Complete Guide to Choosing the Best Workout Bag for Your Lifestyle
What’s the best workout bag? One that works for YOU! Shopping for a gym bag is just as important as shopping for any travel bag or everyday tote. You want to choose a bag that’s made for your workout routine, personal style and keeps your gear organized.
Whether you’re a dedicated runner chasing your next personal record, a hot yoga enthusiast carrying sweaty post-workout clothes or a swimmer that needs to stash your wet gear, the perfect workout bag is the one that is right for your needs, lifestyle, and the features that matter most.
Workout Bag Buying Guide
Are you bringing your own resistance bands and gear to the gym or just your wallet and a water bottle? Are your days nonstop from work to workout or are you just going for a quick run straight from your front door?
Before you start shopping, consider your workout style, what you want in a workout bag and how the perfect bag needs to fit into your daily routine. This checklist will help you choose the workout bag features that are most important to you. Like any item in your wardrobe, different occasions call for different accessories. Changing up your workout? Change up your gym bag!
Best Workout Bag for Your Lifestyle
Whether you’re making moves at the gym, court or track, the best bags for an active lifestyle are sized to fit all you need, easy to clean, and easy to stay organized. What’s your workout style and how does it fit into your daily routine?
Gym, Court, or CrossFit
Are you carrying a change of shoes, a lifting belt and any other workout accessories? General gym-goers usually need a duffle bag with more space and organization to keep all of your gear separated and easy to find.
Running or Hiking
You’re on the move and don’t want anything extra weighing you down. Traveling lighter? We got you. Look for a hands-free bag that you can wear as a crossbody or lightweight waistbag.
Yoga, Pilates or Studio Classes
For yoga classes, you’ll need to bring your own mat. Most yoga studios provide all the gear, but some people like to bring their own straps or extras for their own modifications. If you’re attending a heated class and going to work or meeting friends after, you may want to bring a change of clothes and need a more spacious bag.
Surfing, Swimming or Water Sports
Sand, splashes, and saltwater means you’ll want a bag that’s waterproof, easy to clean, and dries fast—plus a few Pouches to keep your wet gear separate from your dry gear.
Choose the Right Size and Type
Now that you know what you need, let’s find the right bag size and style with the features that are most important to you!
The Spacious Classic: Duffle Bags
Our Sporty Duffle in durable ripstop Keep It Light Nylon is thoughtfully designed with smart interior and exterior pockets to keep your phone, wallet and small essentials organized and accessible. Plus, there's two ways to carry it your way—shoulder straps or handles. Looking for a small and styled duffle? Check out our Stubby Duffle, a chic and structured duffle that offers just enough room for essentials.
The Ultimate Multitaskers: Tote Bags
Duffle bags are a classic workout bag for a reason. The generous storage and easy design provides space to pack all your gear for the gym, court or CrossFit. With ample room for sneakers, a sport towel, outfit change and toiletry bag, duffle bags are a versatile staple.
Going from yoga to brunch? If a duffle is bigger than what you need, a lightweight tote bag is a versatile option. Totes transition effortlessly from pilates class to café and offer multifunctionality when you’re traveling and need a bag for outings, the pool, and the hotel gym.
Our range of totes in technical Splash-Proof® material offer a durable and easy to clean solution for carrying damp gear like towels and sweaty clothes. The Splash-Proof® Reversible Tote is your lightweight go-to with an open top design to easily add in an extra clothing layer and the inner zipper pocket makes it easy to find your keys, wallet, or phone. Need some more space? The Day Tripper tote offers a larger capacity and an expandable zip top to keep your belongings secure.
For Workouts On The Go: Hands-Free Crossbody Bags and Hip Packs
When you’re taking your workout on the go, clip on a Mini Hip Pack or Hip Pack! These hands-free bags are perfect for minimalists, runners, hikers and gym-goers who need to carry just the basics: keys, cards, phone, and maybe an energy snack. They offer just enough space to hold your valuables without the bulk.
Workout Bag Organizers: Dopp Kits and Pouches
If you’re going from the locker room to work, a Dopp Kit or Pouch will be your new best friend. Pack your gym bag with a Dopp Kit or Cabin Crew Kit for your deodorant, skin care and any other post-workout toiletries to freshen up after a workout. Bonus: our Splash-Proof® material is easy to clean in case of toiletry spills, leaks and messes.
Anything else you need to sort in your gym bag? Pack it with pouches! Pouches are the ultimate travel organizers for your extra shoes, sweaty clothes, dry clothes, workout gear and more. Mix and match our range of sizes and prints to create your own travel system.
Workout Bag Features You’ll Love
Here’s a few of the top features to look for in a workout bag to make your fitness routine easy, effortless and organized.
Materials Matter
When it comes to choosing a workout bag, look for materials that are durable to hold up being tossed into lockers, your car trunk, on the grass or on the court. Our Keep It Light Sporty Duffle and Stubby Duffle are made in a premium durable ripstop nylon, offering lightweight durability, water-resistance and easy to clean functionality, making it the perfect material to stay fresh and not smell like a gym bag.
For packing wet or sweaty gear, our Splash-Proof® pouches are the next best thing to waterproof. Toss your sweaty clothes in a pouch after hot yoga or your swimsuit after swimming laps to keep your dry stuff dry and your wet stuff separate in your gym bag.
Function and Style
Your ideal gym bag should have features that make your life easier, so you can focus on the fun. Look for bags with multiple zipper compartments that keep everything organized, accessible and secure. For example, our Stubby Duffle and Sporty Duffle have a zipper pocket on the outside to stash your phone, headphones or gym ID for quick access.
Look for bags with multiple ways to carry to make your commute more comfortable. Our Hip Pack and Mini Hip Pack can be worn snug around your waist or loosen the strap to wear it as a crossbody. Our Stubby Duffle and Sporty Duffle both include a removable and adjustable shoulder strap so you can throw it over your shoulder or grab the handles.
Want to match your gym bag to your outfit? Your gym bag shouldn’t have to sacrifice style for function. Look for a silhouette that matches your own style and colors that you’ll love to wear and want to carry every day.
The perfect gym bag should work as hard as you do. Consider your priorities, evaluate all the options and choose a bag (or bags) that’ll move with you.