your shoulder, so overpacking isn’t an issue. And, lastly, the one easily doubles and triples as a beach bag, camping bag, and more.
Best Lightweight Gym Bag: Bellroy Lite Duffel
You know a bag’s going to be light when the word is right there in the name (without the excess “g” and “h” too). The Lite Duffel weighs in around 21 ounces, but punches above its class when it comes to features. Those include an exterior organizational pocket, a detachable shoulder strap, and a big main compartment that’s extra-accessible from an extended zipper and has additional interior pockets as well (one is designed specifically for an AirTag for keeping track of your tube socks).
Best Gym Backpack: Aer Fit Pack 3
Okay, yes, Aer’s Fit Pack 3 is technically a backpack. But its fan-favorite style comes chock full of the type of product details you’d expect to see in a next-level duffle designed for heavy-duty wear and tear. Its exterior is made out of abrasion-resistant 840D nylon with Cordura side paneling, and a padded interior ensures your laptop stays secure no matter how many dirty socks you’ve wedged in there. Factor in an easy-access water bottle pocket and Duraflex hardware, and you’re looking at a formidable gym bag alternative that might convert even the staunchest duffle devotee.
What to Look for in a Gym Bag
These days, most gym bags are made from some form of nylon, but some of our favorites incorporate leather and canvas, too. Nylon is easiest to clean and resists odors better than other materials, but if you’re looking for something that’s going to last, make sure you figure out how thick the material is. For example, some cheaper nylon bags may end up being quite flimsy, while other bags, like the Peak Design bag we mentioned, is made from bulletproof 600D nylon that could probably be dragged behind a car without busting. Make sure you also consider the zippers—nothing is worse than a faulty zipper that stops working after a few uses.
Yes, this story is specifically geared toward gym bags, but as you may have noticed, many of the bags on our list are intended for travel, weekends away, or commuting. Any bag can be a gym bag if you want it to be! Don’t worry so much about the name of the bag or what the brand states as the bag’s main purpose, just make sure it has what you want. Sometimes that’s a shoe compartment, sometimes that means finding a bag that can be carried by hand or slung over your shoulder, and sometimes you just want something cheap to tote a towel and fresh pair of boxers. In the end, this is up to you, so read the details, look at the images, and if you decide you like a bag, make it your go-to.
There’s no reason to drag a bag the size of your checked suitcase to the gym. If you’re only bringing a change of clothes and a pair of shoes, you’ll want a bag that’s just big enough to carry all of that because your workout shouldn’t be the commute to the gym itself. Also, take into consideration the size of your gym’s lockers—if you get a bag too big, you’ll have to leave your gear out in the open, just asking to be stolen.
How We Tested
Not only is our team here at GQ obsessed with bags, but we’re also a pretty sporty bunch. We are just as dedicated to spending time at the Park Slope YMCA or LES Equinox as we are to keeping our finger on the pulse of the latest style trends. This means that we definitely use the things we talk about. So we test bags constantly, hauling our workout gear all over the place, looking for the best of the best to then recommend our favorites to you. Our group of editors and writers includes marathon runners, road cyclists, rec league soccer players, self-described meatheads, and Barry’s die-hards—so you can be sure that each bag we recommend has been put through its paces.