These Gym Bags for Men Will Make for an Easier Lift

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If you’re reading this and usually stash your gym necessities in a corner of your room or in the overlooked cranny of your car, it’s time to get organized with a new gym bag. Carrying your sneakers around in your hand or stuffed in your work bag is not the look in 2023. Lucky for you, we’ve taken the heavy lifting out of finding the best gym bags for men: From multifunctional duffels to versatile backpacks, you're sure to find the perfect picks to help you start that fitness goal right.

Even the most ardent gym rats have to get to another destination after those hundreds of reps, so choosing a bag prepared for life both in and out of the gym is important, too. A multitasking gym duffel or backpack is always key to organizing your belongings, giving you one less thing to worry about as you’re going to and from workouts.

The Best Gym Bags for Men

• Best Overall: Under Armour Undeniable Duffel 5.0 Gym Bag

• Best Duffel: FocusGear Ultimate Gym Bag 2.0

• Most Utilitarian: Mier Large Men’s Gym Bag

• Best Side Pockets: Oakley Blade Wet Dry Backpack Gym Bag

• Best Office-Ready Gym Bag: Orbis Duffle Gym Bag Troubadour Goods

What to Consider

When buying a gym bag, there are a few things to take note of, starting with size and need:

• Size: Start by considering what you typically bring to the gym. If you’re packing work stuff, sports gear, sneakers, a change of clothes, a water bottle, et cetera, a roomy duffel bag is likely to be up your alley. If you only bring the basics, such as a water bottle, deodorant, and fresh shirt, on the other hand, you might want to purchase a versatile backpack instead. 18-25 liters is a typical sweet spot.

• Compartments: If your shoes typically get very sweaty, a separate shoe pocket is essential; if you typically change out of wet clothes, a bag with a waterproof pocket for dirty laundry is also a plus. Other options include special phone or laptop sleeves, water bottle holders, and the like. There are so many options these days, you can find one specifically suited to your lifestyle.

• Purpose: Are there other purposes you hope to use your bag for occasionally? Whether it be a weekender bag, carry-on bag, work bag, et cetera, make this decision before hitting Add to Cart.
  

For men looking for both form and function in their workout carryall, these are the best gym bags that will not only help you organize your stuff, but also keep everything sanitary — while adding just the right shot of style.

How We Selected

For us, a gym bag needs to be ready for wherever we’re headed and whatever that might bring. Does the bag keep smelly clothes in check or do unsightly odors seep through? Is it comfortable to carry? Is it too big to lug around?

We also care about durability; we don’t want to replace a bag six months after buying it. Gym bags don’t necessarily take on the same rigor as air travel, for example, but they do need to stand up to dirty clothes and the everlasting potential of a leaky water bottle.

As we were testing out a few bags, we, above all, looked for functionality and purpose. A good gym bag needs to be a complement to your routine, not a necessary evil.

Undeniable 5.0 Duffel, Large

With a 4.8-star rating and more than 6,000 five-star reviews, this bestselling Under Armour gym bag is a must-have for anyone looking for a completely water-resistant carry-all. It has plenty of pockets for organization, including a large vented pocket for laundry and sweaty shoes, internal slip pockets, and an external mesh pocket.

Massive bonus points for the multiple color combinations it comes in, and a large 58-liter capacity.

Happy customers love the “well-made” construction of this “perfect bag,” saying it has multiple storage options and “is big enough for EVERYTHING.”

More: Check Out These Gym Bag Options for Women

Ultimate Gym Bag 2.0

This budget-friendly pick has all the bells and whistles of more expensive competitors. It has 10 compartments (yep, 10): a spacious main compartment, two external zip pockets, a Velcroed back pocket, a shoe compartment, a hidden pocket for wet clothes, two water bottle holders, a separate bottom panel and an interior pocket for your phone and miscellaneous belongings.

The over 11,000 five-star reviews call out the “super spacious” organized compartments of this bag and point out its great value. One particularly helpful reviewer that works in a vinegar plant confirms that this bag’s clothes pocket does an amazing job of sealing in any odor from dirty clothes.

Large Men's Gym Bag

Choosing a gym bag with all the right compartments is, of course, important, but getting a stylish one as well is always a fun bonus. This Mier option checks both of those boxes with its khaki design, ventilated shoe compartment, and a variety of other interior and exterior slots.

“Great bag, great price,” sums up one satisfied customer. Another goes into more detail: “Got this for my morning gym workouts. I go straight from the gym to work, so I have to carry a LOT of stuff,” they said, specifying, “This holds two full-size towels, 20 hand towels (in the side pocket), two pairs of shoes, a giant bag full of toiletries, and a little room to spare for my workout clothes when I’m done. The only thing I don’t put in is my suit. But when the suit goes on, the suit carrier folds up and fits in the gym bag along with two hangers.” Pretty impressive.

Blade Wet Dry Backpack Gym Bag

Resembling a cool Transformer, this backpack rocks a little more bulk thanks to extra storage along its entire exterior. Beyond what meets the eye in the photo, though, includes a sleeve for a 15-inch laptop, a padded eyewear pocket, and enough space to hold your gym sneakers, a change of clothes, and other small workout needs.

Several users attest to how this “durable and comfy” backpack is also “perfect for traveling” (“purchased for 3-day travel... This backpack is most likely the largest you can slide under the airplane seat”) due to its multiple pockets.

Orbis Duffle Gym Bag

If there was ever a bag that looked just as much at home next to the office desk as it did in a gym locker, the Orbis is it.

What we specifically appreciate about the Orbis is how neatly set all of the various pockets and compartments are. There’s a lot of functionality here, perhaps even enough to store an overnight’s worth of cycling gear without feeling too bulky or expansive.

While the jury is still out on the exact positive impact of Troubadour's Orbis Circular Collection, we like that this bag series takes steps in the right direction. These bags are made only from recycled polyester, which in turn makes the bag easier to recycle at the end of its useful life. It also doesn’t look like it’s made from recycled materials, which is a big step forward for this type of design.

Gym Bag with Wet Pocket

Though this Everest Gym Bag is under $40, that doesn’t mean you sacrifice storage, as it comes conveniently equipped with plenty of interior and exterior pockets.

On the outside, you’ll find a water bottle holder, two zipper pockets, and a shoe compartment. Inside, you’ll find plenty of space for a basketball, tennis racket, or any other must-haves for your favorite sports or gym activities.

Customers love this bag and say it’s “perfect for the gym locker: “Just the right size and number of compartments,” confirms one.

Duffel Bag

This convertible duffel-to-backpack feature might just be worth it for a variety of gym-goers, especially at a sub-$100 price point. Not to mention that it holds up to 90 liters of stuff (with the biggest available size), making it especially perfect for athletes (if they're globetrotters as well, it’s also carry-on compliant, although it also makes a great extra bag to stow in a larger suitcase).

The water-resistant material and packable exterior wash bag are great bonuses as well.

This “excellent” bag has proven its mettle amidst many users’ travels, with one saying that aside from accommodating his portable speakers, it was also able to fit his tuxedo, suit, and an additional two weeks’ worth of clothes on a trip to Italy! The “perfect carry-on bag,” says another.

Team Issue 2 Medium Duffel Gym Bag

Another sleek, time-honored option with more than 3,000 five-star ratings is this adidas duffel. Sporting a ventilated compartment for all the post-workout stinkiness as well as a spacious interior, it can also double as your go-to duffel for a weekend getaway.

This “sturdy” gym bag for men apparently ticks all the boxes with customers, with one saying, “It’s a great size for a weekend bag, [has] plenty of pockets, good structure on the sides without being too stiff, [is] easy to clean, and durable.”

Medium Training Sports Bag

If we need an easy, no-nonsense bag to put in the car for a gym session, we’ll reach for this PUMA bag because it checks all the boxes. It has a large, cavernous interior with just enough internal division to keep what we need separated and in check. We also like the exterior pocket that allows us to store an energy bar or drink without having to reach far into the bag.

While we wouldn’t go traveling with it, it comes in that traditional gym bag size where you can fit more than one day’s worth of gear with some semblance of organization. We also happen to like the Eucalyptus color that you don’t see with many gym bags.

Duffel Pack 3 Gym Bag

For those days when we’re planning to commute by bike and need our computer, workout gear, and essentials in one place, the Duffel Pack 3 is our choice.

Let’s start with the exterior: The bag is wrapped in 1680D Cordura ballistic nylon exterior, which is tested for conditions way beyond anything we’re going to put it through on a regular basis. Aer has also outfitted the bag with tough hardware that won’t chip or break through repeated tough uses.

We also love the dedicated laptop pocket that doesn’t take up too much space, and the split-front opening is an ingenious way to leverage access to our other gear without having to dig through the entire bag cavity.

There are other spaces where we could store a bike lock, an Allen tool, and more. They’ve also managed to fit in a shoe compartment for up to size 13 sneakers – way bigger than our feet, but good flexibility where we can stuff dirty gym clothes.

There’s a home for everything in the Duffel Pack 3, and that’s a big win in our book.

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